Where to find the best seeds and seed catalogues
’Tis the season for seed catalogues. And what great, free entertainment they provide on cold nights.
Whether it’s the printed kind of catalogue, that drops with a welcome thud into the mailbox, or — increasingly — an online version, perused via laptop, I like nothing more than sitting down with a glass of vino and drooling over the glossy pictures.
So many delicious fantasies, so many difficult decisions . . . Should I try the new Monte Gusto pole bean instead of good old Kentucky Blue this year? A white pumpkin for a change? And wow, look at all the Cosmos available now. How can I resist Capriola, which has such an extraordinary pink and white pattern on its petals?
However, seed catalogues can also drive you nuts. You go through the pages. Circle one listing after another, chewing a pen. Then you scratch out those listings and circle others. Then you do it all again. And the end result? Most of us wind up ordering way too many seeds that we’ll never have the time (or the energy) to plant.
That’s why I like the latest offering by Stokes Seeds in Niagara. Instead of listing, in tiny type, every variety of zucchini and zinnia known to mankind, they’ve zeroed in on just a few vegetables, herbs and flowers that they know gardeners like.
“Our new catalogue may come as a shock,” admits Wayne Gale, head of the Canadian, family-owned company. “We’ve selected only the most popular varieties, so we could make the print bigger and provide a picture with every item.”
It works, too. Everything is easy to read. Photos are enticing, descriptions helpful. Gale also points out that, if a sought-after plant isn’t shown, it’s probably in their online catalogue, which lists literally thousands of other seeds.
And now, full disclosure time . . . Garden writers like me played a role in this year’s listings. During a violent downpour last August, we trudged valiantly around Stokes’ muddy trial fields in St. Catharines, Ont., examining (and sampling) a whole slew of new veggie varieties. Two that got our thumbs up — Chocolate Sprinkles tomato and a pepper called Turnpike — are shown on page 3. To order the catalogue, call 1-800-396-9238.
Other seed suppliers I like: Renees Garden: Pretty watercolours on the seed packets. Dependable seeds inside, because Californiabased Renee tests them all herself. Her selection of zinnias is the best by far. Online catalogue only. Reneesgarden.com.
Richter’s Herbs: Uxbridge, Ont., herb specialist. Fascinating catalogue, with listings such as Cuban mint (to make Hemingway’s celebrated mojitos) and two dozen kinds of basil. Visit their fragrant greenhouses in spring and buy started plants if you don’t want to bother with seeds. Print and online. Call 1-800-668-4372.
Salt Spring Seeds: Simple, unillustrated catalogue. Offbeat offerings such as growable lentils, amaranth and Boothbay Blonde cucumber from Maine. Print and online. Saltspringseeds.com.
William Dam Seeds: based in Dundas, Ont. Has sold untreated seeds for over 60 years, long before “organic” became a household word. Damseeds.ca.
Vesey’s Seeds: Prince Edward Island fixture for 75 years. Impressive, full-colour catalogue, which even lists cuttings to grow sweet potatoes. (I want some.) 1-800-3637333. Veseys.com.
Vesey’s is also the only source I know for Mountain Magic, a lifesaving little tomato that resists late blight, Phytophthora infestans. I grew Mountain Magic last summer and — hallelujah — my entire crop survived.
More on tomatoes and the dreaded blight next week.
Sonia is appearing in “Three Garden Divas,” a fundraiser organized by Applewood Garden Club at the Great Hall, Unitarian Church, Mississauga, on Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. Everyone welcome. Tickets $15. Proceeds support green initiatives. Contact: Wendy Bell at 905-891-7884, wbell.kaleidoscope@rogers.com.