From commentor Comrade Olaf:
I thought of the Garden Chat folk this afternoon when my Seed Savers Exchange seed catalog came in the mail. I thought I would share my mid-winter joy/spring longing with the BJ community as well as a great heirloom seed resource with a cool story (http://www.seedsavers.org/).
As you can see in the other two photos, their St. Valery variety of carrots did “alright” for us this past year.
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Because I’ve got more money than skill (not that I have that much money), and more skill than space, I don’t start seeds, I buy plants. I’m lucky to have a couple very good local nurseries, but I’ll spend many happy hours this winter pouring over Laurel’s Heirloom Tomato Plants, Territorial Seed Company, and Local Harvest‘s farm & garden section. For tools & other hard goods, I like Gardener’s Supply and A.M. Leonard (can’t beat their Root Pouches for cost or usability).
Where do you find the best garden seeds / plants / supplies?
OzarkHillbilly
4 am, not quite ready for chatting. Back in a bit.
JGabriel
NYT, Front Page Summary:
Mixed feelings: Sorry to lose the seat; Not so sorry to lose a Southern Blue Dog (though, admittedly, Landrieu was far from the worst of that breed).
OzarkHillbilly
Wow, I haven’t even finished cleaning up the garden yet and we’re already talking seeds? OK, I can do that. :-)
I get my seeds from Renee’s and (this year) Baker Creek. If I need to fill in any blanks I will use Territorial.
I have a couple favorites I get from Renee’s, Romanesco Zucchini, Emerite and French Gold pole beans. I was really happy with the seed potatoes and onion sets but they weren’t cheap and I would really like to stretch our dollars a little more so I am unsure what I will do that way this year.
My Jeffco buddie’s wife is sold on Baker Creek and after drooling all over last year’s 215 page catalog I know why. So the 2 of them, his father and spouse, and I and mine are going to have a seed buying party post X-mas. The idea will be to buy some things none of us have ever tried (as well as our old favs) and then split the seeds amongst us to share the costs… And some good beer, of course.
Elizabelle
CNN covering “looting” at a Berkeley Trader Joe’s last night. Radio Shack too.
CNN commenters are very pro-police. “How will the police protect themselves?” This one is talking about “anarchists.”
Raven
My bride is in charge of ordering and distributing about $1500 worth of bulbs to the garden club!
Raven
@Elizabelle: And you don’t think there are plenty of anarchists in Bezekely?
Raven
@Elizabelle:
Wow, how could those pigs say that.
JPL
I order my sweet potato plants from this site. link I’ve used them for two years and have been very satisfied with the results.
JGabriel
New York Times: Obama Is Found to Have Symptoms of Acid Reflux
I’m guessing it’s news that the President isn’t projectile spewing acid and bile all over the place, which I’d certainly be doing if I had to deal with a Republican / Tea Party Congress on a near daily basis.
ThresherK
Putting soda cans next to things to show relative size?
Neither I nor my wife garden (me: no interest, her: brown thumb) but isn’t this a family thread?
JPL
It doesn’t appear that John McCain will appear on TV today. He must be so disappointed since it appears that Fox News Sunday is having Limbaugh to discuss the state of the nation.
Elizabelle
@Raven: yeah, good points. But they had a more “law and order” type on earlier.
Also was glad to see a guest push back on CNN’s constant “failed rescue mission” theme. He got the host to stop using that word. No idea who guest was, because CNN had huge chiron up on the topic. I guess for those watching from across a room without sound.
I was very sorry the journalist and teacher were killed. I was glad to see our SEALs go in and try to rescue them. CNN reports they walked 6 miles to get to the compound. Was thinking that if I were Luke’s family members, I would be thanking the rescuers for putting themselves in danger to free my loved one.
And it was a captor who shot both captives when it became apparent a rescue mission was underway. That happens.
satby
I was pretty disappointed with several packets of seeds from Seedsavers a couple of years ago, and haven’t ordered from them since. Last year I went with Territorial, Jung, and a couple of things from Park seed. Got grafted plants from one, don’t remember which, and I can’t say I think grafts outperform regular plants considering how much more expensive they are.
JPL
Why is my Rhododendron blooming? It’s not going to be happy when the temp falls below freezing tomorrow night.
Josie
@OzarkHillbilly: I love Baker Creek’s catalog. I finally found a tomato that they carry from Cuba (Placero) that can produce in our hot South Texas climate. They have seeds from all over the world, giving you a plethora of climates to choose from.
mtiffany
“Time to start planning for next spring.” Great Flying Spaghetti Monster! We haven’t even won the War On Christmas yet and you people are already making us think about Spring?
Ferdzy
I am a seed maniac, so I will list some of the places I get seeds for the Canadians here. I won’t link, because there are a lot! You will just have to Google.
Note: when I say someone grows their own seed, they may sell some purchased seed, but most of it will be their own. If I have all-capped the name, I have ordered from them and been satisfied with the results. Most of them have been around for some time, so don’t let the fact that I haven’t ordered from someone put you off – they are almost certainly just fine.
In alphabetical order;
– Agro Haitai – great selection of Asian seeds
– ANNAPOLIS VALLEY HERITAGE SEEDS – young guy in Nova Scotia, grows his own seeds
– THE COTTAGE GARDENER – Ontario; they grow their own seeds
– EAGLE CREEK SEED POTATOES – Alberta, grow their own, potatoes only
– Edible Antiques – Ontario, a small new company, grow their own
– GRETA’S ORGANIC VEGETABLE SEEDS – Ontario, grows at least some of the seeds
– HAWTHORN FARM ORGANIC SEEDS – Ontario; they grow their own seeds, a favourite.
– HERITAGE HARVEST – Manitoba; they grow their own seeds, fabulous list!
– HOPE SEEDS – Nova Scotia; they grow their own seeds, lots of east coast heirlooms.
– MAPPLE FARM – New Brunswick; grow their own, good source for roots incl sweet potatoes
– OSC (ONTARIO SEED COMPANY) – Ontario, old Mennonite firm, good selection, cheap. Don’t know if they carry Seminis (Monsanto) seeds or not.
– PRAIRIE GARDEN SEEDS – Saskatchewan, grow their own seeds, very strong in grains, good value.
– RICHTERS HERBS – Ontario; largest herb list you will ever see.
– Salt Spring Seeds – British Columbia, grow their own, branching into field crops recently
– SOLANA SEEDS – Quebec; very strong in unusual peppers and other unusual veggies
– Stellar Seeds – British Columbia, grow their own seeds
– TATIANA’S TOMATO BASE – British Columbia; grow their own seeds; yes, lots of tomatoes but other things too.
– TERRA EDIBLES – Ontario. Oldest of the Canadian own-growers, great selection of tomatoes and beans.
– Ferme Tournesol – Quebec. Grow their own seeds, and have an interesting blog.
– TREE AND TWIG – Ontario. Grow their own seeds, plus sell a selection of seeds from Seed Savers Exchange.
– Upper Canada Seeds – Ontario, just tomatoes but a huge list.
– WILLIAM DAM – Ontario, small “standard” seed house (i.e. watch for Monsanto seeds) but they have a large, affordable, and very well honed list of seeds, always reliable, and are also the best Cdn source of seed starting materials, field plastic and nets, etc, etc.
Ferdzy
By the way, Comrade Olaf, your carrots are beauties. St Valery has also done well for us, although we didn’t grow them this year. We had a fabulous year for carrots too though; So. Much. Rain. They loved it! The leeks and celeriac too. Oh, and a bumper harvest of peas too. Beans, tomatoes, cukes, and melons; not so happy. That’s how it goes, I guess.
Scout211
I purchase my seeds from a local seed store. They have a huge array of seeds, for farmers and for gardeners. They have a very nice selection of seed packets that have “NON GMO” stamped on them. The seeds I bought from them last year did quite well.
I finished my garden expansion project. I doubled the size of my garden, adding six more raised beds. The mister helped me put up the deer/rabbit fencing and fill the boxes with soil. I even constructed the gate and hung it myself.
I am planning to start seeds next month for planting in the Spring.
I am really loving my retirement so far.
Ol'Froth
I like Johnny’s Selected Seeds out of Maine.
nellcote
buy most plants locally, but treat myself to unusuals from http://anniesannuals.com/
TerryC
I mostly grow trees, as I am a year into re-food-foresting a mostly-previously tilled and farmed 20 acres of land. I’m putting in mostly fruits, nuts, and berries, in permaculture settings that accommodate an 18-hole disc golf course winding throughout it. I get my wildflower seeds from American Meadows and I have successfully purchased bare root trees from Coldstream Farm and St. Lawrence Nurseries. The latter is going out of business after this spring. They’ve got 170 varieties of cold-weather apples and I’m trying to figure out how many individual ones I can afford to buy.
munira
I get a lot of seeds from the Petaluma Seed Bank when I’m visiting my kid in California every year. Other things I order from veseys.com, a Canadian company. They have some organic things, some not, but Petaluma is all heirloom seeds.
Thor Heyerdahl
Ah winters as a kid. Remembering Dad receiving Stokes and McFaydens catalogues out to see what new seeds to order for the next year in hardiness zone 3b’s very short growing season.
eldorado
ah, yes. around here we refer to those catalogs as garden porn.
Mj_Oregon
Here in the southern Willamette Valley, I rely on Territorial, Nichols and a new up-and-coming seed producer, Adaptive Seeds, whose owners grow most of their seed about 15 miles from me. With the exception of Tomosa tomatoes, I try to buy seed that’s been grown in Western Oregon. After 30 years of gardening, I’ve found that seed grown here grows the best in my garden. However, I’ve grown Tomosa tomatoes now for five years and *always* have a bumper crop of them no matter what the seasonal growing conditions are but they’re a European hybrid and sometimes hard to find. I’m really pleased with the seeds I’ve been getting from Adaptive Seeds – great young couple, very dedicated to OP and locally grown seed.
Marvel
I’ve driven down to Territorial for seeds in the past (a pilgrimage to the Mother Ship, if you will) and use their catalogue as my go-to What’sThisVariety source book. Usually though, I get most of my seeds from another fine Willamette Valley source, Nichols Gardens (https://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/store/index.php).
currants
WAY late to thread, glad to have seed/plant resources–have gotten many of my best from all of you.
I generally love Territorial Seeds, but ordered garlic from them this year and did not plant any: it was all infected with garlic nematodes (bloat something or other–the brown spots). Pretty disappointing, though I guess it’s a problem in lots of places. Last year I got clean garlic (certified) from MOFGA at the Maine fair, and it was great–so I just ended up planting most of it for next year. We’ll see what happens.