WINTER

Each new year begins in Vermont at its coldest time of year. In January, the days are short, the weather can be bitterly cold, animals can be found safely tucked into barns, and it is quiet. It feels like, finally, after the busyness of the holidays, there is time to plan for the year ahead. The image of winter to me includes a cozy winter fire, a mug of tea steaming nearby, and the year’s first seed catalog open in my lap. New England gardens begin in January, as the wind howls outside and the growing beds lay dormant under a thick layer of snow. The delivery of Johnny’s Selected Seeds catalog is an annual mail event celebrated by gardeners across the region—we take our time poring over its pages, the next year’s garden taking shape in our heads and bringing with it a hint of spring sun warmth and the complex aroma of freshly turned soil.