Anyone else get any 2009 seed catalogs yet? Did you find anything new that you just "have" to have?

That Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy' on the cover of the T & M catalog looks pretty sweet ... and then there's the new Chrysanthemum 'Sunset' ... and Eschscholzia 'Dairy Maid' ... and, and, and ...

Bonnie

What are these "Agretti" and "Spigariello Liscia" in the Johnny's catalog? I've often been tempted to harvest just the broccoli leaves but this "Agretti" looks really, really different!

digitS'

I got one in the mail from Mountain Valley Seed. Since I've only bought grass seed from them, I flipped to that section, then to the page for environmentally friendly grasses. Their description for Streambank wheatgrass indicates that is can be used in a mixture of 40% streambank wheatgrass, 40% western wheatgrass and 20% sheep fescue. But of the three, they only list the Streambank wheatgrass. And there is no link to it on their website. It only shows up if you search. They list Western wheatgrass on their website (if you search) but I tried ordering some and was told they haven't had enough demand and aren't stocking it.

For the past few years, our vegetable garden has been dominated by pumpkins that came from seeds that survived the composting process. So I haven't really looked at anything else.

There's the nostalgia factor too. It reminds me of when I was a kid, and used to circle all of the things I wanted for Christmas in the Sears Wishbook.

Bonnie

Billie

:-)
Skybird

Oh, and Skybird, they have the 'Reliance' grape too!

Bonnie (making a list, and checking it twice)

Actually I got two. They always send me one in my maiden name and one in my married name. I always pass the extra on to my BFFL, Mitzie.

Gotta go, can't read the screen anyway. Too much marker.

Billie

Speaking of Gurneys, I have quite a bit of last years seeds left if anyone wants them. Many unopened. Some tomato, scallop squash varieties, lettuce blend seed tape, early whte vienna kohlrabi seed tape, and a 225 pack of the Sugar Ann snap peas I raved about this spring. Some other stuff. Not much for containers.

Post here, or shoot me a PM if you want them.

Robert

I would be interested in a few of the Sugar Ann snap peas. I wouldn't need 225, but I'd love a dozen or so. Which tomatoes do you have? (she asks, even though she has seeds for 47 different varieties and a 60 sq.ft. garden, LOL)

Since your looking seeds for container growing, I have Spacemaster cukes, and 'Mini Bush Yellow Cherry', and 'Lime Green Salad' tomatoes, which are dwarf, determinate types. Let me know if your interested.

My Fedco catalog arrived today, not much new from last year, and I received Totally Tomatoes and Vermont Bean Seed catalogs earlier in the week. I've been circling things, but am not planning on placing any more orders until after the holidays are over.

Bonnie

I received an email from Select Seeds last night saying I could preorder my catalog for "only $2.00". What?!? You want me to pay for my winter entertainment??? In their defense, they deduct the two dollars from your first order, but if they are going to charge me, I'll be forced to look at their catalog online instead.

Bonnie

Some of these outfits have such clunky websites that they should pay us to use them!!

I was about to say that Jordan Seed is a worse-case example. Then I decided I'd better look at their website. Wow!! Big improvement from a few years ago. Jordan has very good prices on seed in quantity.

Steve's digits

See, this is the problem with the catalogs without any color!

(I couldn't see much new either until I found this, online. ;o)

d'S’

BTW, I had never heard of Jordan Seed. Are they maybe geared toward the market grower, such as yourself?

Bonnie

Billie

Buy them here - the 'heritage' type, they aren't yet in stock.

Bonnie

Thanks,
Alice

Bonnie, Jordans is primarily for the market grower and their minimum order charge and shipping costs are a bit high.

Osbourne is also somewhat oriented that way but I like their selection and both Jordans and Osbourne have everything in smaller packet sizes as well as stuff by the pound.

And, Holmes is definitely in that league.

One of these days, I should open an account with the Landreth Seed Company. It claims to be the oldest "seed house" in America. And, "the company sold seed to every American president from George Washington to Franklin D. Roosevelt." Sounds like I could be in pretty good company . . . (and no wonder Harry Truman had such low poll numbers ;o).

d'S’

I have an 86 year old neighbor who has been looking for "blue banana" winter squash, which he swears I grew one year, and I finally figured out he was talking about Guatemalan Blue. So I've been trying to find him some seeds.

Baker Creek sold out, one week to the next before I could order them, and I emailed them and they said they wouldn't carry them this year.

I tried to do an internet order through Seed Savers Exchange, but their computer ordering thing is totally messed up. Phone call isn't answered, just a machine.

So I sent off to Sand Hill Preservation. Those guys have the right attitude. Send a check, and be patient. None of that new-fangled credit card stuff. And they say they'll do internet orders when they can send live chickens via email.

David - I wish someone would figure out a way to e-mail my chicks. I think more would live through it and I woould not get the NASTY phone call from the post office the minute the chicks got there "Your chicks are here and if YOU DON'T PICK THEM UP TODAY, I will keep them!!" I have always picked up my chicks in a timely manner. I even drove 30 miles one way in a blizzard last year to fetch them from Calhan (the snow capital of the Colorado plains) to get them because our mail delivery person did not want to get the mail that day. I even wound up sleeping with them in my bed cuz the power went out, but that was after the neighbor rescued us from the ditch, two miles from the house!! What a wild trip!

Billie

I can imagine Sand Hill Preservation having the "right attitude." I understand that 100 years ago, seed companies often sold chickens. And, what a range of chicken breeds they've got!!

Billie, I don't think the USPS wants to be in the chicken business. It is amazing that they didn't "chicken" out a few years ago when they tried. How in heck could the few people that mail order chicks keep that shipping option in place? Must be a dedicated lot, the sort who would drive 30 miles thru a blizzard to pick up a box of chicks and then sleep with them to keep 'em warm during a power failure.

I'm always tempted to mail order but must not have much imagination - the feed company always has what I want, cheep . . . I mean, cheap. Ordered quail one time - they were fun! I could hardly believe how tiny Coturnix quail are but all 35 made it thru the mail - in one tiny, cold, knot of fuzzy bodies with little pink feet sticking out.

S'

I thought I would share the link I found a few minutes ago that is charging only one shipping fee for RH Shumway, Totally Tomatoes, Jung and Vermont as well as couple other places that I have not dealt with yet.

Billie

So far I’ve gotten:
~ Pinetree (Will definitely be ordering some things again this year)

~ Totally Tomatoes (Will probably get my tomato seeds elsewhere this year)

~ Vermont Bean (I’ve hi-lited some things, and will probably order from them for the first time. Prices seem quite reasonable, and shipping is $6 for any size order. Three packs of "experimental" seeds with order over $27—tho I couldn’t use the sweet corn, and probably no room for the green beans either! That leaves the peas!)

~ Burpee (They’re pretty pricy! They have some bargain prices on an insert, but shipping it $7, up to $15, so probably not!)

~ Territorial (Ouch! Shipping is $7, up to 5 lbs!)

~ Bountiful Gardens (Haven’t looked yet! Shipping prices are right!)

~ Jung (Haven’t looked yet! Shipping prices not too bad!)

I haven’t received Harris yet, but am planning to order a few things—unless I can find the same varieties, and the pelleted seed I want somewhere else that I’m gonna order from anyway.

Actually, I pretty much have the varieties I’m gonna plant in ‘09 picked out. There could still be some reconsideration of the tomato varieties—I’m still digesting the suggestions from the tomato thread! But for the most part, it’s a matter of finding the varieties I want in the different catalogs and figuring out where I can get the best deal!

Skybird

I also received a Select Seeds catalog. That was the same folks that emailed me a few weeks ago that I could "preorder" the catalog for $2. I guess if you wait long enough they send it to you for free!

Okay, I'll admit I placed an order with Pinetree within a day of receiving the catalog, and another small one with Parks today. Parks is not my favorite place to order from, but they had the County Fair Cukes that I have been searching for, and if you ordered $10 worth of seeds, you got a free packet of Snapdragon 'Black Prince', so I caved in.

I need to place one more order for a few veggies, and then it's time to start getting organized for this season's wintersowing.

Bonnie

First off - Shumway, Totally Tomatoes, Jung, Vermont Bean and a few others are all the same company. That's not a negative necessarily just a fact. I order from them and there's some difference in selection, one catalog from the other.

Parks has a pretty catalog. I can remember being quite impressed by their pretty foil packets, also. However, I had poor germination more than once from their seed. Now having related that little anecdote - Parks' selection is commendably broad and the cultural information in the middle pages was very important to me when I was a young gardener - oh, 1 or 2 years ago.

I've watched Territorial grow from a seedling. Some folks had a lot of admiration for the founder but I think he was mostly an overly-imaginative fellow and the new folks have served the company well. I'm not entirely sure about serving some of the customers. Take a close look at the packet size and compare costs.

In many ways, Territorial has become like Pinetree, another outfit I admire but don't usually order things from. You can get wide choice of a little seed at reasonable prices. But, with Territiorial - don't order larger packets unless you do a cost comparison. I write out my choices along with seed amounts and do comparison shopping each year.

Stokes gives you information on number of seeds = weight of seeds. That information is helpful since the different companies sell seed by count and by ounce - gets confusing. Just writing it out led me to order not one thing from Territorial in 2008. Hurts my feelings too because I like the selection and honest reporting on their variety trials. But, if they don't offer better value - it looks to me like it has become a good source for people with small gardens. I can't afford to fill a big garden with their seeds.

Finally, I would still like to get some of the catalogs that I order just a few things from. What I don't need is 5 or 6 copies of slick, full-color, published, and copyrighted presentations!! There's no doubt that the seed company is marking up the cost of the seeds in this demonstration to impress me. I wish you wouldn't try so hard - - especially, if you are cutting down a d**n forest with all your efforts!

The last time I said something negative about a company on this forum, I got a crisp email from a company representative detailing how I had gone too far. I don't see myself as a public person, just someone chatting over the back fence with neighbors. If you don’t want me talking about your catalogs, products, and service – take me off your mailing list. It’ll serve me right.

Steve's digits (the rest of him is NOT a crusty, irascible, cantankerous, olde person full of stubborn ideas ;o)

That used to be my top source for bulk lettuce seed mixes, an ounce was maybe $8.00, which lasts a long, long time. No so now, but still, decent prices on larger quantities.

Today I got Johnny’s and Select Seed (which I don’t remember ever ordering!)

Johnny’s catalog is huge—the biggest one I’ve gotten, and their shipping seems pretty reasonable, but, at first glance, comparing tomato seed prices, their packet prices are on the high side.

Select Seed has the highest shipping prices I’ve seen so far—$8 for up to a $20 order! If you only buy a few packets, that makes for some VERY expensive seed!

Oh! And I DO have my Harris catalog! I was cleaning up yesterday, and I found it under a pile of papers! Guess I was just having a senior moment! (Isn’t it wonderful to be olde and have an excuse for forgetting things!)

Digit, I think which companies work the best for each of us depends a lot on if we buy seed in small or large quantities. I like Pinetree a lot because they have small packets, which work well for me, and they’re inexpensive and the shipping is very reasonable—just $3.75 up to $20. If I wanted individual seeds in larger quantities, it wouldn’t be at all feasible to order from them.

And, I haven’t gotten a Park’s catalog yet this year, but I agree with you about all the great info on their index page—if that’s where they still put it. Many years ago I used to refer to those pages a lot! I may still have a couple of those old catalogs around in a box somewhere! Packrat here! And if you’re looking for unusual things you can probably find it at Park’s. That’s where I ordered my fern spores the year I tried that! And, yes, I actually got some ferns—but it takes a LONG time! Got some African violet seeds and a few other unusual things from them too. It’s the only catalog I know of that has seeds for some house plants (I think they still do). I don’t recall ever having a germination problem, but their seed is pretty pricy, and I don’t remember what their shipping was.

Bonnie — you’re only going to place ONE more order, huh? ;-)

And now I have a problem! Which TWO catalogs should I take along with me on my trip tomorrow! I’ll need a forklift if I take all TEN)

Happy, happy, happy seed catalogs—the way we all get thru winter,
Skybird

Okay, I went to the Garden Watchdog to see what kind of rating Gurney's had, since I received their catalog. They had HORRIBLE reviews, but I checked out Territorial while I was there, and they have an excellent rating, and everyone seemed to rave about them. I'm a bit surprised that nobody mentioned their prices and shipping being a little on the high side, but I went ahead and placed an order with them, simply because I would have had to order from two or three different places to get the specific varieties they had that I was interested in trying.

That brings me to Baker Creek. I got their catalog too, and have heard so many good things about them, but they never seem to have whatever I happen to be looking for.

Skybird, I don't get the Harris catalog, but I know that you order from them, so maybe I should get on their mailing list.

I have a couple of trades in the works right now, including a tomato round robin, so I may wait and see what I get from those before placing any other orders. Oh, who am I kidding? There are 5 more months before the planting season is over. I'm sure I'll find some more things that I HAVE to have, LOL!!!

Happy Shopping!
Bonnie

Bonnie, I'm not at all surprised that Territorial "have an excellent rating, and everyone seemed to rave about them." With a small garden, I think you may come to rave about them also.

Both Pinetree & Territorial have a lot of what I'm looking for. I'll also add that I refer to Harris as "Dad's Seed Company" since they've always been the one that has most of what Dad is looking for. With his GF's help, he will be growing a larger garden this year and has his trusty Harris catalog in hand as of this week.

d'S'

We were in KS over the weekend at my MIL's, and while visiting an old school friend of my DH, I picked up a catalog from the kitchen table, and mentioned I didn't have any yet. Well, she sent me home with a collection of them! I got to check out catalogs from Gurney's, Territorial, Burpee, Henry Fields, and Jung, without being on all those lists!

She used to live near Territorial's test fields in Oregon several years ago. I guess people in the area might just go out for a walk or bike ride, and come home with a basket full of veggies... all of the edges of the fields would get pretty well picked clean. I think she likes to do business with them now, partially because of that little bit of history :-)

So far I have 10 and there seems to be a new one in the mailbox everyday. Johnny's arrived Monday. It is more like a large magazine than a catalog. RH Shumway arrived yesterday, it's the normal size (for that catalog) I think they are all sending them out earlier this year because of the financial situation the country is in. Everyone is cutting back on the luxuries like groceries to pay for the necessities like heat.

Anyway, what happened to Pinetree charging a flat rate to mail seeds. The last order I gave them cost me $7 (ok $6.95, like we notice the extra nickel). It was seeds stuck in a manilla envelope, shesh.

I am going to try Gurneys this year because they offer the buy $50 get $25 off. I know they are not supposed to be the greatest, but I have to cut costs somewhere. I will have to wait for the berries to grow anyway. If only I can keep the neighbors goats out of the garden this year. Anyone have any good goat recipes?? Maybe goat-al-la-king, or goat burritos??

Billie

Goat, I've eaten goat! Tasted like duck, each and every time I tried it!?! Actually, goats have meat whereas ducks have, what, fat/skin?

Anyway, fruit is good with duck - apples, plums and citrus. Goat a l'Orange?

d'S'

Probably my favorite company for ordering live plants is Bluestone Perennials. Yes, the plants are small, but their prices are reasonable, there's no minimum order, and everything I've ordered from them is still alive in my garden. I bet at least half of what is in my perennial beds came from their little three-packs, and they didn't take long to catch up with the plants I bought locally.

Bonnie

Billie, the very cheap gardener.

It would taste good with orange somewhere in there. It also tasted pretty good with Dominican beer.

Sad part is that the daughter thinks she wants to raise goats for 4-H next year. That is NOT going into my bed when the power goes out, but I will probably find it in her room more than once. Already had to herd out kittens, rabbits and ducks. Think the teacher will believe that her goat ate her homework? We once had to prove that the dog ate it!!

It's fun being off... Uh topic. Thanks for the company!
Billie

I hardly think of livestock as off-topic.

One thing I believe about goats, there's no way to effectively fence them IN unless they want to be wherever "in" is. Fencing them OUT is only possible if there are lots of other places they want to be. So, decisions cannot be entirely within the jurisdiction of the goat's owner. However, decisions by the goat's neighbor should be within some sort of legal jurisdiction.

Either that, or a stockdog with very little patience who wants them out of "there." Gardening and goats are nearly antonyms - very much like deer and gardening.

d'S'

waiting for the snow to finish so the rain can start . . .

I have a friend who did have a goat barbecue the week after his small herd of goats decimated his newly-planted fruit trees.

I still get a few catalogs each year in spite of not ordering anything for several years. My kids are salivating over the new Seeds of Change catalog. The Territorial one is an old favorite. I haven't received any others yet, so perhaps I'm falling off of the old mailing lists. Just as well. Even though I love the catalogs, it's not fair to get them if I'm not going to patronize the companies.

For fruit that will probably do well in the Rocky Mountain region, has anyone tried the former-USSR and central Asian offerings from One Green World? If I decide to try fruiting plants where I live, I'll probably order from them. Though I don't know if it's a good idea -- assuming I get the plant past the deer, rabbits, and rodents, will the bears show up next?

http://www.onegreenworld.com//index.php

I now also have Johnny’s, Select Seeds, Thompson & Morgan, Park, and Seeds of Change. Of course there are things I want in ALL of them, but that’s obviously not gonna happen! Oh, to be rich, have 5 acres—and 10 gardeners working for me!

I got a catalog today from a company I've never heard of, and I have no idea how I got on their mailing list! It’s McClure & Zimmerman. It’s a bulb company, and this is their spring bulb catalog. Under $60 is only $6 shipping, and there’s a 10% discount on orders before March 1. I think I might have to order a few things! Most spring bulbs, of course, aren’t hardy, but there are a couple things I’ve always wanted. And many of their prices are pretty high, but I found good deals on a some things. They have a special on Eremurus, Fox Tail Lily, 4/$10.00, in mixed colors (bare root). I’ve always wanted one of them, ever since I saw them blooming at Paulino’s. At Paulino’s just one of them in a gallon pot would be $15.00!!!

They have Stargazer lilies, 3 for $5.95. I don’t have any true lilies yet, and that’s a pretty good price for Stargazer. And I’ll probably get a Maidenhair Fern, Adiantum pedatum, for $3.95. I don’t have one of those yet, and I’m kind of collecting different ferns for the north side of the house—and I’m guessing I’ll get a better root from this company than I would from a big box store—which is where I’ve been buying my ferns so far!

Then I found a Passion Vine, Passiflora incarnata var. Maypop that they say is hardy to zone 5. I need to do some research on that one to see if it might really be hardy—AND if it’s going to be aggressive or not. I’m still looking for vines for my lattice that are hardy, but will stay within bounds. A Passion Vine outside would certainly be something unusual!

And they also have a "fall bulb advance sale" with some good prices. Since I never seem to get around to buying bulbs in fall, I guess this would be a good time to order a few things. They have mixed large-flower crocus, 24 for $5.95, mixed narcissus, 24 for $12.95, and Chionodoxa, Glory of the Snow, 24 for $4.45. There are a bunch of other things too, and I’m tempted by the mixed pink daffodils, 12 for $9.95, and possibly Glanathus, Snowdrop, 12 for $8.95 and Scilla, 24 for $5.95.

So many wonderful plants! So little room!

Skybird

Go back to that link Billie provided and see that McClure & Zimmerman is owned by Jung Seed Co. You may want to order lots of other things to go with those special bulbs (they're hopin').

Here's the Who Owns What list. It also provides a selection of companies to check out by just going thru and clicking names you think you might be interested in.

Jali! Will you be growing in Limon this year??

d'S'

Next year. If you're not on their mailing list, the web address is groworganic.com, and worth ordering one.

Can't believe the prices everyone is asking for seed garlic.

I have a link to that site saved—and I NEVER go there! For me it’s like looking in a thesaurus! I can’t get back out! I wind up with fingers stuck in all the pages—and wishing I had more fingers!

So what I did today is YOUR fault! I DID go to "that site" just to look, and an hour later—when I was supposed to be outside cleaning up perennials—I was still inside with my fingers stuck in my computer! Ouch!

But while I was there I did look up the ratings on the bulb company, and now I’m not so sure if I’m gonna order from then or not! Half their ratings were positive, and half of them were negative—some of them VERY negative! Maybe I’ll just leave the catalog laying around, to make a decisions later—which means I’ll never get around to it!

Actually, since I had never heard of the company, I was thinking of checking out the rating on Dave’s Garden before ordering anyway. But I really should get more serious about adding fall bulbs to my garden! When the few I have are blooming in spring, I always wish I had more!

And I had never requested the Jung catalog I got either, so, checking that list, I guess I got both Jung’s and the bulb company’s either because I requested the Vermont Bean or the Totally Tomatoes catalogs!

I really do wonder how long I’ll keep getting some of these if I never order from them!

Skybird

My relationship with Shumway goes back to when they were in Rockford, Illinois - over 40 year ago. Gosh, I'm getting old . . . have I said that before??

Oh, Jung bought Shumway but I don't see much change in their family of catalogs, fortunately. (Probably said that before, too. :o)

I have no experience with McClure & Zimmerman but I wouldn't be afraid of them. It probably isn't top-flight but I don't like to pay for first-class, anyway. (Think I mixed my stair and skyway metaphors. I use both about as often. ;o)

S'

digit - if you said something about getting old, I don't remember.

Billie

That’s incredible!

I haven’t looked "in depth" yet, but I think I may order the few tomato seeds I’ll need this year from them—even if I need to "rethink" my choices! Their veggie seeds run mostly from $1.50 to $3.00 and they have a few flower seeds and herbs that run mostly $1.50 to $2 something.

For anybody who’s into heirloom varieties, it sure looks like a good deal.

Anybody have any good or bad comments about this company? Somebody has probably already mentioned this company up above somewhere, but I didn’t have time to read the whole thread!

I’ve had a link to their site for a long time now—but never actually looked at it!

Skybird

I got my order from Sand Hill Preservation, $10 and over is free mailing, and they stuck, in a $10 order, two packets of free tomato seeds for trial.

Just don't be in a hurry.

Winter needs to hurry up and end, before I go broke buying seeds from every single catalog I've received, LOL!!!

Bonnie

So far this winter I've ordered from Pinetree, Park's, Fedco, Territorial, Valueseeds, Artistic Gardens (cheap herb seeds, BTW), and now Baker Creek.

I need a 12 step program.