Here's a link to a number of lesser known seed companies. I haven't looked at it in years. But J L Hudson might have what you're looking for.

http://jlhudsonseeds.net/

George
Tahlequah, OK

Here is a link that might be useful: lesser known seed companies

Go to my member page and through it send me an e-mail with your e-mail address. I can send you contact info for William Woy Weaver. Perhaps he can direct you to a viable source.

George

are you referring to Nuna beans? if so, they are seriously NOT adapted to most of North America. Nuna beans are a tropical highland crop. They are day length sensitive and won't flower in higher latitudes. There are a few Nuna hybrids that have been made over the years, but to my knowledge, they are not available at this time.

DarJones

Lalameija, I goofed. Your e-mail came through and I deleted it. Please repeat and I'll respond.

George

Lalameija, if you post the varieties you are looking for, we might be able to find a few of them.

And if you are a glutton for punishment, you might want to read another of WWW's books, Heirloom Vegetable Growing. Even more hard to find varieties listed there. ;-) A very enjoyable book.

Yes, I am a glutton for punishment. I have "heirloom vegetable growing" sitting on my kitchen counter in the que of books to read! What I am looking for is:
aji dulce pepper
alma pea
crimson flowering fava
jackson wonder bush lima
jaune du poitou leek
nuna bean ( you HAD to tell me I couldnt do it, Fusion;))
snails - medicago scutellata
teltow turnip
AND
zimbabwe red bamabara-vigna subterranea
If any of you have these or know where I can get them, I have scads of seeds to trade. Mostly tomato, but good ones!Thank you all for your help! This is a very friendly forum.

Lalameija,

Are you a member of the Seed Savers Exchange? If so, you can find several of the seeds you're searching for in the 2008 Yearbook, including Aji dulce pepper, crimson flowering fava, Jackson Wonder bush lima, Jaune de Poitou leek and Teltow turnip. Some of the other varieties you're searching for might be there as well, but I didn't see them when I gave the yearbook a quick glance, nor did I look back at older yearbooks.

If you are not yet a member of SSE, the annual membership fee is a very worthwhile investment and membership gives you access to at least 13,280 "unique varieties" of plants, although there actually are 21, 564 listings because some are duplicates. Most of these varieties are only available through the members' yearbook although SSE does offer several hundred varieties of heirlooms through their public catalog and website.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Seed Savers Exchange

From your list: Aji Dulce is widely available from commercial sources, including Southern Exposure, Reimers, Tomato Growers Supply etc. It is heatless Habernero.
Jackson Wonder is a colored baby lima, widely available in the south. Most feed and seeds will have in bulk.It is a very vigous producer, but much stronger flavored than other baby limas. on-line: Southern Exposure, Baker Creek, New England Seed, Heirloom Seeds, Victory Seeds, Cooper Seeds, Reimers, Fedco, Seeds for the South, etc.
The other on you list are new to me.

I'm afraid that I agree with Farmerdilla, regarding the nunas. They are very hard to come by - there are no commercial sources, and I have not seen them offered in seed saving circles. Seeds are occasionally brought into the U.S. by travelers, but those varieties are highly daylength sensitive, and are virtually impossible to grow in the U.S. There was an effort to breed day-neutral varieties, but I heard that it stalled after a lawsuit over indigenous property rights. I guess the little guy finally won one... good for them, bad for us legumaniacs who were looking forward to growing it.

Bambara is also very hard to find. William offered them through SSE at one time, but is not listing them at present. The only other source you are likely to find in the U.S. is the USDA... and as a rule, they don't release seed to gardeners.

Another GW member, Lakedallasmary, grew several bambara varieties last year, she might still have some seed to swap. She sent me seed as well, which I started early as transplants & grew in pots. While they appeared to be only minimally daylength sensitive, they require a very long, warm season to mature seed... more than my Wisconsin summer could provide. I'll look around, I might still have a few seeds... but IMO, peanuts are far easier & more productive.

I believe William grew his bambara in a greenhouse. He offered many unusual plants, a few of which I obtained from him... I hope he will list again with SSE in the future.

Ok, I am looking through my new SSE catalog and am even more confused! I see lots of listings for seeds that are "unique" , but really it seems they are unique only in the way the listing memeber wants to spell the name! I did see a listing for "teltower turnip , an old nordic variety" could it be the same? For some reason finding seeds for the Telow Turnip and Alma Pea have really gotten under my skin!:)

You can get seed from the USDA if you are willing to send them a report on it at the end of the season.I believe you can find them on the web at www.ars-grin.gov Also ken Whealys book "Seed Inventory" .