Yuko’s Open-Pollinated Seeds: Home

Yuko’s Home Page
Yuko’s Open-Pollinated Seeds

E-mail: seeds@yuko.ca


Fruits Herbs Flowers Vegetables: Beans Peppers Squash Tomatoes Something Different	Order E-mail

Welcome to Yuko’s Open-Pollinated Seeds!

Dear gardener friends,

“Seven enemies await outside every man’s gate” —ancient Japanese proverb

Gardeners too have quite a few of them. The increasingly erratic weather is one. No rain in the spring of 2007. No drops in the summer either. Even our usually abundant free-flow well water flowing into the creek stopped many times. The sparrows cancelled their yearly visit; instead we were continually munched on by platoon after platoon of mosquitoes. My eyes had turned bloody red seeking potential sacrifice victims for the Rain God, Chaac. Unfortunately the only one I could found was frayed and too unwilling.

Doris, from Ladysmith, B.C., tells me she is a keeper of the most dreadful of adversaries: the NGS, or Non-Gardening Spouse. Her Nanking Cherry seeds germinated, standing like little soldiers in a row until the NGS, in a riding mower, chopped them off. May I add whipper-snipper too, please?

Yes, indeed. We were surrounded by raccoons, skunks, chipmunks, hungry birds and numerous hues of insects. Being near the water, we have our local cedar seedling carry-away artists: beavers. I can live with them — the pesky pests give my life zest to fight. Being small and organic, hand picking insects is no problem, make my aging eyesight alert. The NGS will learn how to keep to the lawn, or eventually retire to a rocking chair and plasma TV heaven.

But there are some pests that are harder to fight. The conglomerates are continuously introducing new genetically modified seeds to the market. They are also the producer of Agent Orange, PCBs and other harmful chemicals and fertilizers. Hard working humans had almost perfected such basic food crops as soybeans, mustard, wheat, etc. It was these plants they altered into GM seeds. Commercial seed catalogues are crowded with hybrid varieties as well. This means you have no freedom, but must keep buying these seeds year after year, at the mercy of the supplier. Not a very good move, you say? That’s why I need you.

This is a tiny and more conservation-oriented garden. Cultivated by hands and knees to produce hardy, fresh open-pollinated seeds. I wish you a bountiful harvest and hope you will share your open-pollinated seeds with your friends and neighbours. Some day in the near future your seeds will be very valuable, when the rest of the world has totally switched to GM, or perhaps if a natural disaster forces one of the huge seed suppliers to cease operations.

Are you in Ottawa or the Valley?

Here are the events I’ll be in this spring. Please e-mail me at yuko@yuko.ca if you’sd like more information or directions. Hope to see you there!

Seedy Saturday Ottawa
March 1, 2008 from 10 a.m. till 3 p.m.
Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre, Britannia Park
I will sit at the Seeds of Diversity Canada table answering your questions.

The Seventh Annual Heirloom Tomato & Perennial Plant Sale
Saturday and Sunday, May 10, 11, 17, 18 from 8 a.m. till 2 p.m. in my garden. Download the flyer, or e-mail me for more information.

Thank you very much for your flower pot donations! I also greatly appreciate any 600 to 750 mL yogourt containers for tomato seedlings.

If you prefer, you can print my seed catalogue here. This is the same seed catalogue that I send out in the mail. The file can be printed using Adobe Acrobat (Mac + PC) or Apple Preview (Mac).

Fruits

100. Cherry/Chokecherry, $3.00
A 3 m (10 ft) tall tree. Its small red, purple, or black fruits make good jelly and wine. Seeds only. Sow seeds immediately in the ground and wait till next spring for germination. 20 seeds.

101. Cherry/Nanking Cherry, $3.00
Bush type tree, disease-free and self-fertile. Grown for hedges but extremely good as an edible landscape plant. Great for fresh eating. Produces white flowers early in the spring and numerous 2 cm (¾ in) fruit in the summer. Sow seeds immediately in the ground and next spring they will sprout. 20 seeds.

102. Grape/Wild/Ottawa Valley, $2.00
Grown near the Canadian Mississippi River in the Ottawa Valley. Small blue/black fruit. Good for jelly and wine. Seeds only. Sow seeds immediately in the ground and next spring they will germinate. 30 seeds.

103. Ground Cherry, $1.50
Physalis pruinosa. Grown among horseradish. Last year they were thriving near the fence. Due to the protection from a generous growth of weeds, they kept ripening during a light frost. They were very sweet. Will self-seed year after year.

104. Melon/Musk melon/Oka, $2.50
Sweet, orange flesh. Heritage variety, grown in the Montreal region in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Ripe melon is a great teaser for chipmunks. 20 seeds. Limited supplies.

105. Plum/Manchurian, $3.00
Self-fertile, cream-red 3 cm (1 in) sweet fruit. Its flower has an old-fashioned perfume-like fragrance, attracting hundreds of bees. Sow seeds immediately in the ground. Will mail in the fall. 10 seeds.

Herbs

200. Basil/Genovese, $2.00
Large green leaves for Italian cooking with a lovely fragrance.

201. Catnip/Common, $1.50
Its intoxicating leaves are a favourite for cats. For humans, catnip tea makes a popular night cap for a good night’s sleep. A remedy for the cold and fevers.

203. Dill, $1.50
Who can live without dill? Good for salad, boiled new potatoes and, of course, for pickles. Self seeding and pretty in the flower garden.

204. Chervil, $1.50
Grown lightly shaded rich soil. I plant it under the Manchurian plum tree. Don’t be fooled by her frail, delicate appearance. The seed overwinters and comes up very early in the spring while the parsley is still struggling to germinate. Sweet anise flavour, good for salad and soup.

208. Flat-leaved Garlic Chives, $1.50
These have a very strong garlic flavour. The seedhouse catalogue recommends that you use these as common chives for salads but I could not. Instead, you can stir fry them with or without meat. The Chinese recommend it as being good for kidney-related diseases. Its young flower pods with long, tender stems are a Chinese delicacy. I grow them along the edges of my semi-raised garden bed to protect from erosion. They return their favour in the late summer with Belgian lace-like flowers which make the bees crazy. In the winter, their dried heads in the deep snow remind me of small dill plants, standing like soldiers.

211. Lemon Balm, $2.00
Makes a delightful tea, from fresh or dry leaves. Overwinters nicely too. My favourite herb for tea, with pretty mint-like leaves.

212. Mitsuba, $2.00
Japanese parsley with a unique flavour. Slow to germinate, but once settled they are self-sowing and produces an abundance of tiny white flowers and seeds in the second year. Harvest the leaves with tender, flexible stems; tie them into knots to garnish salads and soups. Mitsuba means “three leaves.”

213. Coriander, $2.00
Called Chinese Parsley or Cilanto. Delicate-looking foliage with white flowers produce round seeds. A vigourous and hardy plant.

Flowers

300. Amaranth/Red Cathedral, $1.50
Bronze leaves and stems with red flowers. This 1–1.5 m (40–60 in) tall, extremely handsome plant is a hardy and self-seeding annual. Similar to Tunisian amaranth. Will come up every spring. Edible. Add young leaves to your salad for a lovely colour.

301. Bachelor’s Button/Mixed, $2.00
A long-lasting old-fashioned flower. Easy to grow and very good for bouquets. At my first real job, I was sent to my company’s all-women section. To my surprise, these 40 women, about my mother’s age, were all single. They lost their fiancés and boyfriends during World War II, and were unable to marry due to the abnormal women-to-men ratio in post-war Tokyo. I was treated as their never-had daughter. This very reliable blue and pink flower reminds me of those kind, hard-working bachelorettes of Japan. Limited supplies.

302. Balsam/Himalayan, $2.00
Do you remember the aliens Kang and Kodos from The Simpsons? This tall, amazingly prolific flower with strong dark stems reminds me of them. An abundance of pink and white flowers to cover a large area. Seed pods will pop when ripe.

303. Black-Eyed Susan, $1.50
Self-seeded perennial. Blooms all summer and drought-tolerant. What more could you ask for?

304. Black Pod Shoo-Fly, $1.50
Nicandra physalodes. Grown in pots during the Victorian era to repel flies. Still grown today in southern U.S. gardens to repel fruit-eating insects. Bluish-purple flowers with dark stems. The seed pods resemble Chinese lanterns. Self-seeding, comes up every spring.

305. Caster Bean, $2.50
Ricinus communis. The caster oil from pressed seeds is famous, but the whole plant, leaves and seeds, is poisonous. Do I care? No! This heat-loving plant has a huge appetite for water and nutrients, and will grow up to 3 m (10 ft) high. A great eye-catching sight and deer-free, indeed. 10 seeds.

306. Chinese Lantern, $1.50
Physalis alkekengi. Grow wells in cool climates. This very popular ornamental plant is a bit invasive with its wide-spreading root system.

307. Purple Coneflower, $2.00
Echinacea purpurea. Very pretty and hardy perennial, grown for medicial purpose.

308. Datura/Joshua’s Trumpet, $2.00
A native of the tropics, but this family of nightshades grows well here in the Ottawa Valley. Its big flowers bloom in the evening from July to September, resembling a huge, trumpet-shaped version of Morning Glory. Spiny capsules contain seeds which were once used for hallucinogenic purposes. Also serves as an effective ingredient for anti-asthmatic preparations. Note: Germination is very slow—keep your faith in them! I once dumped some soil with some lifeless-looking Joshua’s Trumpet seeds. Much later I found some huge white flowers floating underneath the cucumber arbour. My mother was right: “Grow your plants like you raise your children.”

309. Datura/Purple, $1.50
Smaller than Joshua’s Trumpet. A hardy, dark-stemmed variety. Comes up every spring without asking.

310. Evening Primrose, $1.50
Growing here for over a decade. This tall, hardy plant produces yellow blossoms. The gammalinolenic acid from the seeds is recommended for problems from aging to alcoholism! I love to look at them while doing my seemingly endless garden chores in the late fall.

311. Four O’Clocks, $2.00
Also called Marvel of Peru. Blooms in the afternoon or all day when it’s cloudy. Strong stems support this huge plant dotted with numerous bright rose-coloured flowers. 10 seeds.

312. Four O’Clocks/Yellow & Pink, $2.00
Mirabilis jalapa. Slightly smaller flower and seeds. 10 seeds.

313. Blanket flower, $1.50
Gaillardia. Drought-tolerant orange-yellow perennial. Native to North America.

314. Heliopsis/Oxeye (False Sunflower), $1.50
A tall, hardy perennial. Self-seeding. Its yellow flowers bloom and keep blooming until late fall. Perfect for dry spots.

315. Jewelweed, $2.00
My garden has the odd patch of poison ivy and I’ve been trying to eradicate it for years with boiling water, vinegar and Javex. This flower is famous as a poison ivy cure. Its lovely yellow-orange coloured flower resembles the lady’s slipper plant.

316. Mallow, $1.50
A profusion of pink flowers. Hardy and easy to grow.

317. Morning Glory/Common, $1.50
Blue/purple flowers with big leaves. Obsessive climber, needs good support. Big, hard black seeds germinate easily without soaking or cut edges. If you have a place to hide keep this vine in mind.

319. Mullein, $1.50
Biennial. Tall plant, grows well in the poor dry soil. A striking long stems with numerous yellow blossoms, it stands nicely in the rock garden. Mine have silvery-green leaves. This plant can be used for a yellow, bronze or grey dye.

320. Nasturtium, $2.00
Tropaeolum. Yellow, orange and red flowered vine. The whole plant is edible. I toss them into the salad bowl. My hens enjoy this as a mid-day snack under the tree. 10 seeds.

321. Lamb’s Ear, $1.50
Silver green leaves with white or pink flower. My mother grew this perennial for many years.

322. Poppy/Salmon, $1.50
Papaver somniferum. Spectacular with its sea of salmon-coloured blossoms which turn into big pods that contain many seeds for cooking. Hardy, self-seeding. From a 1930’s homestead in the Ottawa area. Poppies need light to germinate, thus cover seeds with soil lightly.

323. Poppy/Hutterite Breadseed, $2.50
Papaver somniferum. Large, white flowers of 12 cm (5 in) diameter with a dark purple smudge in the centre. Produces huge seed pods, grown for baking by the Hutterite people. This is a tall plant, loves good soil and needs to be staked. Limited supplies.

325. Portulaca, $1.50
A wonderful groundcover, another old-fashioned garden favourite. Pink, rose and yellow flowers.

326. Red-leaf Rose, $2.00
Rosa glauca. Reddish leaves with purplish-red stems. This lightly scented single pink flower blooms in late spring. Its dark leaves are a lovely contrast through the summer. Bright reddish-purple rosehips in fall/winter. Very hardy; grown here without winter protection.

327. Rudbeckia, $1.50
Perennial. Large 12 cm (6 in) diameter flower of yellow or bronze, rust coloured shades. Very striking plant, grows 70 cm (28 in) tall.

328. Spider Plant, $1.50
Creome hasslerana. Large, graceful heads with pink and white flowers.

329. Soapwort, $1.50
Saponaria officinalis. I often wondered why hummingbirds never failed to visit these pinkish white flowers. This very hardy perennial contains saponin in the roots.

330. Sweet Pea, $2.00
This took three years to settle in my garden. Now she blooms all summer with an abundance of pink flowers. A must-have for the old-fashioned garden.

331. Tiger Lily, $3.00
A tall, strong and hardy plant. Self-seeding. In Japan its big bulbs were harvested, steamed, mashed with sugar and served as an appetizer. From a 30’s homestead in Ottawa. Bulbils will be shipped in August.

332. Tsuru Murasaki, $2.00
Basella alba. Native to India, also called Malabar Spinach. Heat-loving annual with thick glossy leaves with creeping stem. In Japan this vine is used to shade outside windows; it’s also used to make a juice by soaking the seeds in water and adding sugar. The whole plant is edible, with 1.8 times the vitamin C, twice the calcium and vitamin A, and 80 times more iron than spinach. 20 seeds.

333. Viola/Johnny Jump-Up, $1.50
Will come up early, bloom early, and keep blooming even in the frosty autumn till early winter. My mother uses its flowers and chopped leaves in potato salads. Lovely to look at, and she swears that it’s chock full of vitamins and minerals. And of course, being the dutiful daughter, I believe her.

334. Wild Cucumber Vine, $2.50
Echinocystis lobata. Climbing vines with creamy white flowers with small egg-sized, fuzzy seed pods. I started growing these near the water but they will grow any place. Currently their colony is thriving among the horseradish patch. 10 seeds.

335. Calendula, $2.00
Bright yellow and orange flower is edible and widely grown for medicinal purposes in Europe. Will come up every spring if you leave the fallen seeds undisturbed.

Vegetables

400. Asparagus, $2.50
Yes, you can grow asparagus from seeds! Keep them in the seedling flats, well watered until the skinny greens poke up. Asparagus looks great in the flower garden with her delicate, fern-like foliage.

401. Bean/Bush/Tendergreen, $2.00
A tender, tasty snap bean. Very productive. 30 seeds.

402. Bean/Bush/Tongue of Fire, $2.00
A French Horticultural bean. Also called Tierra del Fuego and Horto. Its large, round seeds are buff splotched with maroon. Vigourous bush habits. 30 seeds.

405. Bean/Pole/Cherokee Trail Of Tears, $2.00
When gold was discovered on their land in North Carolina, the U.S. Army removed the Cherokee tribe by force in 1838. Thousands died on the way to the land which is now known as Oklahoma. These beans are prolific, strong climbers with pink and purplish flowers. Its young pods are green and turn purple when matured. Very tender and tasty; these are my staple snap beans for the freezer. The glossy black seeds are also good for chili in the cold winter. 30 seeds.

406. Bean/Pole/Oregon Giant, $2.50
An excellent climber with 20 cm (8 in) long pods. Slender tan seeds with burgundy splotches. Limited quantities. 30 seeds.

410. Bean/Other/Adzuki/Buff, $2.00
Yellow blossoms. Adzukis require a longer season but the buff variety matured early and produced very well. A real surprise in the bad weather of 2000. 30 seeds.

420. Bean/Soy/Black Jet, $2.00
Very productive. When fully matured the seeds turn black. Young green podded beans are eaten as edamame, the boiled young soybeans used as an appetizer. 30 seeds.

430. Chinese Green/Pak Choi, $1.50
Scatter seeds anytime on an empty plot for a continuous harvest from the early spring through late summer. For strikingly large plants for stir fries I grow them in a row with rich soil. They are lovely and eye-catching with fat, juicy stems.

431. Vitamin-Na, $2.00
Developed in Japan, claims a high vitamin content. Sow early spring, summer and early fall for a continuous harvest. Mild flavoured green is good for salad or steam, stir-fry or toss to soup.

432. Osaka Purple & Pak Choi Mix, $2.00
Accidentally mixed by a certain tofu head (me!) on a very pleasant autumn day. Purple coloured Mustard Green and dark green Pak Choi combo.

440. Cucumber/Slicing/Kyoto Yard Long, $2.50
Slender 40–50 cm (16–20 in) long, burpless Japanese variety. Very good taste. Trellis them for straight fruits. I found these cucumbers easy to grow. Limited supplies.

441. Cucumber/Slicing/Tokiwa, $2.00
Japanese cucumber. Short variety. Prolific and has good taste. Not available for 2008.

450. Eggplant/Applegreen, $2.00
Granny Smith-coloured, large egg-shaped eggplant. Prolific.

470. Lettuce/Romaine/Cimarron, $1.50
Red coloured, tall and crisp lettuce. Very attractive. Dates back to the 1700’s. Leave flowering lettuce in the garden to produce seeds. Next spring you will then find tiny red seedlings poking their heads in the soil. Carefully transplant some of them; the rest can go in the salad bowl.

471. Lettuce/Romaine/Forellenschluss, $1.50
Austrian heirloom that translates as “speckled like trout.” Lovely medium green leaves and splotches of maroon. Good flavour and productive.

480. Mustard/Green/Osaka Purple, $2.00
Large, round leaves with purple veins. Gives salads a pungent, spicy flavour. When other plants have stopped blooming, mustard keeps blooming and growing in the frosty garden. Very attractive, dark burgundy leaves.

481. Mustard/Green/Southern Giant Curled, $1.50
Large leaves are bright green and frilled on the edges. Slow to bolt and frost hardy. Shredded leaves give a pungent flavour to sandwiches. Grind the seeds in a coffee grinder to make good mustard powder. This easy to grow plant will give you a harvest even after the frost.

485. Pea/Edible podded/Sugar Snap, $2.50
This plump, sweet and juicy pea is a family favourite. Sow them often for a continual harvest through the season. 30 seeds.

490. Pepper/Hot/Early Jalapeño, $2.00
Five to eight centimeter (2–3 in) long green fruit, ripens to red. Due to space shortages I grew them in large pots. They looked great and did very well. 40–50 seeds.

491. Pepper/Hot/Serrano, $2.00
Short but with thick flesh, used for salsa. The most popular hot pepper in Mexico. 40–50 seeds.

495. Pepper/Sweet/Cherry Sweet, $2.00
Fifty centimeters (20 in) tall. A bushy plant with 2.5 cm (1 in) round, cherry-shaped fruit. Ripens from dark green to dark crimson. Perfect for growing in pots. Pre-1860 heritage variety. 40–50 seeds.

496. Pepper/Sweet/Apple, $2.50
Its thick, red flesh is juicy and sweet. A prolific producer of bell shaped fruits. 40 seeds.

497. Pepper/Sweet/Jimmy Nardello’s, $2.00
Fifteen to 20 cm (6–8 in) long tapered red frying pepper, brought by an Italian immigrant in 1887. Sweet and prolific. 40–50 seeds.

500. Squash (C. Maxima)/Red Chestnut, $2.50
Striking bright red skin, shaped like a chestnut or a giant Hershey’s Kiss. Its dry, sweet flesh is excellent for serving winter dinners and for pie. A good keeper too. 15 seeds. Limited supplies.

510. Squash (C. Moschata)/Kanoko, $2.50
Heavily ribbed, dark green skin with tan splotches. Kanoko means fawn in Japanese. Tastes good even in its young stage, but it’s a rampant climber. 15 seeds.

520. Squash (C. Pepo)/Zucchini/Dark Green, $2.00
Originally from Kathy Graydon of Ottawa in 1997. My hens’ favourite. One or two overgrown zucchini in a Toyota Echo will prevent car theft, so I hear. 15 seeds.

521. Squash (C. Pepo)/Zucchini/Romanesco, $2.00
Ribbed zucchini, growing well in the 2007 garden. 15 seeds.

530. Tomato/Cherry/Red Currant, $1.50
Hundreds of tiny clusters of fruit are sweet; produces a much earlier harvest. Great in a large pot with bamboo poles for a striking effect on the patio. 40–50 seeds.

531. Tomato/Red/Cherry/Camp Joy, $2.00
Indeterminate, red skinned, large 4 cm (1.5 in) diameter cherry tomato. Very productive with a lovely, sweet taste. Only a killer frost can fell this strong runner. Developed by Alan Chadwick of bio-dynamic gardening fame; also known as Chadwick’s Cherry. If you want to try just one cherry tomato, this is the one. 40–50 seeds.

532. Tomato/Red/Cherry/Fiftieth Anniversary, $1.50
A very sweet, oval-shaped cherry. Got from the Carleton Place Hospital’s 50th anniversary banquet; growing here for the past several summers. Matures late, but produces abundant fruit until the frost hits. Excellent taste. 40–50 seeds.

533. Tomato/Red/Cherry/Red Pear, $1.50
Similar to Yellow Pear but red coloured. Productive but not as tasty as Yellow Pear yet. But no need to despair. Unlike some motivationally deficient spouses, tomatoes have an almost limitless capacity for improvement. I have great hopes for my Red Pear tomatoes. 40–50 seeds.

534. Tomato/Red/Cherry/Riesentraube, $1.50
Oval, meaty cherries have a distinct nipple on the blossom end. Very productive. Its name translates as “giant bunches of grapes.” A German heirloom grown by the Pennsylvania Dutch as early as 1856. 40–50 seeds.

535. Tomato/Yellow/Cherry/Broad Ripple Yellow Currant, $1.50
Indeterminate. Small, sweet cherry tomato, found growing in Indiana in the 1900’s. Prolific. One plant will give you plenty of snacks. 40–50 seeds.

536. Tomato/Yellow/Cherry/Yellow Pear, $1.50
Previously listed as Lemon Boy. A low acid, tart pear-shaped cherry tomato. Very productive, best when the colour changes from yellow to orange. 40–50 seeds.

540. Tomato/Red/Stupice, $2.00
Incredibly early. Small, round fruit. We call these our Canada Day Tomatoes—we sow seeds in early March and usually harvest the first tomatoes by the first of July. Originally from Czechoslovakia.

540. Tomato/Other/Purple Prince, $2.00
An heirloom from Siberia. Its small fruit sets early, turning brownish-purple when ripe. Very sweet and less acidic. A bestseller at my plant sale year after year. 30–40 seeds.

542. Tomato/Red/Paste/Amish Paste, $2.00
Indeterminate, red skin. Thick-walled with fewer seeds. Very good flavour for fresh eating and for tomato sauce. Ox-heart shaped are pointed at the end. It may not be politically correct but our family calls it “African Maiden’s Breast.” 30–40 seeds.

543. Tomato/Red/Teton de Venus, $2.00
Heart-shaped medium to large paste tomato. Very good flavour for fresh eating too. Very productive. 30–40 seeds.

544. Tomato/Yellow/Plum Lemon, $1.50
Meaty lemon shaped tomato collected from Moscow’s Bird Market by Seed Saver’s Exchange members in 1991. A very good performer. 30–40 seeds.

545. Tomato/Red/Silvery Fir Tree, $2.00
Slightly flattened fruit with attractive lacy, carrot-like foliage. Determinate. Very good for your patio grown in containers. 30–40 seeds.

550. Tomato/Red/Brandywine, $2.00
Large beefsteak type. Prolific and has a rich, delightful flavour. For years I was reluctant to add Brandywine, due to their tendency to crack. This one, from Wendy Leblanc of Carleton Place, did very well in 2004 and I am happy to list them. 30–40 seeds.

551. Tomato/Red/Crnkovic Yugoslavian, $2.00
Large beefsteak with full flavour. Heavy yields. 30–40 seeds.

552. Tomato/Green/Aunt Ruby’s German Green, $2.00
Indeterminate. Its large green fruits have a surprisingly juicy and sweet taste. Great fun for fooling neighbours and friends. Pick these when they turn pale green. 40–50 seeds.

553. Tomato/Yellow/Elbe, $2.00
Large, beefsteak type. Its meaty orange flesh is very sweet. Potato leaf. An heirloom from the Elbe River area of Germany. During World War II the Allies advancing from the west and the Soviets advancing from the east met at this river. After the war, the Elbe River formed part of the border between East and West Germany. One of my favourite yellow varieties. Try it when the colour changes from yellow to orange, for the best superior flavour. 30–40 seeds.

554. Tomato/Red/Druzba, $2.00
Bulgarian heirloom. Slightly flattened, sweet but tart fruit. 30–40 seeds.

555. Tomato/Yellow/Lillian’s Yellow Heirloom, $2.00
Large yellow-orange tomato with slight red on top. Very sweet beefsteak with potato leaf. 30–40 seeds.

560. Tomatillo, $1.50
Husk tomato, great for salsa and very productive. This strain came from Sandy Irwin of Clayton, Ontario. Had a huge colony of these in my flower garden last summer. 40–50 seeds.

570. Yummy Chicken Treat, $1.50
Mix of Amaranth, Chinese Greens, Dill, lettuce and mustard for hard working hens. Of course it’s good for your salad bowl and even for bossy roosters.

Roots

700. Horseradish, $10.00
Roast beef with horseradish... It’s a match made in heaven. Grows like a weed. Roots only. Will include Madame Mae’s Horseradish recipe (hot and creamy) upon request. 4–5 roots per package.

710. Jerusalem Artichoke, $10.00
Crunchy, white edible tubers. Enjoy as potatoes but without the starch. One of the very few native plants to North America. Hardy and will overwinter, thus you’ll have fresh tubers from the garden after the snow melts. Recommended for diabetics. I use them raw for salad. Good for stir-fries. 6–10 roots / 250 g.

720. Onion/Multiplier/Top/Egyptian, $7.00
Our very first crop in the early spring, these can be used as green onions and are continuously productive until frost. When bulbs form in the mid-summer on top of the stems (not in the ground), divide and plant them for fall or early winter green onions. You will never be short of green onions again. Also known as tree onions. Top sets will be shipped in mid-summer. 20 bulblets.

730. Comfrey, $10.00
Perennial. Very attractive with purple flowers. Leaves can be used as green manure or manure tea and for the chickens (of course!) 4–5 roots per package.

750. Mystery Vine/Silk Road, $10.00
Thladian oliveri. Grown from a potato-like tuber. Bell-shaped yellow flower with heart-shaped light green leaves, climbing up until the killer frost. Comes up every spring. Grows well in a pot indoors, or outdoors. Hardy is her last name. This plant was found in Hebei, China by Westner and introduced to the New York Botanical Garden, 1885–1888. The Chinese categorize as ko, meaning non-Chinese. Ko means northern barbarian, thus I believe it may be been introduced by caravans on the Silk Road. Imagine, tucked in among the spices, this humble tuber on a weary camel, approaching the famed Khyber Pass on its way to Xian.

760. Hops, $10.00
Grown for making beer. This variety is from John Neuper of Ottawa, who had owned brewery. 4 roots.

Something Different

800. Bitter Melon/Okinawa, $3.00
Chinese name Foo Gwa. This variety has been grown in Okinawa, Japan for centuries. It is said to have health benefits (anti-cancer). Resembles a dark green, warty cucumber. With very dainty leaves and flowers, this vine makes a lovely addition to your flower garden. 15 seeds.

810. Winter Melon, $2.50
A large, fat melon used for soup. Like zucchini, its white flesh has no taste. The ripe melon produces a waxy white coating and keeps until the spring or summer. 15 seeds. Not available for 2008.

820. Nuhcago Vine, $3.00
Dioscorea japonica. Heart-shaped leaves with white flowers. This plant has males and females. In warm climates it is perennial; the tubers are harvested in the fall for eating. Dried tubers are used in Chinese medicine to strengthen the stomach and to heal sexual organs. Five per packet. Not available for 2008.

830. Corn/Strawberry Popcorn, $2.50
Small 6 cm (2 in) long dark red coloured cobs. Excellent for popcorn or ornaments. 30 seeds.

831. Corn/Indian, $2.00
Tall stalk, long cobs with red, grey and dark brown kernels. 30 seeds.

2008-80303

How to Order Seeds

To order seeds, send me a copy of the order form with the varieties of seeds you would like, along with payment. Please include your name, address, and e-mail address. (For small orders, any ordinary sheet of paper will suffice—give your printer a rest!) Please add shipping for all orders.

I will accept money orders, personal cheques and PayPal. Prices are in Canadian funds for Canadian orders, and in US funds for American and international orders.

Shipping

For seed orders: Canada $3.00 Canadian funds; United States $5.00 US funds; International $8.00 US funds.

For root orders: $7.00 Canadian funds (one root order); $10.00 Canadian funds (two or more roots orders).

Sorry, due to US federal regulations, I am unable to ship roots to the United States. I have also had to eliminate the shipping of roots overseas, as International Air Parcel service is far too costly!

Please make payment payable to:
Yuko Horiuchi
202 Arklan Road
Carleton Place, Ontario
K7C 3R9 Canada

Questions? Comments? Just want to say hi? Please e-mail me at seeds@yuko.ca. I hope to hear from you!


Fruits Herbs Flowers Vegetables: Beans Peppers Squash Tomatoes Something Different	Order E-mail