Those seed catalogs you’ve been receiving in the mail are a great source for more than seeds and plants. They contain important planting, and growing information. There are often uses for the plants listed, for example which types of corn are good for parching, which types for drying.
Many also have a plant history, at least for the basic plant types. It’s interesting to know where plants came from, and how they’ve changed through the years.
When you’re glancing through the catalog stop dreaming about your summer garden long enough to notice if the catalog has any recipes, or garden layouts you can use to plan your own gardens. I’ve found a couple great garden recipes in catalogs, and I’ve also clipped out a couple unique garden layouts
Catalogs like Gardens Alive! are a wealth of information on identifying and controlling garden pests, and diseases naturally. Gardens Alive! has a whole section in their catalog loaded with photos to help you identify diseases and pests.
Take another look at some of those garden catalogs you’ve received in the mail before you throw them out, and see what valuable information is hiding between their covers.