More Seeds 2013

Thanks to Kimberly @ An At Home Daughter for the link to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, I have decided to go ahead and order from Heritage Harvest Seed. 

Yeah, that might sound odd, but... Here's the thing.  I'm specifically looking for sugar beets.  When I type sugar beets into Baker Creek's search bar, it brings up Albino Beets- sweet beets that can be used for sugar beets.  And even though Heritage Harvest Seeds doesn't say that on their website- they sell the same Albino Beets!  I also found sugar beets at Salt Spring Seeds, and they are a little cheaper there.

So why does Heritage Harvest Seed win?  It's the climate.  Salt Spring Seeds is in B.C.- which really might as well be in California as far as matching my weather is concerned.  Baker Creek is in the U.S.  Heritage Harvest, in Manitoba, knows what a short growing season and a long, hard Canadian winter are all about.  Their seed should acclimate to my environment much easier.  So here's what I ordered:

Amaranth- Burgundy- prolific amounts of white seed that are high in protein and can be sprouted, ground into flour or cooked whole

Beans- Mennonite K Triple A- H- dry- 80 days
         - Vanderpol Six Weeks- H- snap or dry- 60 days

Beets- Albino (Sugar Beets)- H

Carrots- Paris Market- H

Citron- Red Seeded- H- melon used to make preserves.  Recipe

Corn- Gaspe Flint- H- sweet corn- 45-60 days
        -Mandan Bride- H- flour- 90 days
        -Orchard Baby- H- sweet corn- 60 days
        -Tom Thumb Popcorn- H- popcorn- 60 days

Cucumber- Boston Pickling- H- 50-55 days
                - Early Green Cluster- H- 60 days

Mangel- Golden- H

Muskmelon- Far North- 65-70 days
                 - Gnadenfeld- H- 60-65 days
(Because some things you just have to see to believe!)

Radish- Watermelon- H

Squash- Mandan Banquet- H-
            - Algonquin Pumpkin- H- 90 days

Watermelon- Cream of Saskatchewan- H- 80-85 days- white flesh- extremely sweet- good candidate for wine
                  - Small Shining Light- H- 85 days- Another one I have to see to believe! 

Tomatoes- Bison- H- 60 days- determinate ft
               - Kalinka- H- 50 days- determinate
               - Russian Saskatchewan- H- 60 days ft- determinate
               - Sasha's Altai- H- 65 days ft- determinate- tolerates cool night temperatures
               - Sioux- H- 70 days- indeterminate- bright red
 I couldn't help myself- I just went to take a peak to see if there were any earlier varieties listed, then I got carried away with what I found.  I deleted 6 varieties off my original list, choosing just these five...  And announcing to Husband and the Bigs that I'll need a greenhouse built in the squash field.  I want to try the new varieties without cross pollinating the seed I have started now.

Oregano- 

Salad Burnet-

Sunflower- Arikara- H- multi-headed, 10' high

Purple Millet- H- bird feed

I think that's everything I could possibly need or want, with the possible exception of lettuce.  I think I still have seed from last year, but if not, I can pick some up pretty much anywhere.  I like the boring, tasteless iceberg lettuce.  I know I have lots of romaine seed, as it bolted early in the greenhouse.  No more shopping at least until I find and sort seed!