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Post by darthslater on Oct 1, 2010 0:43:14 GMT -5
Man, what a company, I have ordered alot from these guys but I gotta tell you...this was the best yet!! I picked up 2 new reds and 5 Blacks...I NEVER got so many seeds in a pack as this order. There is easily 100 per pack!! I have always done well with there stuff also. Darth  |
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tomc
Breeder in Training
Posts: 155
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Post by tomc on Oct 1, 2010 6:25:35 GMT -5
Sandhill certainly gives value. I got a couple not-true-to-type tomatoes from them. But as a seed saver, this is easy to do. On balance they grow (or have grown for them) a simply stagering variety of good OP seed of many vegetable and grains that I see no where else.
I alas am old enough to know and covet NH midget mellons for example.
I so wanna get set up near to my daughter and get back to growing OP corn, oh and of course 'maters.
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carolyn137
Breeder in Training
Its all my fault 
Posts: 180
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Post by carolyn137 on Oct 1, 2010 7:13:35 GMT -5
I've known Linda and Glenn Drowns for many years, thru SSE and met Glenn at SSE in Decorah a few years back, and they are two of the most honest and wonderful folks I've known and I think that Sandhill was one of the very first places that I sent seeds for trial, and still do.
Yes, there will always be some off types at any place where OP varieties are grown and as far as tomatoes go I'd say about 95% of the seed they produce themselves with the other 5% being furnished by a few other growers.
Several years ago I used to do a wrong varieties thread at GW and Sandhill always came out at or near the top as to seed quality and germination, and that's b'c Glenn won't sell tomato seed over two years old and with over 400 varieties listed that's a whole lot of growouts each year, as well seed amounts and service as well.
His dedication is to preserve as many of the older varieties as he can, and here I don't mean just tomatoes.
And I'm seeing the same kind of dedication with Adam Gleckler that I've seen through the years with Glenn and both have full time jobs aside from their seed activities. Another person with that same dedication is Mike Dunton who owns Victory Seeds whom I recently met when he and his family were East so Mike could attend a seed packaging conference at the USDA labs in Geneva, NY, and Randel was there as well. Mike and his family were here in E NYS visiting historic sites and stopped by for a few hours and we could have talked for days.
This past Monday I had a long talk with Linda b'c we hadn't talked in quite a while and I was comparing my current cataract surgeries with how hers went and then we talked for a long time about how this season went and I asked if they were able to get stock for so many of the tomato varieties they were out of for 2010 b'c of the weather in the summer of 2009. She didn't have any list in fromt of her but said this summer was great and Glenn had to hire some of his students ( he teaches HS Science for those who don't know) to help pick and process the tomato seeds and they were still in the midst of doing that.
From time to time I've helped out with the tomato blurbs and made that offer again, if needed.
TWo things that Glenn and I disagree about. One is the variety Sandpoint which I term a spitter and he defends as it turns out b'c he went to Sandpiint HS in Oregon where he was raised and even though Linda has offered to coat some seeds with chocolate for me, I won't plant it. Yes, he still thinks the tomato Sandpoint is a worthy one.
The other issue is the variety Aunt Gertie's Gold and the issue there is that Glenn plants it each year since I sent it to him many years ago and it never performs for him, but there's always next year.
So yes, there are some small family run businesses that I think highly of and some that I don't and some that I don't know enough about to form a informed opinion.
Carolyn
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Oct 1, 2010 8:11:36 GMT -5
I agree! The List of varieties is long, although I must admit that I seldom look at more than the tomato or squash varieties... The seed count is abundant. And the prices are very competitive. I can't order directly from them because of their banker's ridiculous notion that Cdn cheques must have "U.S. Funds" imprinted on them (handwritten not acceptable)?? Like I'm going to order 200 cheques with Payable in U.S. Funds imprinted on them to order $10 worth of seeds? Not likely. But the further you get from the borders the more this kind of misconception exists. Sooooo, a little gardener in NYS orders for the both of us and I get what I need without International Incident,  |
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jcm05
Administrator
Posts: 1,685
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Post by jcm05 on Oct 1, 2010 10:19:04 GMT -5
Yep, Glenn always packs a ton of seeds. The other issue is the variety Aunt Gertie's Gold and the issue there is that Glenn plants it each year since I sent it to him many years ago and it never performs for him, but there's always next year. Not to mention the fact that Aunt Gerties, Yellow Brandywine and Elbe are one and the same tomato thanks to the endless renaming of existing varieties. But I won't go any further... |
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carolyn137
Breeder in Training
Its all my fault
Posts: 180
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Post by carolyn137 on Oct 1, 2010 12:14:10 GMT -5
Yep, Glenn always packs a ton of seeds. The other issue is the variety Aunt Gertie's Gold and the issue there is that Glenn plants it each year since I sent it to him many years ago and it never performs for him, but there's always next year. Not to mention the fact that Aunt Gerties, Yellow Brandywine and Elbe are one and the same tomato thanks to the endless renaming of existing varieties. But I won't go any further... Nope, no need to go further. If you check out your back issues of the SSE YEarbook you'll see that all three are not the same as to origin, geographically, and appeared as first listed in the SSE YEarbooks in very different years. Having grown all three, AGG and YB many times, and Elbe just once I see them as different varieties not based on anything having to do with place and time of origin and I'm sure many others who have grown all three would agree. But I won't go any further either, unless needed. ;D Carolyn |
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swampr
Global Moderator
Posts: 230
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Post by swampr on Oct 2, 2010 11:11:12 GMT -5
selections, variants, segregates, you're both probably right, depending on your definitions. taxonomy is imprecise. I'd like to have a yellow brandywine type that is smaller and earlier with all the same meaty flavor
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Post by sunflowers on Oct 4, 2010 5:38:43 GMT -5
Blue,
You could get a Postal Money Order from Canada Post. Those are cashable in US funds at any USPS office. I've gotten them on occasion and have no problem with them at all.
Just another option.
Carol
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Oct 4, 2010 8:20:11 GMT -5
Carol,
Yes, that is an option. But Money Orders through Canada Post cost $5.50 just for the money order. That doesn't include the actual amount of purchase, nor the exchange rate.
I quit dealing with Park Seeds in the 1990's when it cost me $18.00 for a $6.00 seed order.
This is no different.
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