heirloom seeds

We got a seed catalog in the mail from Heritage Harvest Seeds and i have had my eyes glued to its insides since! These people have been researching and finding old seed with history and/or has been bred to the region.

For Instance:

There is a Melon which the donators are quite sure the seed was brought over from the Ukraine by their great grandparents in 1874! EXTREMELY RARE. It says beside the write up for this "Cershownski" Muskmelon.

The "Queen Anne's Pocket Melon", cultivated as early as the seventeenth century. "were very popular in victorian times for their perfume-like qualities ans were often carried in the pockets of Victorian women!! An interesting historic novelty."

Melons bred and cultivated for their short growing season, their sweetness, tolerance to drought or even perfume scent!

Of course, this company doesn't specialize in Melons! That is just one section amongst its 74 page catalog.

I already ordered my main vegetable garden seed. I ordered mine from Prarie Garden Seeds.
A small seed company mainly certified Organic, a whole bunch of heirloom seeds and the prices are great!
after much catalog flipping and research, this was my order:

-Bounty peas
-simonet corn
-blue lake beans
-5 colour silverbeet swiss chard
- bloomsdale spinach
-scarlet nantes carrots
- vegetable spaghetti squash
- cibstata rinabesco zuchinni
- Brandywine tomato
- whippersnapper tomato


I just love the idea of using old seed. Its the same idea as using a clothing pattern from 1935.

The next steps are establishing some good perennials and saving seed!

I have been daydreaming about landscaping and raised bed building too.
this is the first spring in our new home, so there is a lot of work to be done to our yard! we've got a lot of cement in our yard, so raised beds will be built on that for herbs and spinach and the like.

oh, summer! I hope you will come to us!
today, the temperature is -17 C. on march 25th...
but i have faith.