Gurney's Catalogue has it all

Gurney's Seed and Nursery company is located right smack in the midwest and carries every aspect of seed and plant and supply that a gardener needs. They have no particular ideology other than supplying what they consider to be the most reliable and the best. They have both heirloom and hybrid varieties. They sell fruit and nut trees as well as vines and shrubs, hedges and grasses. They have house plants and windbreaks, just about anything you could possibly want.

They are promoting a sweet corn called "You gotta have it" which they claim is the sweetest and stays the sweetest longest of any corn you can grow. It is hybrid but not sugar enhanced. One feature I like about their online catalogue is that they include comments from growers who have tried the seed and the comments are negative as well as positive. For example, after reading the growers comments you have a good idea that you need to wait to plant it until the soil is really warmed up--trying to rush the season will most likely end in failure or at least poor germination. This is a very helpful section for anyone interested, like me, in giving this sweet corn a try.

At Gurney's Catalogue

Read More in: Bulbs | Composters | Container Gardens & Window Boxes | Plants

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Aloe Vera is a plant that every home should have

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The plant will be in a 3 1/2" pot and is about 8" tall. It's an easy plant to grow and has a long history. It flourishes in warm and dry climates, and many people mistake it for a cactus, but in fact it is a member of the Lily family. It stays moist where other plants would wilt and die, closing its pores to prevent the loss of moisture. It originated in Africa, today Aloe Vera is grown and harvested in many areas of the world. When the leaf is squeezed a soothing gel comes out which you can apply to rough, chapped or burned skin.

The History Ancient records show that the benefits of Aloe Vera have been known for centuries. Its therapeutic and healing properties have survived more than 5000 years. George Ebers first discovered its antiquity in 1862, in an Egyption papyrus dated 1500 BC. Greek and Roman physicians such as Dioscorides and Pliny the Elder used it to great effect as a medicinal herb. Researchers have also found the ancient Chinese and Indian cultures used Aloe Vera. Egyptian queens associated its use with their quest for physical beauty, while in the Philippines it is used with milk for kidney infections. . Nowadays, although chemical medicines are very effective in healing, long term use and complicated interactions with other drugs can cause terrible side effects for patients. Consequently more consumers and scientists are turning back to look at more traditional, and often natural, therapies which, for so long, have been neglected.

At 1 Aloe Vera - Medicine Plant -Burn Plant -Miracle Plant

Beautiful Weeping Cherry Tree blooms in early spring

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The Dwarf Weeping Cherry is a gorgeous little tree which I would love to have in my front yard. It blooms in early spring and is adaptable to poor and compacted soils which makes me think it might survive near the new construction. It prefers moist, well drained soils of average fertility and does well in full sun. They claim it will grow about anywhere once started and will reach approximately10 feet at maturity with long weeping branches that will quickly grow to the ground. It is the most sought after tree in late winter or early spring when the pink flowers emerge. Fall color is a mixture of green, chartreuse, and yellow. The tree will be 2-3 feet tall when shipped. I'm going to give this tree a try.

At Beautiful Weeping Cherry Tree Live Plant

Fiskars Telescoping Pruning reaches to the top branches of fruit trees

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The weather is right for pruning and the season for it is getting short. You want to take off those broken and crowded branches before the sap starts rising. So now is the time. These telescoping pruners from Fiskars should help you out. The fiberglass outer pole and aluminum inner pole extend to a full 12 feet, allowing you to trim upper branches from the safety and security of the ground. It has an extremely sharp cutting blade that cuts 1-1/4 inches with the pull of a rope or squeeze of the handle. There is a sturdy cutting head which rotates 240 degrees to enable you to choose the proper cutting angle. A 15-inch saw blade is also included for added cutting power.

At Fiskars Telescoping Pruning Stik #9240

January 2010 Monthly Roundup for Garden Snob

Bulbs

Composters

Worm Factory Composter for the house

Container Gardens & Window Boxes

Decorations for Garden and Patio

Garden Books

How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office

Garden Stuff

Garden Thoughts

Garden Tools

Monthly Roundup

December 2009 Monthly Roundup for Garden Snob

Plants

Remedies

Thermostatically Controlled Outlet comes on at 35°F, goes off at 45°F

Reviews

Southern Exposure Seed Catalog has heirloom and open poliinated seed

Burpee Seed Starting is an all in one system for a great price

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Burpee's most advanced seed starting system is guaranteed to grow bigger and better seedlings every time. I'm not sure what that means, but it has been developed by Burpee and is an all-in-one kit that has everything you need to start growing seeds. It is easy to set up and requires less maintenance and watering than other systems.

The transparent cover retains heat and moisture to get your seeds up and growing fast and a capillary mat draws water from the bottom tray reservoir and feeds it to each cell evenly. Roots don't stick to mat as in other systems and the bottom tray holds plenty of water so your seeds stay healthy and you don't have to water as often. Plus, it is a large 72-cell tray which makes it easy to start all your seeds in one unit and it's reusable so all in all it sounds like a great deal for the price.

At Burpee Ultimate Seed Starting System

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Burpee seed catalog brings the hope of spring

Burpee is one of the oldest and most venerable of seed companies. It made itself famous during WWII promoting victory gardens and in 1954 offered $10,000 for a white marigold. This is the company that developed the Big Boy Tomato and has continued to supply seeds and plants, both perennial and annual as well as garden supplies.

This year's catalog has a seed growing supplies and a tomato growing book as well. They have a raised bed 4' by 4' which can be doubled in size, and they claim any novice can set up it easily. There are all the flowers and vegies that any garderner needs and any homebound wishful thinker could spend hours enjoying and dreaming.

It's a great catalog, a classic, and one well worth perusing.

At Burpee seed catalog

Thermostatically Controlled Outlet comes on at 35°F, goes off at 45°F

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This is a great idea for those of us who have a greenhouse or unheated room, anywhere a freeze needs to be avoided, yet don't want the expense of heating it all the time. The outlet plugs into any 15 amp socket and turns on automatically and goes off automatically according to air temperature. Just what is needed, for example, in a greenhouse to keep the seedlings frost free. It turns on at 35 degrees and off at 45 degrees. So simple and such a energy saver as well as keeping free from the anxiety of a sudden freeze. Each unit has two recepticals for use with more than one heating device. There are five models each of which has it's own temperature controls. The one reviewed here is for frost protection.

At Farm Innovators Thermo Cube Thermostatically Controlled Outlets Model TC-3 - On at 35°F, Off approx. 45°F

Bay Laurel Nursery is an online store with a great selection of fruit and berry root stock

This is the time of year to plant bare root trees and this site in California carries most every flowering and fruiting tree you could desire. Bay Laurel Nursery ships bare root trees all over the country and their list of varieties is impressive. They carry every thing from apples to quince in a long alphabetical list that includes berries, figs and quince. They include the chilling requirements of the plants, that is, the hours of 45 degrees or more, between November and Februrary. This is not a problem in New England and other cold winter locations, but for those in the south and west, they have "low chill" varieties.

The online store has a nice section on backyard orchard culture, which is the prolonged harvest of tree-ripe fruit from a small space. This means planting close together several or many fruit varieties which ripen at different times, and keeping the trees small by summer pruning. They have instructions both on planting and on the pruning which is very useful for those of us who are not commercial growers. They also ship roses, nut trees, ornamentals and some gardening supplies.

At Bar Laurel Nursery

Easy Sprout Sprouter lives up to its name

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There are tons of sprouters on the market, but this one gets all rave reviews. You can grow a pound of tasty sprouts with little or no rinsing. The Easy Sprout Sprouter is a unique quart size dual container system that uses heat from sprouts to circulate fresh humidified air by convection. It stores easily in the fridge and is stackable, durable and easy to clean made from plastic that is food safe. It comes with instructions and a 30-day love it or return it guarantee and everyone says that you will love it.

At Easy Sprout Sprouter - Easy & Fast Way to Grow Fresh Salad Sprouts in Your Own Kitchen - Grow Alfalfa, Mung Bean, Brocolli, Radish, Red Lentil, Green Lentil, Clover, & More.

Read More in: Container Gardens & Window Boxes

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White Flower Farm Garden Catalog - The Garden Catalog

The White Flower Farm catalog comes from Connecticut and is filled with the most lovely perennials you are likely to find anywhere. They ship both perennials and annuals all over the country, specializing in bulbs and plants, ignoring seeds altogether, which makes them unique. They have a great daffodil mix of 100 bulbs for $49 and promise that after the first great year of blooms the plants will self propagate year after year. There is a unique daylily collection of 50 in varied colors shipped bareroot for $99.

The catalog has a kichen section with a beginners garden of tomaotes, peppers, cucumers, and squash, nine plants for $59. The plants come to you when the temperature is right for you location. They offer herbs, mushrooms, fruits and berries,
There is a whole section on flowers just for planting in containers. There are gorgeous peonies and dahlias and page after page of annuals and perennials.

All together this is a fascinating catalog and well worth perusing. I'm thinking of the daffodil "The Works" for my home.

At White Flower Farm Garden Catalog

Container Lettuce Seeds are small succulent Butterhead

41f7HXVtOwL._SL500_AA280_.jpg Here's a seed to start now even as more snow flies in Boston. These butterhead lettuces are small. They grows only to heads of 5 or 6 inches but they are perfect for container growing and work well for individual salad presentations. They have a soft sweet taste and smooth texture. They can be harvested early to a lovely addition to a regular salad.

At Container Lettuce Seeds - Garden Babies Butterhead E

Read More in: Container Gardens & Window Boxes

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Power-Lever 14-Foot Tree Pruner will get the high cuts done

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If you are ready to tackle the hard bits of pruning, the high limbs that need trimming, this tree pruner will help you. You get a long reach and still have pruning power with two feet planted securely on the ground. The extendable pole with reach up to 14 feet. The Power-Lever technology multiplies your strength, making it easy to slice through branches up to 1-1/8-inches in diameter with just a tug of the rope. Or you can saw through larger tree limbs using the 15-inch Woodzig saw blade included. Either way, you'll find that pruning is no longer such a tall order. Limited lifetime warranty.

At Fiskars 9301 Power-Lever 14-Foot Tree Pruner

Meyer Lemon Tree is easy to grow and produces great fruit

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A Meyer lemon is a lovely plant and grows nicely in containers and outside in zones 8-11 Fragrant flowers produce thin skinned, juicy lemons year round. They are different than conventional lemons in that the taste is more sweeter, and less acid. The rind is thinner and more orangish in color than typical lemons. The tree is evergreen and needs full sun or a sunny room in the house. It grows to about 8 to 10 feet tall, or can be pruned to be shorter.

At Meyer Lemon Tree One Gallon by Monrovia Growers

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Southern Exposure Seed Catalog has heirloom and open poliinated seed

The seed catalogs have started coming and there is nothing more cheerful during the third week of snow and cold in January than to sit inside and thumb through the lovely pictures of flowers and vegetables and dream about the garden to come. Southern Exposure is located in Virginia and specializes in organic and mid-Atlantic seed, but serves the whole country and encourages seed saving and heirloom varieties.

What I like about this catalog is that it explains their perference for open polinated and heirloom seed and their rejection of GMO crops even though if people save the seed they buy from Southern Exposure, they have no reason to buy seed the next year. The price of the seed is comparable to other major seed stores and the planting information is extensive and very helpful. For example, with the open pollinated corn seed, they include tips on using mineral oil on the silk to discourage corn ear worms.
They also include a section on gifts for gardeners.

In all, a really informative and helpful gardening catalog well worth having no matter what part of the country you garden in.

At Southern Exposure