All Over Albany

Those beautiful Hudson Valley Seed Co. art packets are on sale right now

The package for HVSC's Senate House Marigolds was designed by Albany artist Cara Hanley.

We've mentioned before that we're fans of the Hudson Valley Seed Co.* -- the seeds it sells are selected to grow in this part of the country, and they often in come in beautiful packages designed by regional artists.

So it caught our eye that HVSC currently has a half-price sale on more than 60 of its art pack seed varieties. From Coral Fountain Amaranth to Hank's Xtra Special Baking Bean to Long Island Cheese Pumpkin to Senate House Marigold to Stone Ridge Tomatoes.

This might seem like a weird time for buying seeds**, but you can often score deals -- like, you know, the one mentioned above. And the Hudson Valley Seed Co. art packs can be a unique, inexpensive gift. A bundle of 5-10 would be a nice surprise for someone who's a gardener -- or maybe wants to try gardening -- and it won't cost much. Think of it like a lottery ticket with a better expected payout.

Also: If you buy online, you can sign up for the Hudson Valley Seed Company catalog. And as we've mentioned before, seed catalogs are a simple joy in late winter.

Grow something
This is our semi-regular pitch to grow something, even just some flowers or herbs in a pot on the porch or windowsill. It might make you feel a little bit better about the world.
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* It was originally called the Hudson Valley Seed Library.

** Don't worry about buying seeds at the end of a growing season. They'll often keep for multiple seasons with no problems. In fact, some garden stores -- such as Faddegon's in Latham -- keep a box of last year's seed packs and sell 'em at a discount in the spring. Just ask.