Garden Supplies: You Can't Go Wrong with These Companies

Last week I profiled seed catalogue enterprises. Since they were all from my home state of Maine, I was speaking from the experience of knowing the companies intimately.

When you venture out into the much larger world of garden supply catalogues, the universe grows exponentially. Gardeners, among the most conservative and least Internet savvy shoppers, often seem to be weary of plunking down their cash to faceless, nameless vendors.

While it’s true you can find just about anything you need at your local garden center, your gardening satisfaction can be increased by being just a bit adventurous in your buying habits. Garden supply catalogues are full of products, tools and information that you may not find anywhere else. Often, I find, the cutting-edge stuff is slow to make it to the Northeast corridor.

For a comprehensive list of companies who sell by mail, visit www.mailordergardening.com. The Mailorder Gardening Association does a good job of screening its members, who come from all walks of horticulture — from magazines, to seeds and flowers, to tools, supplies and more. The MGA really is a tremendous resource.

For the profile this week, I’m going to narrow my choices to three companies. I’ve met the owners of all three and know from first-hand experience that their heart is in the right place when it comes time to sell us something.

1. Gardens Alive 2. Gardeners Supply

3. Peaceful Valley Farm Supply

Gardens Alive — Like all three of these businesses on my list, Gardens Alive is a classic shoot-from-the-hip-and-heart story of a gardener with a passion. Company founder and president Niles Kinerk visited Maine this summer and talked at length about his modest childhood on his family’s farm in Yoder, Indiana. Like many unsuspecting farmers of the day, they welcomed the “advances” in agriculture that were offered by synthetic chemicals.

“I remember we felt sorry for our neighbors who didn’t have access to the chemicals,” said Kinerk. “Boy, did that feeling change.”

Enlightened by Organic Gardening magazine, when that magazine was still in its heyday, Kinerk said he soon saw the light.

“I wasn’t far into its pages when the light bulbs started going off in my mind,” he writes on the www.GardensAlive.com web site. “I began to wish that someone would take on the job of making tested, organic products available to gardeners like me. It was a fairly short jump from wishing someone else would do the job to tackling it myself.”

What started as the Natural Gardening Research Center in 1984 evolved into Gardens Alive by 1988. Whether your call yourself an organic gardener, or are just curious about products that are not based on synthetic chemicals, the catalogue is flat-out exciting.

During my day with the company founder, he confided that selling organic products has not been a get-rich-quick scheme — just like organic gardening is not a dial-by-number approach to horticulture. It has taken time for customers to understand the difference; it’s amazing how many people don’t really care about the environment, or how many people never take the time to consider the effects of their actions.

“Gardens Alive is still a labor of love,” he said. “I have more profitable ventures, but this is the one that continues to fuel my passion.”

Check out this catalogue; environmentally friendly solutions are available for all sorts of gardening challenges.
 
Gardeners Supply — Just about the same time Niles Kinerk was getting curious about organic gardening in the Midwest, Will Raap was beginning to operate on a parallel plain in Vermont. Whereas the Gardens Alive founder appears to be the consummate conservative farmer, Raap has always worn his passion on his sleeve. He’s the general, if you will, who has led the up-hill charge in the organic revolution.

“He’s the most charismatic person I’ve ever been around,” said Kathy Laliberte, who co-founded the Gardeners Supply Company with Raap in 1983. “He really wanted to make a difference and those of us who were around him got swept up in his enthusiasm.”

Far more than a garden supply company, Gardeners Supply has become a success story of national and international prominence. By putting organic gardening practices to work in their local community of Burlington, Vt., the employee-owned company has revitalized an entire city and served as a model for sustainable living.

I traveled to Burlington this past summer with Cameron Bonsey, the director of our television division, and was amazed at the vitality of the organic trial gardens outside the company headquarters. That was Zone 3-4, mind you, and the gardens still looked phenomenal. They still experiment with all sorts of new gadgets, including self-watering containers for growing tomatoes. They were getting up to 30 pounds of fruit from one plant!

As for the catalogue, it’s probably the most extensive offering of gardening supplies anywhere in the free world. Though the company started from the most modest of positions, it has evolved into a high-tech supplier of a full-range of products, from bird feeders, to kitchen items, linens and furniture. Just about everything is available on-line at www.gardeners.com.

Peaceful Valley Farm Supply — Another company I can relate to — because it started in the garage of the founder — this California business was first recommended to me a decade ago by Eliot Coleman, the legendary organic farmer from Harborside, Maine.

“They’re honest,” he said simply. That’s always question number one in mailorder.

Located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the town of Grass Valley, this company is another one of those places where many of the employees are gardeners. You can check out their faces online at www.groworganic.com and then talk to them by phone moments later.

I’m sure the cynics will ask what a company in California can do for gardeners in the Northeast. In a word: plenty. The offerings of organic fertilizers and soil stimulants are fantastic, and these folks have been using these products long enough to really know what they’re talking about.

You may remember from high school biology, for example, that plants need 16 elements to grow. Most fertilizer bags and companies will talk about the big three “macronutrients” of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, but not say much about all the others. Peaceful Valley Farm Supply has an entire section on “trace minerals” — things like zinc, boron and azomite — that are essential to plant health.

Trust me. It’s worth a few minutes to click on the site.

One last note: You can still get the great subscription deal by calling 800-251-1784, or clicking on our website at www.ppplants.com. For $19.95 ($5 off regular prices), you get six issues of the magazine, a $25 coupon to www.gardensalive.com and the PPP Discount Card good for 10 percent off purchases at more than 500 garden centers across the Northeast.

Happy Holidays and we’ll see you with a new column after the first of the year.

Paul Tukey, December 20, 2005.

'Tis the Season...for Seed Catalogues

Here’s a pointer I like to dust off every year about this time, when you have to have a lot of imagination and intestinal fortitude to take on any outdoor gardening tasks. ’Tis the season for . . . seed catalogues, when you can let that imagination run wild.

This year, I’m going to run this as a multi-part series on catalogues of all types, from seeds to live plants. I’m a big proponent of the local garden centers, mind you, and you can usually find more gardening stuff at your favorite local greenhouse than at any time in horticultural history. There’s still a place on my coffee table gardening catalogues, though. They’re one of my favorite things about gardening. And, besides, they’re great for those last-minute gardening gift ideas.

For this edition, we’ll take a look at the seed entities in my own state of Maine where six companies, and at least two non-profit organizations, offer just about anything you could need within the pages of their catalogues. Buy your seeds locally and you’ll get the satisfaction of supporting small local enterprises —with the added benefit of all that great local knowledge that you’ll never find in the national catalogues.

Here’s a rundown, with some of the history and flavor that makes all these catalogues unique:

Allen, Sterling & Lothrop — This company has been around since 1911 and, somehow refreshingly, hasn’t changed much at all in the past 94 years. This year’s catalogue looks like last year’s catalogue, and the one before that, and the one before that.

In this lightning-fast Internet world where change rules, this Falmouth company has carved out a niche by offering mostly the same varieties of seed that our grandparents grew. The packages are still packed by hand in a back room, most of them by octogenarians Mickey and Isabelle Maguire, and their granddaughter Jennifer Brannigan.

The big news here is that AS&L joined the 21st century by securing a web domain in 2005. It’s kind of like having your grandmother driving a Ferrari, but in this day and age I’m sure a lot of grandmothers probably do. For the old-fashioned way of shopping, you can order the 31-page black-and-white catalogue by calling 207-781-4142, or better yet, visit the charming garden center at 191 U.S. Route 1 in Falmouth — but not on Sundays. That’s their family day and still remains sacred.

Fedco— This revolutionary enterprise was founded in 1978 as a cooperative seed distribution network in which the patrons of the company are the owners. Bulk orders are always encouraged; if you get together with your gardening friends and neighbors and place an order through Fedco, you will almost always save money.

Like Allen, Sterling & Lothrop, this seed source eschewed the Internet as a marketing tool for many years. A website, www.fedcoseeds.com , is up and running and offers a nice, online taste of what the company is all about. A catalogue can be downloaded, and the company even posts its phone number at 207-873-3333. For many years, it didn’t even like to take phone calls.

Despite all those upgrades in convenience, the catalogue really must be seen to be fully appreciated. Printed on recycled newsprint, it teems with invaluable local information. You tell easily tell that the authors of the seed descriptions grow the plants themselves, often in Zone 4 central Maine locations that test a gardener’s skill. Organic culture is always stressed and none of the seeds are ever treated with fungicide.

To receive a Fedco catalogue in the mail, write to P.O. Box 520, Waterville, Maine 04903-0520.

Johnny's Selected Seeds — Easily Maine’s largest seed company and recognized as a national industry leader, Johnny’s still manages to reflect its roots as a tiny proprietorship formed in 1973. The founder, Robert L. Johnston Jr., is a research scientist at heart. Through his directive, the company runs the most thorough seed testing process in the country. A trial garden in Albion, measuring 120 acres, allows the staff to evaluate each vegetable, herb, flower and garden product.

The catalogue is also recognized as one of the most valuable in the country. Packed with equal parts information and colorful glossy photographs, it has been redesigned in recent years to be more colorful and user friendly.

Buying from Johnny’s is easier than ever. The company finally accepts orders toll free (800-879-2258) or the Internet www.johnnyseeds.com. Even better, orders are filled whenever possible within 24 hours.

Incidentally, Rob Johnston sent us an awesome exclusive article on the best-tasting varieties of 14 different kinds of vegetables in the upcoming January issue of our magazine. It made my mouth water just reading his first-hand descriptions.

Pinetree Garden Seeds — The size of the average package of seeds has always driven Portland resident Dick Meiners crazy. Why do companies put 100 tomato seeds in a package, he wondered, when the average gardener only grows 12 plants?

In 1979, he did something about his pet peeve by founding his own company. Specializing in small packages at fair prices, New Gloucester-based Pinetree Seeds has carved out a unique niche in the home garden segment of the seed catalogue world. By keeping prices down, Meiners has allowed gardeners to experiment with many new varieties of plants—as well as books and equipment.

The catalogue is a cross between the newsprint, no-photo appeal of Fedco, and the glossy, professional look of Johnny’s. The descriptions, written by the gardeners on the Pinetree staff, are informative and personal. Order by phone (207-926-3400), fax (888-52seeds) or on the Internet www.superseeds.com.

Vesey’s— Based in Prince Edward Island, Vesey's Seeds Ltd., is not a true Maine company. It does, however, offer a Calais address and a product selection that is ideal for the local gardener.

The founder, Arthur Vesey, was a market gardener who struggled to find seeds that would thrive in the short growing season in PEI. In 1939, he published the first catalogue of some of his discoveries; by the ’60s, his company featuring “seeds for short seasons” was a full-blown international enterprise.

Vesey’s makes ordering easy and affordable with a toll-free number (800-363-7333), along with fax orders (800-686-0329) and Internet access www.veseys.com.

The Maine Potato Catalog—Facing an uncertain economic future in trying to grow organic produce in Aroostook County, Jim Gerritson needed a way to diversify his family farm in the past decade. His answer became this unique ode to spuds that has grown to become a 36-page full-color booklet.

The family’s staple offerings are the Potato of The Month Club that will deliver a fresh supply of organic potatoes to your door each month, and the certified organic seed potatoes that you can grow in your own garden. The catalogue also features carrots, onions, garlic, shallots, parsnips and other crops — all grown organically in Bridgewater, five hours north of Portland near Presque Isle. You may order a catalogue seven days a week at 800-829-9765, or click on www.woodprairie.com to get a virtual tour.

Our television crew visited the Gerritson family during harvest season one September and watched in amazement as the year’s crop of potatoes was picked by hand — mostly by junior high school students on farm break. It’s one of the few operations of its kind left in America, and definitely worth supporting.

Medomak Valley Heirloom Seed Project — Teachers Jon Thurston and Neil Lash deserve a world of kudos for introducing their high school students to the world of gardening. The students, in turn, spread the information to the rest of us through their truly unique catalogue offering a host of heirloom seeds.

Even designed by students, the catalogue can be ordered by writing to Heirloom Seed Project, 320 Manktown Road, Waldoboro, Maine 04572. Please include a nine by 12-inch SASE envelope and $1. The students don’t publish seed prices, but do ask for your donations if you order.

Maine Seed Saver Exchange — Dedicated to preserving genetic diversity in backyard gardening, this nonprofit group promotes saving rare heirloom varieties. Within the 24-page catalogue, you'll find everything from ‘Fogg’ melons, originally grown at the Fogg Homestead in Readfield, Maine, to ‘Cambridge’ rutabagas, which the catalogue states were “found and rescued from the steamship ‘Cambridge,’ which sank in the Atlantic Ocean on Feb. 10, 1886, after striking the Old Man's Ledge off of Friendship, Maine.”

Its a valuable endeavor, well worth supporting by joining the Exchange for $15. For the catalogue only, send $2 to cover postage to Box 60, New Gloucester, ME 04260.

Speaking of catalogues . . . How would you like to receive $25 to spend at one of America’s best gardening companies? That’s what you get if you subscribe to People, Places & Plants magazine right now in time for the holidays. Here’s the deal: First off, it’s $5 off ($19.95 instead of $24.95). Second, you’ll receive a $25 gift certificate to a catalogue supplier known as www.gardensalive.com. We’ll also send you the discount card good for 10 percent off at more than 500 local garden centers in the Northeast. On top of ALL that, we’ll send a $5 donation to the American Red Cross for every subscription we sell between now and Christmas. We think it’s a tremendous gift idea. You can sign up online here, or by calling Mike or Deb at 800-251-1784.

Paul Tukey, December 12, 2005.

Use Discretion in Creating Plant Decorations

One of the best, and most abused, ways for a gardener to enjoy the holidays is to use plants as part of the celebration. Cut trees are often the centerpiece, along with the indoor plants, including poinsettias and holiday cactus we have written about here in recent weeks. They’re all great and serve their purpose.

Wreaths and swags containing parts of plants are also part of many families’ holiday traditions. Utilizing foliage, berries, twigs, cones, seeds and seedpods and bark, craft-minded gardeners can create some beautiful decorations.

In general, these are perfectly fine ways to use plants. As folks head out to gather materials, though, I’d like to make a few points:

1) though pruning evergreens won’t hurt the plants, you should prune correctly;

2) always ask permission to prune plants not on your own property;

3) avoid using invasive species of plants as part of your decorations, or at least dispose of them properly if you do;

4) treat nature kindly while you’re searching;

5) review the list of poisonous plants, especially if you have children or pets in and around the home.

PRUNING — Needled evergreens are among the most resilient of plants and will generally tolerate even the most callous of sheering. It’s far better for your plants, though, if you take care to prune properly with a sharp knife or other tool. Try to prune at nodes, which are points on the stems when budding or branching occurs.

Broad-leafed evergreens such as mountain laurel or rhododendron are a bit less tolerant. Keep in mind, too, that if you snip those plants this time of year, you may be removing next spring’s blossoms. It’s your plant; you’ll have to decide if it’s worth it.

PERMISSION — Taking plants, or parts of plants off other people’s property technically constitutes trespassing and, probably, theft. I have a friend at a local police department who said his station always gets a few calls about missing trees or branches during the holidays. Most people will probably allow you to collect a few evergreen tips if you ask politely and show them you know what you’re doing.

INVASIVES — One of my pet peeves is other magazines who promote wreaths made with Asiatic bittersweet. While beautiful because of its bright reddish-orange berries, bittersweet is a nasty invasive. If these seeds drop off your wreath, they can later germinate and contribute to the spread of this plant. Click here for a list of other invasive plants.

If you insist on using invasive plants, try to burn your wreaths after the holidays, or add them to garbage that’s going to an incinerator rather than a landfill.

NATURE — As I’ve learned on numerous hikes with Dr. Richard Churchill, our staff botanist, nature can be more tender than we may think. Trampling moss, peeling bark off trees or stealing birds nests from trees is just bad form. Don’t do it. You can usually find plenty of other materials for decorations.

POISONS — Though not high on the list of holiday perils, plant poisonings do show up in the news from time to time. The berries of holly, mistletoe and yew all contain compounds with varying degrees of toxicity. If you suspect a plant poisoning, call the American Association of Poison Control Centers’ national emergency hotline at 800-222-1222. You will be immediately connected to a poison center in your local area. For one of the best databases of poisonous plants, check out Cornell University’s web site.

With only a few weeks remaining until Christmas and Hanukkah, which begins on Christmas day this year, we hope you’ll consider taking advantage of our awesome holiday subscription offer. Through a special advertising promotion, we are able to offer all subscribers and gift recipients a $25 coupon toward any merchandise at Gardens Alive, one of the nation’s leading garden catalogue companies. We’re also cut the price for a one-year subscription by $5, to $19.95, and we’re donating an additional $5 to the American Red Cross hurricane relief effort. You can click here https://www.ppplants.com/order/holiday.html to take advantage.

Paul Tukey, December 5, 2005.