Now that the ball has dropped, the hangovers have ceased, and the calendar page has turned, it's time to make those New Year's resolutions. No, not exercise or eating healthier, though you can do those things if you want. No, I'm talking about your New Year's garden resolutions! Did you grow anything in your garden last year or was the ennui of the whole year just too much for you?

This is the time of the year when seed catalogs start to arrive in my mailbox. Or, as I like to call it, plant porn. The photos are gorgeous, showing picture after picture of perfect vegetables, or flowers that you just know would do well in your garden, despite them needing zone 5 to grow successfully. But what's a zone? How do you know your zone?

There are several sources available to find out which zone you're in. The most common one many gardeners use is the Sunset Western Gardening Zones, which takes into account the total climate: length of growing season, rainfall, winter lows and summer highs, wind and humidity. If you don't happen to have a copy of the Sunset Western Gardening book (I have three), go online to sunsetwesterngardencollection.com/climate-zones/zone/northern-california.

Another source is the USDA Cold Hardiness Zone Map, which is based on the average annual extreme minimum temperature during the past 30-years, not the lowest temperature that has ever occurred or might occur in the future. You can also go to planthardiness.ars.usda.gov and input your zip code to learn which zone you're in.

Humboldt County falls into multiple zones: 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b and 10a.

Newly arrived gardeners in Humboldt County often try to plant the things that grew well in their old location. Sadly, folks who moved here from Sacramento, the Bay Area or even farther out, Southern California, find that they can't grow everything they could before. Anyone who has tried to grow heirloom tomatoes outdoors on the coast knows what I'm talking about.

Thankfully, some seed catalogs tell you the growing conditions that are ideal for the seed packets you purchased. Some include zones, but others will tell you the minimum soil temperature the seeds need to sprout, whether you want to direct sow — put directly in the ground — or start indoors. There are dozens of seed catalogs out there, some targeted at particular growing regions. Territorial Seed Co. specializes in seeds and plants that grow well in the Pacific Northwest, which Humboldt County is considered part of, due to our growing season. Others are geared toward particular interests, like medicinal seeds or tomatoes, for example. There really is a catalog that only sells tomato seeds and plants.

But now that you've gotten all those beautiful plant porn pictures in your mailbox, how do you know what type of seed it is? Is it organic, GMO, OP (open-pollinated) or F1?

My bias is toward open-pollinated because I like to save seeds for the following year. OP means that you'll get the same plant as the plant the seed came from. F1 is a hybrid variety. If you save seeds from F1 plants, it won't be true to the parent plant. This is why I've yet to find anyone who successfully grew seeds from a favorite variety of cherry tomato, Sungold. Delicious little sugar bombs of tomato delight. It's a hybrid, so you'll need to plant new seeds each year from the supplier or purchase plants from our local nurseries.

Some catalogs go into very explicit detail about the seeds and have a legend at the front of the catalog, so you know what kind of seed you're getting. Others are more generic, and you have to decide if you're willing to grow plants that are GMO (genetically modified), or if you only want seeds that are untreated.

The next crucial piece of information you want is how long it takes to grow the plant/vegetable/flower. Some vegetables take far longer to ripen than our shorter season allows. Corn is a good example. A farm in Willow Creek can grow a longer season corn than those on the coast, but it's possible to grow corn here. Just look for a short season variety of around 80-85 days as it is more likely to be successful than a variety that takes 120 days. The number of days that is listed on the seed packet is how long it takes to get the desired fruit or veggie after it's sprouted. Soil temperature is also important to take into consideration. Some seeds won't sprout well if the soil is too cool.

But let's say you've planted a garden every year for decades, and you have those things that absolutely must go in your garden, because you love to can pickles or eat garlic in every dish except ice cream. Consider trying out a new variety from one of the catalogs. You might be surprised at how well you like it. Also, don't forget the flowers! If you want those fruits and veggies to get pollinated, you want to draw pollinators to your garden. Having many flowers is a great way to attract them.

Finally, it's coming up on bare root season at our local nurseries. Several already have berries, roses and rhubarb. Fruit and ornamental trees will be arriving in the next few weeks. In addition to having a variety to choose from, bare root plants are less expensive and as long as you plant them soon after getting them home, they'll have time to get all settled in with our winter that appears to be a real winter this year. Fingers crossed.

Julia Graham-Whitt (she/her) is owner and operator of the landscaping business Two Green Thumbs.