Sorry for the extended radio silence. A combination of Apprentice Weekend, followed by Fellowship Application due, followed by ice storm related power outage, followed by internet outage of indeterminate cause, followed by visitor, followed by a series of family administrative things put off because of all the previous means that I’m just now online, and my email is still down, so if you’ve tried to contact me, please be patient! I’m not ignoring you, just discombobulated. I apologize for the difficulties – especially if you have tried to register for the garden design class and been unable. I’ll get back to you just as soon as my account lets me!
If you need something to take your mind off the fact that I haven’t produced much, how about some seed catalog porn to distract you? If you haven’t filled your life with catalogs full of seeds and nursery stock to dream over, here are some good ones – my bias tends towards smaller seed and nursery catalogs with a diverse and interesting stock, so here are some you might not already get!:
Fedco Co-operative Garden Seeds:
Wonderful cooperative – best prices on northeastern bulk seed, very ethical, great selection
Baker Creek Heirlooms:
Missouri seed company that maintains a huge stock of OP varieties, including many varieties brought to the US for the first time
Johnny’s Selected Seeds:
Wonderful northeastern company that does a great deal of creative breeding and development, great source of tools as well.
Forest Farms:
Wonderful source of nursery stock, including many forest-gardening plants
Abundant Life Seed Foundation:
Great seed company maintaining some fascinating varieties
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange:
Wonderful source of Southeast-adapted seeds
Native Seeds/SEARCH:
Brilliant source of Southwest-adapted seeds.
Seed Savers Exchange:The *big* seed exchange – unfortunately mired in a great deal of melodrama based on the divorce of the two original founders, it is still a wonderful collection and well worth maintaining – I’m hoping everyone just gets over it really soon. Don’t just order from their catalog, definitely become a member!
Face of the Earth Seed Company:
A very small and creative seed company, engaged in breeding interesting new varieties – they are doing some very exciting stuff.
Hudson Valley Seed Library:
Beautiful art packs with local artists supporting open pollinated varieties from the Northeast – a favorite.
Salt Spring Seeds:
Canadian Heirloom company with many PNW adapted varieties – ship to Canada only.
St. Lawrence Nursery:
One of the very best sites for cold climate nursery stock, lovely stuff.
Horizon Herbs:
The single best source of herb seed – enormous range of plant material and great instructions for growing.
Pinetree Garden Seeds:
Charming northeastern seed company focused on small packets for small gardeners, superb container garden section.
Territorial Seed Company:
Pacific NW adapted seed and plant varieties, very good service and a good selection of overwintering varieties.
Raintree Nursery: The most astonishingly wide selection of fruit trees ever – Pacific NW, but I’ve had very good luck with their stock in New York.)
Badgersett Woody Agriculture:
Nursery stock of hazelnuts, chestnuts and others for perennial tree agriculture – one possible way to actually imagine feeding the world.
RH Shumway, Seedsman: Visually, the coolest Catalog on the planet, I’ve always wanted to paper my bathroom with its pages. Some really interesting stuff, some less interesting, but worth checking out.
Richters Herbs:
Canadian seller of wonderful herb plants and seeds – terrific healthy stock, wide selection, ships to the US.
Bountiful Gardens:
California Seed Company supporting Biointensive agriculture, excellent selection of grains, herbs and fiber plants as well as vegetables.
Sand Hill Preservation Center:
Heirlooms and flowers as well as unusual poultry breeds – wonderful midwestern place, with a very strict set of rules for ordering, fyi – but way worth it!
High Mowing Organic Seeds:
Vermont based seed company whose selection seems sadly to trend towards the conventional – still, a good ethical operation and a great source for larger quantities.
Ok, there are more out there – please feel free to put up your faves, but these are some of mine. In the meantime, dream away, folks – the garden awaits us, even under all this snow! You can never have too many seed catalogs!
Sharon