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Old May 24, 2010   #1
tedln
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Default Can anyone recommend a vendor?

I'm already planning my garden for next year and I know I want to purchase Spudakee, Black From Tula, JD's Special C Tex, and Indian Stripe seed. Can anyone suggest a reputable seed vendor who may carry all four varieties?

I'm new to this heirloom tomato thing, but I am growing Cuostralee, Kellogg's Breakfast, Mortgage Lifter, Prudens Purple, Brandywine Sudduth, and a few other varieties this year. I was kindly given some Black From Tula and JD's Special C Tex seed which I have now germinated and will soon plant. I have already purchased Black Krim and Cherokee Purple seed which I will probably save for next years garden. My expertise at saving seed is not yet good enough to offer to trade my saved seed for others. I simply do not want to send someone seed that I have produced until I can be sure my technique can guarantee purity.

I also want to support Dr. Males thought that we need to support good heirloom vendors by purchasing their products.

Ted
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Old May 24, 2010   #2
habitat_gardener
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If you look up each variety in Tatiana's Tomatobase, at the bottom of the page will be a list of which vendors carry that variety.
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Old May 25, 2010   #3
DanishGardener
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You can buy Spudakee, JD's Special C Tex and Indian Stripe from Gleckler's http://www.glecklerseedmen.com/


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Old May 25, 2010   #4
travis
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Originally Posted by tedln View Post
I'm already planning my garden for next year and I know I want to purchase Spudakee, Black From Tula, JD's Special C Tex, and Indian Stripe seed. Can anyone suggest a reputable seed vendor who may carry all four varieties?
For all four varieties, I suggest joining Seed Savers Exchange and order them from the yearbook. And pay very close attention to the descriptions and the sources listed in the yearbook when ordering those particular four varieties. They all are excellent varieties and you should only grow the best available examples of each.
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Old May 27, 2010   #5
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I've used Tomato Growers, Sandhill Farms, Seed Savers Exchange, Marianne's , and Casey's Heirlooms. All are great in my experience and opinion. I believe all are listed in the list of vendors on this website.
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Old May 27, 2010   #6
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You can buy Spudakee, JD's Special C Tex and Indian Stripe from Gleckler's http://www.glecklerseedmen.com/
Do most of the seed vendors stay open between seasons? I haven't used many in the past. I sent Glecklers a note on their web page asking if they have these in stock a couple of days ago and haven't heard anything back. I thought they may close the doors on the shop when they are tending the crops for next seasons seeds.

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Old May 27, 2010   #7
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I've used Tomato Growers, Sandhill Farms, Seed Savers Exchange, Marianne's , and Casey's Heirlooms. All are great in my experience and opinion. I believe all are listed in the list of vendors on this website.
I would like to use SSE, but I'm not sure how it works. If I understand correctly, you first have to join. I have no problem with that because I would like to support their activities. I also understand that after joining, I then can select seed and purchase it. I'm not sure if I will receive the seed I purchase from SSE or from an independent seed producer who has registered in their year book. If that is true, must I then select the grower from a list of growers producing the same seed. Will I receive multiple shipments from different growers if I order a variety of seeds or will it be coordinated through SSE as the shipper?

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Old May 27, 2010   #8
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Originally Posted by tedln View Post
I would like to use SSE, but I'm not sure how it works. If I understand correctly, you first have to join. I have no problem with that because I would like to support their activities. I also understand that after joining, I then can select seed and purchase it. I'm not sure if I will receive the seed I purchase from SSE or from an independent seed producer who has registered in their year book. If that is true, must I then select the grower from a list of growers producing the same seed. Will I receive multiple shipments from different growers if I order a variety of seeds or will it be coordinated through SSE as the shipper?

Ted
Ted, there's the public SSE catalog from which anyone can order and that catalog/website is managed and seeds sent out from SSE itself.

Then there's what we call the Yearbook which one has access to only if one is an SSE member and SSE hasnothing to do with transactions made with individual members. Listed members list what they are offering and then using the contact information they provide, as well as the formal request form in the YEarbook, you contact the person, most give a home address, some give a phone number and some give an e-mail address but the latter are usually used to deal with any problems relating to a seed request already made, not to request seeds.

For instance I and many others will only honor a request if mailed to me with the official SSE request form that one can remove and make copies of after removing it.

We listers are not commercial folks and so I personally will not accept orders by phone or e-mail, a few others might and they will indicate that. The request form has you indicate if you are a listed or unlisted SSE member and you can then also list your SSE code designation. Request prices are different for different kinds of seeds deoending on whether a member is a listed or unlisted member.

Those who list are not professionals, they are amateurs if you will, and you can expect some seed to be possibly be crossed, but no more so than if you ordered form a commercial place. Most members will list in their contact information if the bagged seed for purity, etc.

yes, there are some owners of commercial seed sources who also list varieties and Marianne at mariseeds and Jere Gettle at Baker Creek and Glenn Drowns at Sandhill Preservation cometo mind ASAP. Many owners of seed companies get their initial starts from the Yearbook.

Being a long time Life Time SSE member I don't suggest that folks join just to get seeds b'c the Yearbook should not be looked at as a seed catalog, rather, it's a mechanism to help the mission of SSE in terms of preservation of OP varieties.

I think anyone who wants to support that mission with their membership monies should do so, but I also think that if someone is new to growing heirloom tomatoes then they should have some experience in growing them and knowing how to rogue out wrong plants, etc.

With about 4,000 tomato varieties to select from it makes it very difficult for some folks to even make up their minds about what they might want. So it's my opinion that folks have some experience first and then if they've exhausted the about 5-6,000 varieties commrcially and are looking for something rare, ( a wee joke) hard to get, then the Yearbook is a good place to go to.

I think to initially support some of the small family companies that offer a wide range of varieties and there are some that have very reasonable costs as to seeds as well as shipping costs, might be a good way to start.

This is my viewpoint, which may not be shared by some others as to NOT using the YEarbook as a seed catalog as a reason for membership, and as one of the first places to go for seeds.

So you make a request to a person for seeds and send money, they send you the seeds and SSE itself has nothing to do with the transactions.
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Old May 28, 2010   #9
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Ted, Glecklers is probably busy with their spring plantout for next seasons seeds to include new varieties. Don't get impatient and if you have any problems let me know as I have seed for the varieties you are interested in. Ami
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Old May 28, 2010   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tedln View Post
Do most of the seed vendors stay open between seasons? I haven't used many in the past. I sent Glecklers a note on their web page asking if they have these in stock a couple of days ago and haven't heard anything back. I thought they may close the doors on the shop when they are tending the crops for next seasons seeds.

Ted
I ordered from them last weekend, and got a mail saying that the order was shipped Monday
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Old May 28, 2010   #11
carolyn137
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Originally Posted by tedln View Post
Do most of the seed vendors stay open between seasons? I haven't used many in the past. I sent Glecklers a note on their web page asking if they have these in stock a couple of days ago and haven't heard anything back. I thought they may close the doors on the shop when they are tending the crops for next seasons seeds.

Ted
Ted, I'm glad both Ami and Danish gardener have answered you and thought I'd add a bit more.

Yes, all commercial seed companies do take orders throughout the year but there's a big difference between companies such as Tomato Growers Supply, Totally Tomatoes and other large companies, which don't produce their own seed and the smaller family companies that many folks elect to support who grow their own plants and do most of their own seed production, and that would include Glecklers. Sandhill Preservation, Victory Seeds, marianne Jones ( mariseeds), and quite a few more, b'c this is THE most busy time of the year for them trying to get their plants out in the fields.

Both Adam Gleckler and Glenn Drowns at Sandhill have full time jobs in addition. Glenn is a HS school teacher and so has summers off to do all he does with planting out stuff, maintaining stocks of Cucurbits since he's also the Curator of those for SSE as well as maintaining several hundred breeds of heirloom poultry. Adam works for his family's business which is separate from his seed/website activities. In both cases their wives are wonderfully helpful in packing up seeds and all that goes with those activities.

In addition, most folks aren't ordering tomato seeds at this time of the year. That occurs usually from late Fall when most seed sites add their newest varieties to their catalogs/websites, through maybe April, by which time most folks would have already started their own plants. And they would have ordered their seeds for Fall planting if they live in the part of the country where that's possible.

I hope that helps clarify why some places that do most of their own seed production may not be as quick this time of the year to respond to e-mails. If a place is out of seed for any varieties they usually indicate that at their websites next to the variety since if they are out of something that can't be changed in a catalog. So there's really no need to e-mail a place first asking if they have this or that in stock b'c you'll usually know that from the websites of the various places.

Hope that helps.
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Old May 28, 2010   #12
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I would like to add a bit to what Carolyn posted above.

I also have a small family seed biz listed here in the vendors area. I will send seeds any time of the year but at this time right now may be a bit slow due to plant-out issues. I also can be slow around Sept to Nov when we are harvesting and processing seeds. Some companies like Sandhill will actually close orders for a time til they are ready with the new seeds.

Last fall I also did that as I was just too overwhelmed with everything else. I hope I won't have to do that this year but I don't know yet.

I also try to keep my web site up to date for the main pages, but for the last month my good computer has been down with a virus or something and I've been on an old back-up. It's a real process to do the web site with that one so things haven't been up-dated lately at all. But I do try to answer emails within a day or so if I'm around the house. Weekends are usually slower tho as I also do farmers markets as the main part of our family biz.

As far as your original question about some varieties, I have 2 of the varieties now and should have another this winter but I didn't get my seed for the Spudakee this year. I am also a member of SSE but didn't have time to get many of my varieties listed there. But my seeds are listed on my web site for a better price than the suggested price from the yearbook anyway, but that's a whole nother thread and issue already discussed last winter.

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Old May 28, 2010   #13
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Thanks everyone! I'm not impatient. I have until shortly after Dec. 1, 2011 to get my seed. Its too hot to plant out in North Texas now until next spring. I'm just trying to learn the ropes. I'm more of a person who asks questions and less of a person who complains a lot. I do like to order my seed early so I can get it off my mind though.

I did ask Glecklers how much seed is provided in a typical seed pack. The very first seed order I placed with another company was pretty expensive and only included about ten seed per pack. Since then, I either find it on the web page or ask. I couldn't find it on the web page.

It isn't that I am greedy. I'm trying to build up a stock of the type of seed I like, grow it once to see how it performs; and offer it for trade if someone has seed I'm having trouble finding. I will be saving seed this year, but will not offer it for trade until I'm sure I am maintaining purity in my grow out seed. I did buy a supply of those little bridal gift bags at a hobby/craft store yesterday. My tomato plants should love them. They have little pink ribbons to tighten them with.

Ted
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Old May 28, 2010   #14
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You should get between 20-30 seeds a pack with Glecklers. Ami
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Old May 28, 2010   #15
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Okay, Thanks for the information folks. I just placed an order at Glecklersseedmen for two packs each of Spudakee, Indian Stripe, and JD's Special C Tex. That should be enough for me to try out a few plants with enough left over to find some KBX and Black From Tula. I am trying the Black From Tula and JD's this spring (the seedlings are about ready to plant), but I need to repay the folks who sent me the seed. Some day soon, I will start a trade list of what I have and post it.

I had fourteen yards of very good topsoil delivered yesterday. I will be building three new raised beds just for the heirlooms I want to grow.

Ted
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