Ottawa Seedy Saturday But can you have too many seeds?

I do it for the kids. Look how happy my youngest is with our plant loot.

After a hectic drive in slushy ice, I (just) made it but I was not there to get seeds. No, I was there to give seeds away. I had a bag full of them! Unfortunately, my busy week had prevented me from organizing them into neat baggies so once again they were hastily filled and labelled behind the trade table. Did I mention I was late?

Thankfully, I Wet My Plants came to the rescue and helped. She's my bestest plant sale buddy as I see her at all the horticultural hot spots. This year I hope to hit her tomato seedling sale in the spring. I did a trade with her of course. How could I resist sweet potato tubers - Georgia Jet - for slip production?


Trade Table contributor and Fellow Garden Blogger: I Wet My Plants

I also met fellow Ottawa gardener and blog reader Steve. Wave! Speaking of old and new faces. Lots of my favourites like Tourne-Sol and Cottage Gardener were there. Waves! New to me was Wildsome Gardens, Wild & Historic Plants & Seeds. She had a nice selection of vegetables along with some wild edibles like Highbush Cranberry and Poppy Mallow. In between all the 'hey how are yas?' and shoulder rubbing in the thick crowd, I did not buy seeds. Sure I looked. Oh yeah, I asked about some varieties. Just cause I'm not touching, doesn't mean I can't look right?


There were people, plants, seeds and soap. More people, chocolate, honey and talks. More and more people... it was well attended.

While I was carousing with plants and people, the NGS (non-gardening spouse)** was with the children in the craft room. As I was standing in the doorway watching their darling heads bent in furious colouring concentration, I looked to the left and then to the right. Before leaving this morning, I had, had a little talk with myself about how I did not need anymore seeds. As I parked, I felt good about lightening my seed load. I had resisted until now but... You know what happened.


Okay, so I did get some seeds, but most of them were from the trade table. Left: bought seeds from Heritage Seed and Produce and tubers from Tourne-Sol. Right: trade table bonanza. Blue ribbon winner for labelling is a tie between 'pole beans' and 'Rumex, perennial.' I can't wait to find out what exactly they are, especially the second one. I am so guilty of this sort of labelling. Also came home with a Canna lily, True Potato Seed (T.P.S.)*** from Russian Blue, and more. Thank you so much fellow gardeners!

P.S. I still have some extras. Take them from me. Take them! If you live in the area, send me your address (email on right) and I'll send you a surprise package of edible plant seeds. I'm not promising you don't have them or even want them but heck they'll be free! Please?

* Tourne-Sol Co-operative Ferme is a seed company, and CSA if you are nearby. They have developed a very neat seed selection called Winter Green which is "a mix of brassicas we've selected for quick regrowth in cold temperatures..." It is also a source for bulk cover crops, Jeruselam Artichokes, chuffa nuts, some modern OP crops such as Banana Legs sauce tomato bred by Tom Wagner and Rainbow Lacinato Kale from Frank Morton, among other interesting plants. I've got a good feeling about these guys.

** Non Gardening Spouse is drifting over to the green and growing side. He even manned a seed booth while the owner stepped out for a moment. I don't know, we might be an all-gardening couple soon.

*** For those curious about True Potato Seed, Extreme Gardener's TPS: Who's Yer Daddy? is an enlightening article.