Seeds and Feeds

Bioregionalism-Is a term often used to define a geographical area. More recently It has come to connote our preference to buy locally. I wasn't too long ago farmers didn't have much choice in who their market would be, they sold their produce closer to home for fear of it rotting.

For years now I have toyed with the idea of living for 6 months, or even more challenging for 1year eating a bioregional diet. What would this entail?... well, I would choose a boundary. Say, southern Ontario, and I would for the allotted time, eat only food that was grown in this area . Now it helps if you grow and preserve your own food. But what about wheat to make bread? In my city there are some beautiful bakeries, but where is their wheat grown and processed? I wouldn't be able to eat it unless it was grown in my bioregion. It means forgoing all tropical fruits, unless I grew them in a green house, and eating out would be next to impossible. The amount of planning it would take to have this diet would be Herculean .

I think what I would become most aware of, is how far food has to travel< to enter my digestive system. The amount of fossil fuels it would take to send Canadians apples from New Zealand, if it was measured, would be staggering! For some who may be reading this and aren't aware, most regions of Canada have the ability to grow hundreds of apple varieties, so it does seem a bit absurd to be getting apples from as far away as the Tasman Sea!

As a consumer (or an eater, as I like to call my self) I try and buy as locally as possible, especially when it comes to purchasing seeds and plants. I can't always know exactly the conditions the plants are grown in, but I can get some idea of the hardiness of that plant or seed if was grown near by. In making this decision, I also get the opportunity to support local businesses.

Over the years I have tried different seed companies, and here are my own reviews of the various companies and why I continue to use them. Also worthy of mention is a catalogue of garden catalogues called gardenlist.com,

Urban Harvest - Organic. Excellent seeds, great rates of germination and lots of heirloom varieties. For those of you who live in Toronto, Urban Harvest sells WONDERFUL wildflower and vegetable plants in the Spring! They also sell salves and garden amendments like kelp meal and compost activator.

Wildflowerfarm - Is a pick your own wild flower farm, and sells wild flower seeds and plants. The seeds are all native to North America, and the plant material is sturdy and hardy. Miriam who runs this company with her husband, does a lot of speaking engagements and will be at Canada Blooms this year as both a seller and a speaker. Go say hi, she has a wonderful sense of humor, and is very knowledgeable.

Richter's Herbs - organic. I definitely prefer to go there, and smell everything. The scent of Earth and mustiness is heavenly. They should be in full production of their cuttings for Spring. Well worth a visit!

Howard Dill Enterprises - "Dill's Atlantic Giant" The largest pumpkins EVER! If you have an empty spot somewhere in the back, plant one or two seeds just for fun. I did, and it was huge!

One of my favorite seed companies is an American company from Vermont called The Cook's Garden. The diversity of her seed selection is pretty impressive, especially if you like exotic lettuce.

Here is a list of some companies that I haven't used before, but have a very good reputation.

Hope seeds - Organic. The owner of this company and I met recently at the Guelph Organic Conference a few weeks ago. She has a wonderful small family business growing her own seeds, and they have quite a few rare varieties of beans.

The Cottage Gardener - Organic-Has any one reading this, ever had blue banana winter squash?

Greta's Organic Seeds - Wow she has 184 varieties of tomatoes, Rapini and 12 varieties of cucumber!

Eco Genesis - Organic. It turns out, upon inspection that they have edible Chrysanthemum. This vegetable is also known as Shingiku and is a real delight if you like slightly bitter vegetables like rapini. You can cook it so many ways, but sautéed lightly with butter is heavenly. (Please image that there is an accent aigu over the first e in sautéed, unfortunately, my key board and the web apparently only speak English, Editor's note: I Fixed it for you!) Go Gary! The best PDA in the world.

Terra Edibles -Their farm is located just north of Belleville in Ontario, and has a lovely selection of fragrant sweet peas. Who doesn't love the scent of sweet peas? It is important to plant sweet peas in a well ventilated (It is so funny to consider an out side area as well ventilated) however they are prone to powdery mildew, so a good breezy spot with lots of sunshine would be the best.

Garden Makers-If you are looking for rare and unusual flower seeds this company has a very extensive list of just about everything you could want.

Finally, and almost in conclusion, I wanted to mention seedsavers. This service is a great (in both senses of the word) way to keep seeds alive, literally. Certain seeds can have a short shelf life and if the seeds aren't used they can dry out and become unviable. The purpose of seed exchanges is to keep heritage varieties from becoming extinct. The most impressive organization doing this preservation work in Canada is Seeds of Diversity. The best part about seed exchanging is that it is free; you get to meet new people, and potentially save a variety of a species. Not bad! If you want to know more about the state of the worlds seeds, I recommend reading anything by Vandana Shiva, or visiting the site of Wakehurst Place. They have started an ambitious project of saving all of the seeds on the planet and storing them in a -20C vault!

I have grown so many things from seed, and by far my favorite was Tithonia speciosa or "Mexican Sunflower". In an unmarked Ziplock bag, I was given a present from a fellow gardener Cynthia Chataway, who mischievously didn't give me any other details other than "They are gorgeous". I think of her when ever I see one of these giants in someone's garden. They aren't very common, but if you are into orange, huge and prolific blooming, then this is the annual for you. There are other varieties, smaller and yellow and bushier. But Speciosa are my favorite. Last summer, Cynthia lost her battle with breast cancer. There were so many ways that she touched my life. When she began chemo in the fall, as a symbol of her own hope she asked all of her friends who had gardens to plant red, orange and yellow tulip bulbs. She wanted to be around in the Spring to see them bloom.

Thanks for tuning in.