Time to Order Seeds and Plants
Sunday, February 10th, 2008Well, it’s one degree Fahrenheit outside and I am keeping my self warm with thoughts of spring planting. Our average last frost in central Iowa is about 12 weeks away. It’s time to get your seeds and plants ordered. You can even start some flower and allium family seeds now. I’ve had good luck growing leeks from seed and they don’t take much space. I sow them thickly in a 3” pot, grow them under fluorescent shop lights (more on that in another article), trim the tops back so they stay about 3” tall, and when it comes time to plant them, dump the pot out and grab each individual seedling and put it in a little trench.
Here are some of the seed companies that I’ve used in the past and have been happy with:
- FEDCO - www.fedcoseeds.com; FEDCO is a cooperatively owned garden supply company. They have separate supplies, trees, potatoes (Moose Tubers), and bulb catalogs. Their catalog is full of whimsical illustrations, and amusing descriptions of their open pollinated and hybrid varieties.
- Jung Seed – www.jungseed.com; Family owned and operated for 101 years, more of a mainstream company with a catalog packed with full color photographs. Unlike a lot of mainstream companies, they have a decent selection of open pollinated and heirloom varieties. They also have one or two of cultivars of many unusual varieties you can find at One Green World: sea berry, honeyberry, paw paws, hardy kiwi, etc.
- One Green World – www.onegreenworld; has numerous varieties of unusual fruiting trees and shrubs, berries, and nut trees from around the world.
- Peaceful Valley Farm Supply - www.groworganic.com; PVFS has a large selection of organic hybrid and open pollinated seeds, trees, berries and probably the biggest selection of organic supplies out there. Seed descriptions are bare bones (but you can look information up elsewhere), prices are economical and you can receive free seeds with orders over $50.
- Seed Saver’s Exchange – www.seedsavers.org; Established in 1975, membership is $35. You’ll then receive their mailings detailing 11,000 varieties, and trade with the members who maintain them. You can also order from their full color catalog or web site (with an abundant selection of heirloom/open pollinated seeds) and support their mission. Visit their farm if you are ever in Northeast Iowa – it’s a great time!
I am looking forward to trying these companies:
- Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds – www.rareseeds.com; Started by Jere Gettle when he was only 17 (1998), his catalog has grown to 100 pages of full color photographs and extensive descriptions of 100% open pollinated varieties. He has many unusual varieties from around the world.
- Sandhill Preservation - www.sandhillpreservation.com; Family-run, low tech (read their instructions), extensive collection of open pollinated seeds, sweet potatoes and heirloom chickens. Past customers report packets with generous amounts of seed, free packets, and good prices.
Seed and Plant Exchanges
There are a variety of groups where you can trade seeds with other people:
- Seed Messenger - groups.yahoo.com/group/seedmessenger/
- Seed Exchange - groups.yahoo.com/group/Seed1
- North American Fruit Explorers - nafex.org/ I have just recently joined this group, and it sounds like a good place to exchange scions, rootstock, cuttings, etc.
If you haven’t grown your own food, I hope you’ll give it a try this year. Start small, do some research, take time to observe and learn, and enjoy your harvest. If you are an avid gardener, I’d love to hear about your favorites, growing tips, etc. in the comments section.
I also love the colors of fall. I visited the second-to-last Valley Junction Farmer’s Market to stock up on some items, and one stand really stood out: Circle M Produce from Martensdale Iowa. I visited with Circle M’s proprieter Mike Misjak. Mike is at a farmer’s market about every day of the week, except Sunday when he’s busy picking. He helped start the Norwalk farmer’s market on Fridays. On the day I visited, he had an abundance of winter squash, pumpkins, peppers, some summer squash, green beans, and watermelons.
At the Iowa Orchard we met Bryan Etchen. Bryan’s family purchased the orchard in 1974 and he took it over in 1991. In addition to their Meredith Drive location, they have other orchards in the area. This year’s late frost (freeze?) caused them to have about 90% fewer apples than normal. Fortunately, Bryan has relationships with other orchards and had an ample supply of apples. Some of the varieties available when we were there in September: Cortland, Johnathan, Ozark Beauty, Lura Red, Wealthy, and my favorite for fresh eating, Honey Crisp. Varieties you’ve never heard of? Don’t worry — Bryan and his staff are quick to hand out samples and provide recommendations. We purchased a peck each of Honey Crisp and Wealthy. As I write this a couple of weeks later, the Honey Crisps are nearly gone. I’ve sampled a few of the Wealthy apples from the back of the fridge, and keep begging my wife to make this wonderful "Good Neighbor" apple cake recipe she has. If I succeed, I’ll try to get the recipe and photos online to share.
