2010
Prairie Garden Seeds
Catalogue

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Dear Fellow-Gardeners,

My seed production is now being divided between St. Peter's Abbey and our family farm near Cochin. I am growing seed at the Abbey and my sister is growing seed on the Cochin farm. My seed-growing garden on the farm has sandy soil so the crops there -- mostly pea, bean and tomato with some root and vine seeds -- was earlier and matured better. Here most of the growing year was cool and wet and some of the crops, especially the beans, are still drying in unheated out-buildings. We got a 12'x80' plastic tunnel but it wasn't ready to use until July so it didn't play a large role. Wait until 2010. Despite the cool weather I was able to produce seed of more Canadian tomatoes this year.

I am also part of the team working in the Abbey garden. Each year we increase the variety of fresh vegetables for the Abbey kitchen. If you ever come and experience the hospitality of St. Peter's Abbey you will be eating some of the results of our work. See www.stpetersabbey.ca A special thanks to the WWOOF-er volunteers who came to work with me this past summer (www.wwoof.org).

This year you will see more seeds from Wild Garden Seeds. Frank Morton is doing wonderful work in Oregon breeding and selecting seed, mostly for leaf crops. He emphasizes organic growing and he breeds for taste and disease resistance. He promotes biodiversity and offers a wide range of colours and forms, often in mixes. See my lettuce section as well as other leaf crops and a few root crops. For more information: www.wildgardenseed.com

I am always interested in the history of seeds so I am indicating a date of introduction of many varieties, and something of their origins whenever I can. I also note All American Selections (AAS) awards. Each year since 1933 seed breeders and companies have been submitting new varieties to be tested by seed companies and academic and research institutions all over North America. Those which appear to be a significant improvement over previous varieties are given an AAS award.

I continue to garden without agricultural chemicals. Some of the land I garden at St. Peter's Abbey is OCIA certified organic, some of it is not. A number of friends and relatives, and small growers, are providing me with some seed, and I am always ready to talk to new growers. A few of my seeds are from commercial sources. They are all open-pollinated and none of the seeds are treated, but they may have been grown using agricultural chemicals. I have indicated this by placing a C (for commercial seed) after the variety name.

As I am doing this work alone, filling orders is time-consuming. During the peak season it will probably take six weeks to process an order. I encourage you to group orders whenever you can. On orders sent in one package to one address there is only one handling charge, and there is a 10% discount on orders over $100. I hope you will forgive me if I occasionally group orders when it seems appropriate. If you are dissatisfied with any of my seeds I will replace them, refund you your money or give you a credit.

Looking Forward to serving you,
sincerely,


Jim Ternier