Bonus Seed Catalog Advice for Gardeners!

by Jennifer Ebeling

Have you ever wished you had a gardening expert by your side as you flip through your favorite seed catalog?

In this episode of the Still Growing podcast (SG523), Julia Coffey from Seeds Trust takes us througha personal tour of the Seeds Trust Seed Catalog! Hooray!  

If you love seed shopping - or you need to rev up your seed-shopping-mojo, Julia's passion for seeds will inspire you.

She shares her favorite varieties, insights on the best selling seeds, and highlighting plants that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Her appreciation for her plants is inspiring and the offerings are perfect for those looking to maximize a short growing season, try unique specimens for their 2014 garden, or overcome the challenging conditions - such as high altitudes, limited space, or dessert climates.

Some of my favorite highlights from my chat with Julia include the Carnival Clown Carrot, the Galina Cherry Tomato and the Mother Russia Tomato.

Here are some excerpts:Carnival Clown Carrots:
"I think they’re fantastic and I would suggest growing these Carnival Clown Carrots for multiple reasons. 
The biggest reason is because they are gorgeous. They’re big and pretty sturdy.
And, they’re somebody’s heirloom; This is a variety of carrots that has someone’s heart and soul in it.
Thunderfoot is selecting for this really light pink magenta color that you don’t see in carrots. 
The second year that this carrot plant flowers, you’ll begin to see the colors in the flower.
It’s a real treasure."
- Julia Coffey, Seeds Trust
Galina Cherry Tomato:

"These are the best. They are so prolific.

They produce so much and they continue to do it. So, they’re an indeterminate.

An indeterminate tomato puts its energy into making leaves and shoots – the green parts.

It’s fruits come on at different times and they tend to continue as they come off.

This Galina is just going to keep producing and keep producing and keep producing.

You’ll go out there and you will have one day of a ton of tomatoes and then you’ll see green ones and you’ll come back the next day and then next week and they’ll just keep producing."

- Julia Coffey, Seeds Trust

The Mother Russia Tomato:

"Mother Russia is a huge tomato.

It has this taste. So Russian tomatoes – particularly our Siberians – just like Russian music – have this very Russian quality to them. So, they have this taste that is called theRussian taste.

The Mother Russia tomato is huge. It is a brilliant red. It’s gorgeous cut open – glistening and deep colored. It has this amazing taste. It’s not in the catalog, so check it out online."

- Julia Coffey, Seeds Trust

Whether you’re a devout Seeds Trust customer or a complete newbie to the world of seed catalogs, this show will make you a more informed seed shopper.

All this and more on my interview with Julia Coffey of Seeds Trust.

Click here to access the complete interview at 6ftmama.com (audio version available) 

or Listen to the show on Stitcher!