Go to THOMPSON & MORGAN’s seed catalog for hundreds of varieties of flower and vegetable seeds. Thompson & Morgan is a UK firm that sells worldwide. You pay more for fewer seeds than with Park, but they offer hundreds more varieties. You’ll have plants your neighbors haven’t even THOUGHT of! I use the germination instructions from Park to start T&M’s seeds, as T&M assumes you have the casual expertise of a British gardener.

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/?RA=kew

     And some tips on GROWING PLANTS FROM SEED:

http://gardening.about.com/od/seedstarting/

GARDEN HEIRLOOMS

     While the big seed companies were eliminating thousands of old seed varieties and concentrating on a few extra-large hybrids, some stubborn old ladies and old men were still planting the kinds of tomatoes, corn, and beans their ancestors did. These heirloom varieties have taste subtleties their modern descendants do not. Here’s a site where you can find some old-fashioned taste thrills:

http://www.seedsofchange.com/

GROW VEGETABLES IN SHADE?

     I would have said it couldn’t be done, but here are ten vegetables you can grow in PART shade. They will need “three to six hours of sun” per day. And, in case you’re new to gardening, let me point out that any area under a tree will have lots of tree roots. And if the tree is one of those giant Norway maples, you’ll find masses of roots for many feet all around the tree. Those roots may, in fact, take up your whole yard, sunny and shady parts both. I would like to have a company that goes around suburban neighborhoods cutting down Norway maples for free, bringing happiness and joy and free firewood to would-be gardeners. (Japanese maples are fine. They are beautiful and don’t take over. But the Norway maples are BIG BULLIES.)

http://www.inthegardenonline.com/picks_10vegforshadeC21.htm