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Post by RpR on Jan 2, 2018 20:15:17 GMT -5
Does anyone here have a general idea of who has swallowed whom?
Thirty years ago, before internet, I bought what the hardware store or elevator had on sale. I had not heard of Ferry Morse till I walked into a bucks-up garden shop up here thirty years ago.
No one else had them for years.
Nk was the biggie up here, and Farmers Seed and Nursery, whose catalog now looks like a version of Burgess.
I have bought from most of the companies on Oxbow's nasty list but never had a problems until the past five years and that came from Native Seed Search where packet were doa.
I do like Sandhill and am getting four types of corn from them this year.
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Post by steev on Jan 2, 2018 20:47:38 GMT -5
Things change and I have no complaint with that, although I wish the things I like would, at least, outlast me.
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Post by paquebot on Jan 2, 2018 22:46:54 GMT -5
RPR, Northrup-King is now part of Syngenta. They were in Minneapolis over 100 years. They once had a big warehouse barely half a mile from where I live. They also had some growing stations in this area. Ferry-Morse was even much older but now belongs to Jiffy International, same company that makes Jiffy Mix. F-M had a big growing station about 5 or 6 miles from me for many years. Both still sell vegetable seeds but neither have catalog or direct sales.
Martin
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crabapple
gopher
Knowing where your food comes from & being able to grow it is a skill that could save your life.
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Post by crabapple on Jan 11, 2018 22:12:54 GMT -5
I like Totally Tomatoes,Henry Fields.
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Post by reed on Jan 12, 2018 4:20:35 GMT -5
Henry Fields was my dad's favorite seed company, actually one of very few that we even knew about back then, it was a long time ago.
Seed catalogs are pileing up here, two or three copies of some even though I rarely order anything from them any more. I do most of mine online or through trades here on HG.
Something I'v noticed on line and in some of the books that I like, is more offerings of seed collections where you can buy mixed packs of something instead of having to buy each individual variety. I'm more and more considering a food crop and a species as synonymous. I don't need all the glowing descriptions of individual varieties, I want it all mixed back up so it can settle back out as something that grows happily in my garden.
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Post by RpR on Jan 12, 2018 12:46:34 GMT -5
Because I have not ordered from many in the past few years, I am not getting the pile of catalogs I used to get.
Debating whether I should send out catalog request just for the heck of it.
I did guarantee Gurney's coming till the day I die when I ordered Eureka Ensilage corn, which was out of stock, but suddenly showed up yesterday in the mail.
First order from them in a long, long, long time.
Not sure if I miss the days when I had a stack of catalogs six inches high or not.
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Post by walt on Jan 12, 2018 14:14:59 GMT -5
Something I'v noticed on line and in some of the books that I like, is more offerings of seed collections where you can buy mixed packs of something instead of having to buy each individual variety. I'm more and more considering a food crop and a species as synonymous. I don't need all the glowing descriptions of individual varieties, I want it all mixed back up so it can settle back out as something that grows happily in my garden. If I was buying seeds for food production next summer, the mixed seed offers would be good. But these days, and for some years, I search the seed catalogs for very specific reasons. For example, I've decided to buy seeds of a few of the very largest tomatoes, which I know won't do well here. But I want a larger hybrid population of 1/2 S. pimpinellifolium. So I intend to buy some large tomato seeds and not be disappointed with how poorly they do this summer because I expect great things in 2019 and later. Last year it was very early corn and an sh2 and an se corn. This year and next I will be trying to find better melons that are rather small, so my wife and I can each eat half and not have leftovers which are never as good as fresh. And in looking through one catalog this year, I found a summer squash recommended for pots. Its an F1 hybrid. I wonder if I can convince my wife to grow it in her 20 gallon pots on our front porch. I think they would be isolated from squash bugs and we might get a crop. Last summer someone in town had a front garden that had always been a flower garden, but last year it was pumpkins. The lush green leaves and bright yellow flowers looked just as good as the flowers that used to live there. I will say that if the seed companies were depending only on sales to Home Grown Goodness people, they would likely not be doing so well financially. Over recent years, I don't know if the seed companies have even broke even on me. |
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Post by oxbowfarm on Jan 12, 2018 17:16:31 GMT -5
I still get a huge stack of catalogs. I do use quite a few sellers that are online only and I find even when I receive a catalog, I do my ordering online anyway. No doubt that is why I find it so difficult to order the old fashioned way from companies like Sandhill.
My pet peeve is with companies that send multiple redundant catalogs throughout the year, Territorial, Peaceful Valley/Grow Organic, GardensAlive!, and Johnny's being the worst that I have experience with, pretty much in that order. I used to order from Peaceful Valley periodically as they were the only source I then knew of for Speedling trays, but that's no longer the case, and I'm phasing out my Speedlings anyway.
At one time I found catalogs much more pleasant to work with and liked filling out order forms etc, but now I find the websites usually are much easier to navigate to the point where you can fill out an order online much faster and more completely than you can with the paper catalog anyway.
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Day
gardener
When in doubt, grow it out.
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Post by Day on Jan 12, 2018 19:39:09 GMT -5
No doubt that is why I find it so difficult to order the old fashioned way from companies like Sandhill. Sandhill actually dropped their printed catalogue this year, save for a few exceptions (for those who have no access to the internet. However, seeing as that notice is posted on their website, I'm not sure how people without access to the internet will see it, but...) However their new website looks pretty spiffy. |
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Post by oxbowfarm on Jan 12, 2018 20:13:20 GMT -5
Day, I just checked it out. Seems very nice, but you still have to print of the order form, and mail it in. That kind of mystifies me, but its been clear for a long time that Glenn Drowns does his own thing.
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Post by reed on Jan 12, 2018 20:44:58 GMT -5
Wow, I never knew Sandhill made a new website it's a great improvement. I don't mind too much printing the order form and sending a check, not as convenient as on line of course but I have been very happy with everything I have ever gotten from them.
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Day
gardener
When in doubt, grow it out.
Posts: 171
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Post by Day on Jan 12, 2018 21:14:06 GMT -5
Day , I just checked it out. Seems very nice, but you still have to print of the order form, and mail it in. That kind of mystifies me, but its been clear for a long time that Glenn Drowns does his own thing. I didn't even notice that, good catch. Yeah seems a bit strange to me too, but as you say, to each their own. |
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Post by oxbowfarm on Jan 13, 2018 9:46:25 GMT -5
Of course I'm also very susceptible to weird seed I find at the Asian Grocery store, even though it is often terrible viabilty-wise. I really get a kick out of these flower goddes and Sprout seed packs. They seem to be marketed to strictly a Chinese demographic, but I feel like they must think a little English sprinkled here and there on the packet gives the thing more style. I assume they use some kind of translation software. I couldn't resist "Honey this pumpkin", the name translation cracked me up and I was intrigued by the striated/stripy skin in the photo. There only feels like 5 or 6 seeds in there though, so the odds are against anything survived the long trip from China.  |
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Day
gardener
When in doubt, grow it out.
Posts: 171
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Post by Day on Jan 13, 2018 11:04:00 GMT -5
"Honey this pumpkin seeds" I love it.
It says there are supposed to be ten seeds, so hopefully they didn't scam you too much. I'd be really curious to see those grown out. Moschata?
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Post by keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.) on Jan 13, 2018 11:09:32 GMT -5
Of course I'm also very susceptible to weird seed I find at the Asian Grocery store, even though it is often terrible viabilty-wise. I really get a kick out of these flower goddes and Sprout seed packs. They seem to be marketed to strictly a Chinese demographic, but I feel like they must think a little English sprinkled here and there on the packet gives the thing more style. I assume they use some kind of translation software. I couldn't resist "Honey this pumpkin", the name translation cracked me up and I was intrigued by the striated/stripy skin in the photo. There only feels like 5 or 6 seeds in there though, so the odds are against anything survived the long trip from China. Really? they sell asian varieties of seeds at the asian markets? Interesting. I will have to be more astute in the future. |
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