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Notes From the Garden
Notes From the GardenTantalizing Seeds Make Staying Indoors Exciting
By Madeleine Wilde
Jan 13, 1999 -- Let it rain, snow, blow, or just any other form of feisty weather so I will be forced to stay indoors and get my seed orders completed. I am surrounded by fascinating catalogs, many of them now available on-line. I have perused the printed copies with delight and some I have studied in depth, turning down the pages or littering them with small "sticky" notes. Now it is time to order so I first look to their web pages. Good Heavens, a whole new experience confronts me as I wander through their sites, losing myself in some tantalizing links, re-considering some choices, and finally just clicking my way off the Internet. The choices are too overwhelming. I must force myself to focus.The Territorial Seed Company (Box 157, Cottage Grove, OR 97424; 514-942-9547) focuses all their work on "Seeds that GROW West of the Cascades." I like that extra help when trying out new varieties of old favorites, or when reaching out into uncharted territory! Friends of mine that create major kitchen gardens each year have become dedicated enthusiasts of this company's seed offerings over the last 20 years. In fact at a New Year's Day luncheon feast we had a wonderful reading from this year's catalog just on the tomato varieties that they are offering.
I have been looking for Hubbard squash seeds after seeing a planting of this vine that covered a vast amount of space. The large leaves sit up above the vine like umbrellas and the vines stretch out for many yards beyond the center of the plant. This year I am planting many young and tender permanent plants on a west-facing hillside and I thought the squash vine leaves would be a great way to provide shelter from the strong summer heat and light. Territorial Seeds has a "true Northwest heirloom" Sugar Hubbard that was developed by the Gill Brothers Seed Company in Gresham, Oregon and saved from extinction by Ed Sherman of Whidbey Island. This sense of local history certainly adds to the appeal of this particular winter squash seed offering.
Territorial Seeds has an amazing web site (www.territorial-seeds.com). It is clearly organized and offers a wealth of information on their products, including an easy to use shopping cart system. Their links take you to many different corners of the world, and for those of you interested in all the information you will ever need to know about Farmers' Markets, they provide the link to www.FarmersMarketOnline.com.
Most of the seed catalogs include useful reference books, but I haven't seen listed the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's latest offering from their 21st Century Gardening Series Handbooks called Starting from SEED. When you become a member of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11225; www.bbg.org) you will receive these handbooks 4 times a year. They are wonderful resources. You can order past issues in this series for $9.95, including this latest one on Seeds, and/or become a member for $35/year. I think this membership is one of the best "deals," for it also includes their monthly Plants & Gardens News publications.
The Starting from SEED Handbook has an interesting list of seed sources that includes some standard large firms along with many small specialized firms and nonprofit organizations focused on seed preservation. As with their other Handbooks, the writing is excellent, the photography lavish, and the layout accessible for both the novice and advanced gardener.
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