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

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TELESCOPING POWER-LEVER BYPASS LOPPER IS A TIMELY GIFT

I decided to try this lopper on a neighbor's pear tree that the bear wrecked, breaking limbs while it ate all the fruit. Just one look at the tool lets you know it is good quality. The feel of it is heftly and strong. The tight-Lock flips up to extend tool, and flips down lock handles at desired length and there was no wobbliness or give when cutting with the lopper extended. The cuts were clean and easy so that it went right through 1 1/2" limbs and worked even on slightly larger ones. There was n struggle to make the cut. When extended the handles are a wide reach apart but that didn't affect the way it cut. A really sweet tool which I will use for many years. I want to thank Fiskars for the opportunity to review this item.

At TELESCOPING POWER-LEVER® BYPASS LOPPER

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The Experiment in Aphid Control Continues

Aphids have an unfair advantage. I've just read the life cycle of aphids and discovered that if the food source dwindles, they can grow wings and fly off to find new sources. Furthermore, they can reproduce by parthnogenesis and give live birth to a smaller version of themselves. I think I have to take them more seriously!

So I sprayed one aphid infested plant with Green Light Home and Garden Insect Spray and indeed there are less aphids on the plant. Definitely a partial success. But now I'm thinking I have to do all the kale and the broccoli to keep the aphids from migrating to new plants. Freezing weather does not seem to be a problem for them.

Check it out - it will make you weep.

At Green Light Organic Bioganic Home & Garden Insect Contol Spray - 24 oz Spray #80224

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Fiskars Stainless Steel Florist Bypass Pruner makes tedious trimming easy

Fiskars has developed this florist pruner which cuts 1/2 limbs and has twine cutter and a stem stripper. It's three jobs in one easy to handle tool. The pruner works for both right and left handers, and although I cut and trimmed deadheads from the roses and cut the stalks of the hollyhock, my fingers and thumb never got tired or strained. You also get the choice of non stick coated blades or stainless steel. These pruners are able to do very fine cuts to take out small twigs and branches without mistakenly cutting the decorative leaves or flowers. Sweet! Thanks to Fiskars for sending us in some to review.

At Fiskars 9821 1/2-Inch Cutting Capacity Stainless Steel Florist Bypass Pruner

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Review: Loop Handle Bypass Pruner with Carabiner Clip From Fiskars

Fiskars was kind enough to send me a set of pruning tools to review. It is always a pleasure to handle a well made tool and Fiskars tools are top of the line. I first tried the Carabiner Clip Bypass Pruner and found that it is light weight and cuts green wood like smoothly and cleanly. They have added the Carabiner clip so that the pruner can hang on your belt while you weed or mulch and then suddenly see the limb that needs clipping. I tried this tool on roses, fir tree, fig tree, apple and pear and discovered that both 1/2" and 3/4" limbs came off with ease. It also has a niftly lock nut that keeps the shears from opening and knicking you while you work.

Cutting with them is a breeze, and the handles are excellent.

At Fiskars and Fiskars Carabiner Clip Bypass Pruner

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