Thanks to everyone who continues to support our efforts to bring you quality seed that you can use to begin to build your own self-replicating supply. If you haven’t already we have a posting on saving your own seeds, and a few how to videos, upon request for a minimal fee if you are interested. Search for the article and have it on hand.
Here is the new catalogue. The last page is the order form if you want to put it in the mail. Cash is king for pickup of seed orders and as usual we will be at the Seedy Saturday and Sunday events around Alberta and can bring tubers and other things for pickup then. If you order, send them to the abunadhseeds at gmail.com address as we no longer have the smileyo one.
If you have any issues with the download, please let me know, and enjoy browsing and choosing your food for 2024.
Remember we often sell out of various seeds once our seed sales start, so get your order in before March 1 to have the greatest selection available. We do take preorders as we mentioned for pickup at our seed sale events around the province. But remember, I often have rare seeds available which are only available at these events, so if you are looking for rare varieties, come sift through our selection at the seedy events in March! But also I am so busy during these events that I don’t know if I’ll have time to personally assist you, but I hope to see you there and at least say hi!
So it took me a while, as we have more seeds to offer than ever before. I am still busy packaging, and will be taking a Mexican break for a couple of weeks, so everyone chill and download this reading material until I get back. Enjoy. And we are on the verge of an exciting year ahead!!
It is that time of year again, and thankfully we do not have 3 feet of snow to hinder our efforts to host a seed saving hands-on workshop on the farm November 11 (after 11) until 4:30 and Saturday November 12 from 12 to 5. I welcome you to participate as we will learn about seed saving and storage, with real life examples of all the things saved and dried this year and how to harvest them. This course is part of the Organic Master Gardeners series I teach in Stony Plain every year and worth about $150. So I am offering it free of charge as you will be helping me with the work and in return gaining valuable knowledge and life skills. I would suggest you register with me anyway so I know who to expect.
Send an email to Denise – smileyo at xplornet dot ca
Make sure and spell that correctly and put seed workshop in the title.
If you only have part of the day to offer that is fine, I just need to know. We will meet at the farm and divide into work stations and rotate around so everyone learns about the different aspects of seed harvest, cleaning, storage and so on.
Hope to see you here. We will potluck a late lunch each day at about 1. Bring your favorite snacks or whatever. Thanks everyone!
We are sending out a reminder that we are at the Calgary Hort. Society’s gardener Workshop Market at the Commons at Atco Park today with seeds, potatoes, comfrey, horseradish and Dutch Onion sets today. Market runs from 10-4:30 and has many things to see and do. Come on out!
Tomorrow we will be in Cochrane at their first ever Garden day and Seed sale. Here are the details again
Cochrane & Area Gardening Expo (CAGE2024) that will be held at the Cochrane Lions Event Centre, located at 109 Fifth Ave, Cochrane, AB. The event is on Sunday, April 28th and will be held from 11:00am to 3:00pm.
We have dug up three rows of strawberry plants and the old plants can be purchased for $.50 each but you must come get them out of the field. This week only Tuesday to Thursday ONLY – 9-12. Call me at 780-785-2622 to book a time to get them off the field. They are heavy because they have dirt on the roots and that is necessary to keep them alive and you will need boxes to carry them in.
We often offer courses to teach about natural growing and living and building techniques and skills and bush craft and living off the grid. Based on interest and participation we will run or cancel events as it is a huge time commitment for everyone. If you have something that you want to learn, contact us and we will host an event. We aim for 10-25 participants per event.
Also if you want me to come out and teach about mushrooms or seed starting and seed saving, I will travel if you have 10-or more participants. We can work out a few and mileage that works for us both.
So again, there are online event events that you can attend no matter where you live and join our list for mail outs so you never miss an event!
2024 dates and events
Successful transplants Scheduled: May 6, 2024 at 10:00 to 11:00, MDT Location: Zoom. Register on Eventbrite $25 per person.
Learn about how to transplant those tender seedlings and transition them outside to prevent losses. Just a short online session and lots of time for questions and answers.
Seed Saving online primer Scheduled: May 16, 2024 at 10:00 to 12:00, MDT Location: Zoom Register on Eventbrite -$25 per person
Learn what to start to consider to save your own seeds. Something to start to think of as we go along. Know when seed is ready and how to guarantee successful pollination.
Planting Day Scheduled: May 28, 2024 at 11:00 to 14:00, MDT Location: Farm at Cherhill
There is nothing like learning to do by doing. We will learn about planting early starts, how deep, how much to water, root sensitivity concerns, and planting in mulch and bare soil. Bring a bag lunch.
Do you love to walk in the woods? Want to know more about what’s out there and how to use it? We might even encounter some interesting mushrooms 🍄. Bring your hiking gear, and come dressed for the day with a bag lunch and a small basket. If you have applicable field guides, bring them also. Don’t forget your water!
$30 per person. Come learn about growing strawberries in a larger operation. Help us and receive some transplants to take home. Bring water and sun hat, gloves and work clothes as well as knee pads. And a bag lunch.
Mushroom walk Scheduled: Aug 29, 2024 10-3 Location: Farm at Cherhill. $65 per person
Want to learn more about mushrooms 🍄 both edible and medicinal kinds? We will walk, gather, talk and learn about identifying all kinds of mushrooms. Come dressed for a vigorous hike and have what you need for all weather, rain or shine! Bring a bag lunch and lots of water 💦
Seed Saving Workshop 1 Scheduled: Sep 19, 2024 10-2 Location: Farm at Cherhill $50 per person
Bring your lunch and dress for the weather. We will get some hands on learning about seed saving and what to look for to tell if seeds are ready to be harvested. Beans, peas, beets, lettuce, flowers, grains, and wild herbs are just some of the crops we might harvest seed from. A fun day for all.
Seed Saving Workshop 2 Scheduled: Oct 15, 2024 Location: Farm at Cherhill $50 per person
Missed our first seed saving workshop? We are offering a chance to learn more about seeds and harvest more in this workshop. We will cover all as stated above! Bring a bag lunch.
Sometimes we just want to get our hands in the dirt or share a smile and a word with our neighbors of like mind. We enjoy in person workshops as much as the next person so here we will post them as they are arranged. Check back often for more.
April 29th in Ft. Assiniboine
Want us to host a workshop at your location? Get in touch via email and we’ll chat and make it happen.
Also planning a strawberry workshop for April 26th. Don’t miss it. Here in Cherhill at the farm UPick field.
Register now for one of our online primary seed starting courses. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced gardener, you will undoubtedly learn something new about seeds and what they require to grow strong and produce well.
We will host a few dates so hopefully one will fit into your schedule. Here are the dates: get your tickets now, only $25 per person.
Send an email and etransfer to us only to register for the Feb. 29 date, all else use Eventbrite link. For an additional $5, you can obtain the written seed starting instructions for most vegetables.
Well it is time we get all these things posted so you have a resource library to tap into.
I will upload tips and trick as I can but follow our Instagram as I will post there first.
So now it’s up to you to weigh in, ladies and gentlemen- what do you want to know? What should I cover? What do you want to see for helpful information? Let me know in the comments section.
You can always buy seeds from us online. We do not keep an open stocked store because seeds are sensitive to light and heat and moisture and for them to be at their greatest and longest viability, we store all our seeds in a special cold storage facility. However, a few times a year, mostly in the spring, we attend several seedy (not meaning less than savory, but having to do with “seeds”) events, where we bring everything we have available, including some items that never make it into the catalogue.
Most of these events are hosted by groups who organize around Seeds of Diversity Canada, http://www.seeds.ca and you should definitely support their efforts if you can as they are like a living seed bank for biodiversity. Many of the small and large seed companies across Canada attend ‘seedy’ events beginning in January on the west Coast and we are at many in Alberta every year, the big ones being Calgary Seedy Saturday (see them on Facebook and their webpage of the same handle), and Edmonton Seedy Sunday (on Facebook). We will also be attending another smaller one in the Millwoods area and I will post all the details of dates here, but visit them directly for more information. There are always lots of speakers on all topics to do with soil, gardening and seeds, as well as seed swaps, resource swaps, and other events. Everyone who is there is somehow related to growing with many excellent experts to share what works and what doesn’t in their respective areas.
March 2
At. Albert, March 2 seed event. Followed by…
Calgary Seedy Saturday 2024. The event will be held on Saturday, March 23 from 10am to 3pm at the Bowness Community Association. This is a NEW venue with a large gym and is located at 7904 43 Ave NW, Calgary, within the lovely community of Bowness. Come and get some great seeds, and as usual if you require potatoes, you must contact us at least a week ahead so we can bring them for you.www.calgaryseedysaturday.ca
Edmonton Seedy Sunday – Sunday March 24, 2024, 11-4. Alberta Avenue Community Hall 9210. 118 Avenue. Edmonton Come hear the many great speakers and bring seeds to swap. With a large library of old gardening magazines and books to swap. For more information visit them at www.edmontonseedysunday.orgAnd again, if you want potatoes, email us at least a week ahead.
And one in Stony Plain March 30.
Seedy Saturday: Cultivating Community and Growth
Date: March 30, 2024
Time: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Location: PERC Gym, Red Brick Common, 5411 51 St. Stony Plain, AB
Hope to see you all there!
email abunadhseeds at gmail.com
And we will be back in Calgary for the Calgary Horticultural Clubs annual Garden Showcase April 27 at Atco Park in the SW. check their website for updates.
We’re getting ready with many more seed varieties than are listed in our extensive catalogue. We are putting together packages for those that find our catalogue too overwhelming. We have the following packages available:
Beginner gardener sample pack: comes with 10 packages of seeds of easy to grow and eat fresh vegetables. Includes shelling peas, green bush beans, lettuce mix, carrots, cilantro, dill, calendula, beets and arugula. $35.00 plus shipping. Comes with planting and growing instructions for these vegetables and suggested uses. This is suitable for a 10’x10’ garden space or 2 raised beds 4’x 8’.
An experienced gardener pack contains large slicing tomatoes, sweet peppers, one medium hot variety of pepper, celery, basil, lavender, thyme, oregano, summer squash and one winter soup squash. $35.00 plus shipping.
Our herb sampler pack for balcony gardens includes basil, cilantro, dill, parsley and garlic chives. $17.50 plus shipping. Comes with instructions.
Our patio garden pack includes easy to grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, and watermelon. $17.50 plus shipping.
The family garden pack includes the instructions for starting plants inside plus 20 packages of seeds for the whole family to enjoy: radishes, carrots, beets, shelling and snap peas, leaf lettuce salad mix, kale, spinach, cilantro, dill, calendula, cherry tomatoes and salsa tomatoes, sweet peppers, green bush beans and purple pole beans, zucchini, pumpkins, sunflowers and poppies. This is suitable for a 20’x20’ garden space with fencing on one side. $70.00 plus shipping.
Do you have raised beds? Things that grow well in there early season- prior to May 15 planting are spinach, lettuce, radishes, kale, peas, beets for greens, arugula and chard. Grow to small size, harvest and eat fresh or freeze the greens for later use in smoothies or soups.
After May 15, rework the bed and plant the heat loving crops such as peas, beans, squash, herbs, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, melons, eggplants or flowers. Consider putting up a hooped cage between two beds and planting beans or pease or even cucumbers, squash and melons that can climb and be supported between the beds for utilizing space more efficiently. Sunflowers are too large to plant in a raised bed so find a sunny spot for them. If you have a space along a fence you can trellis plants that climb there as well. Growing in pots can free up space for larger plants like tomatoes and squash. Just make sure it is at least 5 gallons in size and water well.
We will also assist in picking seeds out for your special interests. Just email us for help with that. Abunadhseeds@ gmail.com
A'Bunadh Seeds (A-Boo-Nar) 
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