With Ted Smith
It appears that the snow is attempting to melt. The sun is certainly getting warmer. One could easily be forgiven for looking hopefully ahead to a fresh new gardening season. Every year at this time the itch starts and the only real way to scratch it is to start buying seeds for when that day finally gets here.
One of the coolest things about gardening in this day and age is the incredible access that gardeners have to seeds and plants from right around the world. And, living in the computer age as we do, access to these companies is just a keystroke away. There are literally so many companies offering seeds, plants and bulbs that it can boggle the mind just trying to sort through them. This past week I attended the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Convention in Niagara Falls. While wandering amongst the aisles of wares and advertising it came to me what a daunting task it must be for a new gardener to know where to begin. With that in mind, today I’d like to start sharing with you some of my favourite seed/plant sources and explain a little about what they have to offer. It won’t be anywhere near a comprehensive list but it will give you a place to start. I’ll definitely do this with an emphasis on Canadian companies but there are a couple of internationals that also deserve some serious recognition. For those of you who have access to the internet and would like to know more about a seed company that I don’t mention, go to davesgarden.com where you will find the most comprehensive coverage of this topic that is available. This site can both point you to great companies and help steer you away from some real snake oil salesmen.
To kick things off I might as well begin with the company where most of my annual seed money goes. Veseys Seeds is a Prince Edward Island company that is 77 years-old. They have proven staying power and offer an incredible selection of seeds at what I’ve found to be the most competitive prices. Like most seed companies, Veseys always has a “New For (insert year)” section at the front of their catalogues. Some of the interesting new varieties that I’m looking forward to trying from them this year include artwork broccoli, wild garden mix kale and bumble bee mix cherry tomatoes. Artwork is a broccoli intended for side shoot production as opposed to large head production. The kale mix presents a number of hardy Russian and Siberian style kales in a single packet. Finally, the bumble bee mix contains seed for multiple colours of sweet striped cherry tomatoes. A few plants from this last collection should keep the table looking quite colourful. I will admit that I’ve had less than stellar luck with some of Veseys’ live plants and bulbs but the customer service was always top notch and they’ve stood behind any product that failed. I definitely give Veseys a top mark.
An Ontario company that I would rate right up there with Veseys on all levels is William Dam Seed. Leaders in supplying organic and untreated seeds, William Dam is a company that offers some items I simply can’t find elsewhere. While they focus on vegetable and flower seeds, William Dam also has a limited selection of fruit, garlic, onions and flower bulbs. Add in all the equipment and garden supplements they sell and William Dam is essentially one stop garden shopping.
The last of what I refer to as the “big three” of Canadian seed companies is Stokes Seeds. Stokes is located in both the USA and Canada and have a huge following. And, as much as Stokes caters to large commercial growers, they offer their seeds to all home growers at the very same price. While Stokes doesn’t have much about their history posted on their website, they have been around for a very long time (over 130 years) and have been consistent providers of top notch seed and excellent customer service. The one issue I do have with Stokes is that unless you specify untreated seeds, you will receive seeds that are pre-treated with a variety of fungicides and pesticides. Many of their selections are available untreated, you just have to remember to look for the “UT” designation and make that selection. For anyone looking to buy in volume, Stokes is pretty hard to beat. And, being on the cutting edge of new and productive varieties, I always look forward to Stokes’ “vegetables of merit” section that displays all the new seed varieties for the year. One interesting squash that caught my attention this year is mashed potato squash. This is a white acorn squash that has been released to replace the older cream of the crop which I’ve always loved. I can’t wait to taste this new squash in the fall!
If you are interested in acquiring a catalogue from any of these companies, they can be ordered online for free. I’ll be back next week with many more great companies…save some money for then!
