Thanks for the info, Adam. Well, that stinks.
Steve Solomon, founder of Territorial Seeds, has a list of recommended seed companies in his book _Gardening When It Counts_ . It's an interesting and worthwhile read, though he's pretty harsh dealing with John Jeavons and double digging. There'll be a review in the next ACGA newsletter (so join ACGA if you haven't already, and you'll get a copy). Anyway, Solomon's list is: Stokes Seed, www.stokeseeds.com Johnny's, www.johnnyseeds.com (a great outfit!) Veseys Seed, www.veseys.com William Dam Seeds, www.damseeds.com Harris Seeds, www.gardeners.harrisseeds.com King Seeds, www.kingsseeds.com.nz (Aust/NZ) Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, www.southernexposure.com (real friends for Southern gardeners, always at our local sustainable ag conferences) Park Seed, www.parkseed.com (local to me - great field day in June if you are in SC) Territorial Seeds, www.territorial-seed.com (best catalog cover art, I always look forward to getting my copy) West Coast Seeds, www.westcoastseeds.com Chase (along with Thomson&Morgan and Suttons, all big UK seed companies, he gives no website but they should be easy to find). I've used T&M, it was easy and inexpensive to order from the US, but that was before 2001. Solomon likes Chase best.). Organic Gardening Catalogue, www.OrganicCatalog.com (UK) Nw Gippsland Seeds, www.newgipps.com.au (Australia) Plus Solomon recommends these suppliers (edited list - to see all, buy his book...): Fedco, www.fedcoseeds.com Peaceful Valley Farm Supply, www.groworganic.com (They are a mainstay, even though I now live on the opposite end of the US, wish we had a Southern version). Renee's Seed, www.reneesgarden.com Ronnigers, www.ronnigers.com (for spuds) Select, www.samen.ch (Swiss) Personally, I also like and use: Wilhite Seed, www.wilhite.com (Texas-based, good international collection too) Wyatt-Quarles, www.wqseeds.com (local Carolina company) Kitawaza Seed, www.kitazawa.com (best Asian seed selection, very reliable) The Cook's Garden, www.cooksgarden.com Dr. David Bradshaw, S.C. Foundation Seed Association (864) 656-2520. Recently retired, Dr. Bradshaw has been gathering and sustaining historic varieties for 2 decades at Clemson U. Great resource! Hida Tools, www.hidatool.com (best for horihori, Japanese field hoes, all kinds of good solid tools) Anybody else have any suggestions for good seed sources (or stuff sources) - or reviews of mine? Let's vote with our dollars. Don Boekelheide Charlotte NC > Message: 1 > Date: Sat, 06 Jan 2007 14:36:50 -0500 > From: adam36055 at aol.com > Subject: [Community_garden] Burpee Seeds > To: community_garden at list.communitygarden.org > Message-ID: > <8C8FFE1257D45B9-924-80A at FWM-D08.sysops.aol.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > FYI - > > Adam Honigman > NYC > > > > http://www.idigmygarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2245 > > > A recent merger now announced says that W.Atlee > Burpee & Co. Seeds has accepted a deal to be bought > out by Seminis. This will mean that from the > beginning of 2007 onward, Burpee will be operated as > a subsidiary of Monsanto (a.k.a. Monsatan) Co., > which has already bought out Seminis. Seminis and > Burpee were the two largest American seed companies > not affiliated with Monsatan until both were > recently bought out by the multi-billion-dollar > corporation. > Burpee & Co. was started in 1876 when 18-year-old > Washington Atlee Burpee started a small seed > business with the help of his mother. The business > took off like a space shuttle, and supplied money to > buy a second seed-growing farm in California (in > addition to the Burpee's famous Fordhook farm in > Pennsylvania). They also built "The House" at > Fordhook (which looks simply like a huge farmhouse > but is a mansion inside), and converted the old > family farmhouse to a seed-cleaning facility. > > Behind the scenes, W.A. Burpee was an alcoholic. His > drinking led to his untimely death in 1915, at the > age of 49. His son David Burpee, aged 22, left > Cornell University to take up the reins of the > company. > > David Burpee became the P.T. Barnum of the seed > business, famous for his use of bells-and-whistles, > smoke-and-mirrors advertising hype. He made > hybridization mainstream in the seed industry, and > helped develop chromosomal modification, a > predecessor technology to genetic engineering. > In 1991 Ball Co. bought out Burpee seeds. The Ball > leadership conflicted often with Jonathan Burpee > (heir to the company fortune), so they fired him in > 1993 and took away the money that he would have > received after retirement. Burpee & Co. began to use > Fordhook less for trials, and the California farm > more. > It is unknown as of yet what the Monsanto/Seminis > buyout will do to Burpee Seeds.
