No, King Harry isn't a friend of Pliny the Elder. It's a variety of potato (organic, non-genetically engineered) that is supposedly highly resistant to Colorado potato beetles, potato leafhoppers and flea beetles. And Corinna Garmon, owner of Cutie the Duck and the farmer manager of the farmers market I attend, discovered it after reading about it in Mother Earth News. WoodPrairie Farm in Maine is the only supplier of it that she can find. WoodPrairie Farm, owned by Jim and Megan Gerritsen, is pretty much the last stop before Canada in Northern Maine.
And so I tossed the slick holiday catalogs that keep coming with the daily mail into the recycling pile and I pined away an hour or so thinking about King Harry, and All Blues and Red Clouds and sweet, buttery Yukon Golds. And then, on the bottom of the mail, I discovered the Seeds of Change 2008 Professional Seed Catalog. As if I am a professional. As if I have a farm and not a backyard kitchen garden.
And I felt my knees go weak, even though I promised myself I wouldn't order from Seeds of Change again because of how messed up and ill-handled my last two orders had been. Yet Orange Fantasia Chard! And Deep-Purple Dragon Carrots! And Dakota Black Popcorn! And my favorite little summer team, Genovese basil, Lemon Cucumbers and Yellow Pear Tomatoes. Oh, and look at that--Love Lies Bleeding Amaranth--"graceful ropes of cascading deep red, lavish plumes. Stunning in bouquets, reminiscent of aristocratic times." King Harry would be proud.
Other people can dream of a White Christmas all they want. I'm dreaming of a Rainbow Garden.
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7 comments:
It's only with MUCH self-restraint that I don't normally go absolutely nuts every year with seed purchases. But is Maine the way to go for you, Pattie? How about Southern Exposure? I'd think they have things happy to tough it out down there in Georgia.
I usually get my stuff from Fedco and Johnny's, but then, Maine is loads closer to Michigan's climate...
You're right, El. There has to be a closer choice. But right now, when spring planting is still several months away, anything is possible!
I've already starting looking through the seed catalogs thinking about what I'll grow nexxt year. It is addictive I tell ya!
Hi folks,
I am a big fan of all the seed companies that you mentioned and I work closely with them all. If you don't already know about my little organic seed company, High Mowing Organic Seeds, I thought that you may be interested. It is great that there are so many choices for growers and gardeners that we all can find a company or two (or 5) that work great for us. Any seedy questions let me know. Thanks, Tom www.highmowingseeds.com
You definitely need a seedsavers group, Pattie. One person buys some seed and the next year gives some of the seed they saved on to everybody else.Now we have so much seed and so much variety and it is all getting better adapted to our climate etc every year.
I do have some things to share, that I've been saving and adpating for a few years now. This reaching out locally is definitely going to be a goal of mine in the new year.
Check out this blog that I found on KGI - what to do with turnip tops.
http://spadework.typepad.com/spade_work/2007/02/growing_grelos.html
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