Local Alberta-Grown, Short Season Open-Pollinated and Heirloom Seeds
Hello;
With winter coming on soon, it is time to stock up on potatoes. If you are thinking it would be nice to have some different varieties going into the fall in your pantry, perhaps ones you have never tried before, text me at 780 three zero five 6377 and either you can come pick them up or we can meet sometime around Spruce Grove for delivery. They are being dug today and there are many beautiful ones out there.
Thanks
All offerings are $3.50 per packet
FL5. Sweet William – 20-40 seeds. Dark Pink and White. Assorted colors of the perennial favorite of old country gardens. Producing clustered heads in white with pink splashes, and variations therein. Up to 18”
FL51. Sweet William – Red Summer Heat. Perennial favorite with a deep red color. Up to 18”.
FL52. Sweet William – 20-30 seeds Deep pink color. Up to 18”.
FL6. Petunias – 50 seeds or more
a) Midnight Dreams type – deep purple, almost black.
b) Iced Salmon – salmon pink and slightly lighter shades.
c) Blue Frosted mix – purples with light edges.
d) Butter cream – yellowy white
e) White/Pink mix – some white, some pink, some mixed both
g) Plum blush – vibrant plum colors in deep shades
h) Pink mix – mix of all shades of pink.
i) Orchid daddy type – medium purple.
j) Peach Ice mix– light peach color and variations with white frost.
k) Electric plum – bold plum that is at once deep pink and blue. Hard to describe. Very showy.
m) Tidal Wave silver – light purple almost silver, trailing wave type
q) Midnight frost – dark purple with white frilly edges
r) Frosty mix – mixture of purple and pink centers with white frilly edges.
FL8. Bunny Tail Grass – 45 seeds per pkg. This fun grass is covered with fluffy, soft bunny tail seed heads that turn from green to light tan. Good for containers or the back of the flower bed. They are drought tolerant and ornamental for flower arrangements. 8-12” high.
FL16. Ice plant – red/orange – 25 seeds per pkg. Limited offering. This succulent is one of my favorite plants, easy to grow and producing captivating flowers and foliage. Low spreading ground cover or pot plant.
FL 33. Snapdragons – red/yellow stripe – 50 seeds. As others, 12-18” tall. Showy and different.
FL 34. Snapdragons – Red Riot – Bright red flowers on tall spikes. 2’ average height.
FL 35. Snapdragons – Dark Red Wine – These flowers are a mix of deep purply red. Plants are 2’ high.
FL37. Snapdragons – Sorbet Mix – mix of creamy pinks, with orange to yellow fringe. Nice for borders.
FL40. Sunflowers – Edible seeded – 25 seeds. Tall plants (over 3’) with medium to large sized heads, grey striped seeds. Flowers are yellow and showy, typical of edible seeded varieties.
FL42. Sunflower – Beauty mix – 25 seeds. A tall mixture of varying shades of sunflowers with blazes of burgundy throughout. Stunning variety.
FL43. Sunflower – Dark Red mix – 25 seeds. 5-6’ tall, dark green foliage with some striped with dark purple, flowers in shades of red, burgundy, deep brown and lighter variations with yellow.
FL44. Sunflower – Amazing blend – 25 seeds. 5-6’tall, deep green foliage, producing heads 4-6” across. Shades vary from bright yellow to yellow with red inside or on the outside of the petals, or striped along each petal. Never know what you will get until they open.
FL 46. Sunflower – Summertime Shine – 25 seeds. Bright yellow to deep yellow blends with some variation with red and orange.
FL 47. Sunflower – Edible – Short Stuff – 70 days. A shorter version of an edible seeded sunflower, traditional medium sized heads produce many edible oil seeds that can be enjoyed in the winter or set out for the birds. Your choice. 25 seeds per package.
FL48. Sunflower – Deep Red. 25 seeds. 5-6 feet tall, dark green foliage, dark red flowers in almost burgundy tones. Stunning.
FL49. Sunflower – Yellow Fields – 25 seeds. 5’ tall, medium green leaves, and medium sized sunny yellow heads with slight variations of orange and red hints.
FL50. Sunflowers – Rainbow Blend – 25 seeds. 5-6”, stunning blend of red, pink, burgundy, orange and yellow variations all mixed up in one flower sometimes. Very interesting and showy.
FL53. Sunflowers – Wedding Mix – 25 seeds. 5-6’, great mix for wedding bouquets, this mix is lighter colors in shades of cream to deep yellow.
FL45. Love-Lies-Bleeding – Amaranth – 48 days. Beautiful drooping pink and red flower sprays that contain tiny light yellow, round edible seeds. Cook like quinoa or regular amaranth for a tasty treat or just enjoy the beauty of the plants. Leaves and stems of this plant also contain active red and purple pigments. Grow about 2.5 feet tall.
OTHER POPPIES
FL56. A Shirley Mix – mixed single colors
B Ladybird – red and black dotted centers
C Double Pink – Frilly Pink
D Double Pink – Shelley Pompom
E Large Pink Breadseed poppy
F Venus mix – Large pink, white frill
FL 65. Hollyhock mix – Old fashioned single flowered blend of pink, white and fuschia flowers, growing up to 10’ tall. Make a wonderful hedge. Need some wind support.
FL66. Pink Yarrow – like the wild variety, only with lovely pink flowers, cheery in the flowerbed. These grow about 18” tall. In a mass of pink. Perennial favorite.
FL67. Calendula – Yellow and Orange favorites mix.
Queen Anne’s Lace, see herbs.
Mandy offering – Jacob’s Tears, White Seeded Sunflower, Small black seeded sunflower, and Shasta Daisy.
I think often of what this part of the world must have looked like before our white ancestors came here and we can see from historic records that it was abundant in culture and nature. It was peaceful. There were struggles and wars but not on the scale we brought and sadly the kind of life that would have sustained the land was not understood or acceptable to the minds of those first foreigners.
It was a long time ago and yet today we are not removed from those days or the abuses that followed. Even today if we turn a blind eye to suffering or inequality among any one of us no matter skin color, creed, religion, sexual preference, or race we have all agreed to injustice and the perpetuation of the very mindset that enslaved us all.
There are those that seek to enslave in other parts of the world people in the same way now as was perpetuated in Canada in the past. We must open our eyes and see this is always done for greed and it is never portrayed in the media that way because we would jot support it. We must find out the truth and that takes some digging. No nightly news will show you the whole story. Always the people in the area will give a different picture. So please open your eyes and help change the world for the better.
Where we go one, we go all. We are all people. We are all equal in the eyes of the creator. None of us are free if even one is in chains. Those chains are in our minds and sometimes physical and may we all seek to realize that truth for the good of all.
This poem speaks of how I feel about anyone person or group that would move against another or a Nation in the name of supposed progress. May you enjoy it as I did.
To all those who work with seed and endeavor to be self sufficient, just and peace loving.
The Seed Keepers
by Palestinian poet Fawaz Turki
( b.1940)
Burn our land
burn our dream
pour acid onto our songs
cover with sawdust
the blood of our massacred people
muffle with your technology
the screams of all that is free,
wild and indigenous.
Destroy,
destroy
our grass and soil
raze to the ground
every farm and every village
our ancestors had built,
every tree, every home
every book, every law
and all the equity and harmony.
Flatten with your bombs
every valley; erase with your edits
our past,
our literature; our metaphor.
Denude the forests
and the earth
till no insect,
no bird
no word
can find a place to hide.
Do that and more.
I do not fear your tyranny
I do not despair ever
for I guard one seed
a little live seed
and I shall safeguard
and plant again.
Thank you Fawas, may your words act like lightning rods to lighten a world and minds in the dark.
Love is all there is.
Hi everyone;
We will be going ahead with the weekend event Saturday at 9:30 sharp. We are looking like rain, but we will go ahead. Bring your rain gear, and a change of footwear. We will have an indoor space to make the tinctures and learn about herbs and mushrooms. So just be prepared for a little walking and bugs.
Lunch is potluck and I am making Chili, we also have tuna sandwiches, coleslaw and cookies so far.
Look forward to seeing everyone there.
Denise
Hi;
I am going to set a day for a herb and mushroom walk on our farm and anyone interested must let me know. The date is August 25, 2018 unless there are oats to harvest, which I will keep everyone informed of changes. It will be from 9 Am to 2 PM. Lunch will be potluck. We will learn about seed collecting and making tinctures as well. Please register with me via email at smileyo at xplornet dot ca.
Thanks,
Denise
Hi Everyone!
Happy summer. Welcome the fresh air days and the cooling breeze. We also welcome the rain, as we needed it. Have some hay down and the oats is growing well, almost up to my armpits and starting the head out.
I had a request for green oats to create the health tincture, so if anyone is interested in that, email me and we will work out pricing. We will be selling our organic oats this fall for milling if all goes well.
The potatoes are planted and the garlic is scaping. We should be checking soon for new potatoes, yum! Love the flavor of those. Hope all your gardens are doing well.
We have 3 peacocks now, 2 sheep, a bunch of cattle and various other animals on the farm. I have been collecting the feathers from the peacocks which are beautiful and great for fly tying and home decorating. If anyone is interested, I can put together a bundle for $20 and send them your way. I also have some wild mallard and other waterfowl feathers as I find them, and hawk and eagle feathers, deer sheds and moose antler sheds. There have not been many mushrooms but I expect that they will start soon after this rain.
We offer wild herb and mushroom walks in August and September. If you are interested in learning more about wild herbs and their uses, making tinctures or teas, gathering wild herbs or learning more about mushrooms, canning and preserving, and the like, let me know and we will organize a weekend to do that.
We are also working on setting up small cabins around the farm where you can come and stay (off the grid) in the summer and learn about farming, self-sufficiency, connecting with nature, and unplugging. Our farm offers fantastic views of the full night starry sky, northern lights when they are out, and all the sounds and scents of nature in its glory. We would be interested to see if there are any takers, and can do trades for farm help or if you prefer to just observe, that is available as well. We want to offer the chance for those wanting a taste of simpler life to be able to see if it suits them or offer your young family the chance to see what it was like on the farm in the old days, prior to so much distraction of technology. Plant a tree, dig a garden, walk in the wilderness or just be. That is all fine with us.
Live and be prosperous, enjoy your neighbors, love each other and be kind.
Denise
Hi Everyone;
In keeping with the changing monetary system globally and digital currency movement, we will be accepting Litecoin payments for seeds in the future. We will post a link on our site that links to a wallet and you can send litecoin there for your seed and plant purchases. There is no cost and everyone will save money using this system.
Stay tuned and learn all you can about how to do this ahead. No more $1.50 extra for etransfers, No more 3.5% on your credit card or for Paypal! Woo hoo. Excellent.
Denise
Hi guys;
I have some older oats and barley for sale. It is suitable for horses or other livestock feed or scratch grain for chickens or other fowl. I have a total of about 550 bushels of oats and about 300 bushels of barley. The grains could also be used for green manures for plow down. They were grown without chemicals and are natural. Price is dependent upon amount bought. You can call us anytime at 780-785-2622.
Also, Anyone who wants Jerusalem Artichokes, they are available now. Email us for those and potatoes.
Thanks,
Denise
We will be offering seeds at the Sangudo and District Horticulture Club January Workshop, Jan 27, 2018 at the Sangudo Community School. This is a great event with speakers Morgan Webb of the CHED Garden Show and Koen De Herdt of De Herdt Gardens in Barrhead speaking. Check out the poster. Registration is by Monday January 22. So hurry.
2018 Sangudo Gardeners Day, registration.4.01.18
I will be speaking at the Alberta Organic Conference Feb 9 and 10 in Red Deer if anyone is going there. We can visit and meet up if you like. I will be back around for their seedy event in March I expect.
Also. We will be at the following seedy Saturday and Sunday events:
March 10 -I will make a presentation on Seed harvesting and storage at the Seedy Saturday event, Stony Plain from 10-3 at the Multicultural Heritage Centre, 5411-51 Street, Stony Plain, AB
March 11? Not sure yet.
March 17- Calgary, Hillhurst/Sunnyside Community Hall. 10-3 pm.
Sunday March 18, 201811 a.m. till 4 p.m.At the Central Lions Seniors’ Recreation Centre
Thought I might as well give you the run down on the new offerings while I am at it:
Beans: dry types Mostoller Wild Goose, Odawa Soup bean, Mrocumere and Piros Fehrer, and one green filet type called Momma’s green, all at $3.50 each
Offerings from Mandy’s greenhouse seeds: Kentucky Wonder Green, Gold of Bacau and Snowcap – limited availability of each of these pole beans. For other bush beans:
Soldier, Pigeon, Henderson Bush Lima, Golden Wax, Yellow Wax Round Pod, Blue Lake Bush, Maine Yellow Eye, Navy White, Vermont Cranberry, Lena’s Bird Eye, Thibodeau du Comte Beauce. Each packet $2.50. Again, volume is limited.
Beets – We are offering Golden and Touchstone beets, which are both yellow. Also White sugar, Albino and Detroit White which are sweet beets which are white. Great beet flavor. Also have Early Wonder, and Ruby Queen in the Red round variety. We offered Red Ace last year as well and have a limited number of Shiraz and Turnip beets which are grown for greens.
Corn – Grew lots of sweet corn for the market garden this year so we are working on our own sweet open pollinated variety for short growing areas. We will keep you informed as this is a long process of trialing.
Corn available now – Delight Bicolor and Double Standard (peaches and cream types), Butter and Sugar and peaches and cream standard. We also have Seneca Chief which is a yellow sweet corn.
Fava Beans – We have winter fava and spring fava mixes for use as dry fava beans or to can to make your own Aquafaba. Use water as a vegan egg white substitute for meringues and other creations! Who knew?
Broad beans – There has been a resurgence of interest in the fibre rich broad beans. We have Jubilee Hyssor and Masterpiece Green Long Pod, both great choices and massive producers.
Collard Greens – we have Groninger Blue, Georgia Southers, and Champion as well as Vates. Great cooked with lemon and ginger or bacon.
Carrots – we are offering an open-pollinated version of Bolero, a popular storage nantes type. We have also Nantes 1/2 longs which are just as sweet and long as scarlet Nantes if you ask me, Brilliance open, Tendersweet open, Berlicum and Rhumba and an Heirloom orange blend, as well as a few Yellow Carrots, Yellow Sun, Yellowstone, and Yellow Solar. They are huge and sweet. We also have the round small Paris Market carrots, Tonda di Pardi. For red carrots we have Red Dragon, and only a few seeds of Deep Purple for sale.
Celery – Golden Self Blanching and Giant Prague as well as Red Venture of course and some leaf celery for soup use.
Cabbages, etc. – We have some Italian Sprouting Broccoli, Some Premium flat Dutch Cabbage as well as the others. And Kohlrabi is back including a limited amount of Superschmetz. We also have pak choi seed and rainbow chard.
Cucumbers – We have an open pollinated pickling cucumber called Leanne’s Pioneer, Early Russian Pickling and Early Mincu. Kaiser Alexander is a good one also. We have Tendergreen Burpless slicer, Bushy, Sumter and Mandy has these on offer: Lemon, Homemade Pickles, Earnest Family White, National Pickling, Morden Early, Poona Kheera, Parade, Russian Pickling and White Wonder. By the way the white cucumbers are just as delicious and the flavor more intense than the green ones without the bitterness.
Eggplants you can grow out in the garden. Start them indoors at the same time as tomatoes and put in a sheltered hot spot. Water regularly and reap the rewards. Did I hear anyone say Baba Ganoush? or Eggplant Parmagiana? MMMM…. Three types which are winners are Ukrainian Beauty, Black Enorma and Black Pear. Mandy has one called Ichiban. But any of the ones we offer will produce. Check out the catalogue for more information.
Garlic is all planted until the fall. With the market garden it suffered, so we are rebuilding stock. Check back in the fall.
Gourds are fun to grow and we have many fun types including some Crown of Thorns and Speckled Swan types as well as the bumpy yellow types that make great cups later.
All the herbs are on offer, including Anise Hyssop, German and English thyme, spearmint, lemon balm, chervil and several types of cress. Mandy lists stinging nettle as well which is a great substitute for spinach and can be boiled as such. Very rich in minerals.
Lettuces from Mandy’s collection include: Australian Yellow, Marvel of 4 seasons, Grandpa’s Admires, Italienischer Oakleaf, Ears of the Devil, Black Hawk, Cracoviensis, Red Eared Butterheart, Red Lephrachaun, Prizehead, Outredgeous, Midnight Ruffles, Lollo Rossa Dark, Strawberry Cabbage, Tom Thumb, Slobolt, Red Rumple Waved, Red Velvet, Rosso di Trento, Rouge D’Hiver, Sanguine Ameliore, Endive, Florellenschuus and Freckles. She also offers an Arugula called sylvette.
I have added a few lettuce mixes to the list. Italian spring mix and everything mix, which includes all you need to make a salad.
Melons/Canteloupe and Watermelons – Yes they grow well in Alberta and the hot dry summers are their bounty times. We have Korean Sweet, and Supersweet Canteloupe (Halona open), and Banana, as well as Blacktail Mountain Watermelon and Orangeglo (yes an orange watermelon!) Mandy offers Petite Gris de Rennes, Delicious 51 and Crane as well as Minnesota Midget.
A few more trees and fruiting shrubs. We have Nanking Cherries, White Pine, and Colorado Blue Spruce. As well as garden Huckleberries.
Parsnips – Albion, short thick, Andover and Kral. We have Hamburg Rooted Parsley and Harris Model parsnip as well.
Peas – We are offering Dwarf Grey Sugar again which make great sprouts or for shoots grown in trays like wheat grass. Mandy has Mummy White and a version of King Tutt with Blue Flowers. This is the same one found in the tomb and brought back from extinction. Now that is seed saving!! We also have great peas for soup use including Lancaster Lad, Corne de Belier and Desiree as well as Dry Round. Our sweet shelling peas include Top Pod and Knight.
Peppers!! Grew lots this year. We have these hot pepper to offer: Ampus Hot, Cayenne Red Thick, Purple Cayenne, Poblano, Marbles, Pretty Purple, Joe’s Cayenne, Bolivian Rainbow, Tabasco chili, Filus Blue, Thai Dragon, Trifetti, Purple Serrano, Ancho San Luis, Cayenne Chili, Ancho Gigantea, Ancho Poblano, Anaheim, Guajello, Golden Cayenne, Explosive Embers, Chech Black, Ring of Fire, Red Thai Dragon, Thai Chili, Large Red Cherry, Super Shepherd, Red Skin, Aji Amarilla, Esplette, New Mex Chili, Joe Parker Chili, and Padron.
Our sweet peppers on offer include: Gourmet, Red Belgian, Leut Schager, Cherry Sweet, Stocky Red, Jupiter, Etuida, Sheepnose Pimento, Feher Ozon, Frigitello Sweet, Italian Sweet and Healthy. More in the catalogue too including a Rainbow King mix of large bell peppers and Doux des Landes.
Turnips – Large types include Wilhelmsburger, Champion Purple Top Best of All, Gelbe and Fortin Family. Small types we have both the Purple top white globe and Purple top Milan. Mandy has a very limited amount of Golden Ball turnips also.
New tomatoes this year – cherry type: Whippersnapper (earliest of all), Green Grape and Orange Pear. Also available in larger types are Rosella Purple Dwarf, Starfire and Teton de Venice, with a unique large teardrop shape and a good thick skin for sauce. Also we have Polish Love apple, Cole, Andy Buckflat’s, Green Zebra, and Mountain Candy. Our new Beefsteak is sure to please.
We always have potatoes for eating or planting in all the varieties offered, so don’t be shy and get some any time. New ones are Nikola for diabetics, and LaBella and Rose Marie. All potatoes did fantastic this year and we have so many we have to give them to the foodbank.
Squashes – We have a butternut remix which is guaranteed to do better for you here in Alberta than the traditional Walthams. Smaller but great producer. We have small sugar pumpkin and Sweet Dumpling Squash (very good!) again, and Kamo Kamo. Also have Helen’s Italian (similar to Japanese Hokkaido), Cheyenne Bush squash to use as you would any zucchini, sayda (in place of vegetable spagetti), and Turk’s Turban and Kabocha squash for soup. Mandy brings these selections: Honey Boat delicata, Long Island Cheese, Baby Bear, New England Pie, Papaya Pear, M’s Pink Ghost pumpkin, Wee Be Little Pumpkin, Banana Jumbo Pink, and Kuri Baby Red Hubbard as well as Lebanese White Bush squash. Sorry we did not plant costata this year, will do next year!!
And finally – IF this is all too overwhelming, we can put together seeds for a family of 2 or 4 or more. Just email us and let us know who you want to feed, what your likes and dislikes are and we can put together something that will please you. Family of 2 packs start at about $40 but we can customize based on your size requirements and amount of space you have. Family of 4 will be at least $75, but you will have plenty of seed including potatoes and other things to please, plus seed for the coming years as well.
Thanks and good growing in 2018. I will have the new catalogue as soon as I can.
A'Bunadh Seeds (A-Boo-Nar)
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