Appendix A

Gardening Resources A

This short list of manufacturers and companies is just a starting point for finding gardening equipment, tools, seeds, and plants. Spend a few minutes online, and you’re likely to find plenty of additional sources of your own.

Catalogs and Garden Guides

Cyndi’s Catalog of Garden Catalogs gardenlist.com

This site lists hundreds of well-known and obscure gardening catalogs, including dozens of catalogs featuring vegetable seeds and plants. It originates and has its focus in Canada but is a great site for all gardeners.

Garden Guides gardenguides.com

This website calls itself “your guide to everything gardening.” It includes links to blogs and forums as well as gardening dictionaries, directories, and guides; nurseries; garden centers; and other sources of information, products, and services.

Gardening Tools

Smith & Hawken smithandhawken.com

Here you’ll find extensive garden offerings, including tools, composting equipment, containers, and seeds. This is where my favorite poacher’s spade came from, but they don’t carry it anymore!

Kinsman Company kinsmangarden.com

This company’s retail store is located just a few miles up river from my home. The owners have assembled a terrific collection of tools and garden equipment, many imported from England. They offer tools, containers, gloves, plant supports and ties, and a section of “garden helpers and useful things,” like composters, a sieve, and a mud boot holder.

Mantis Tiller mantis.com

This company makes the tiny tiller.

Seeds and Seedlings

W. Atlee Burpee and Company burpee.com

Burpee is one of the grand old seed companies with extensive offerings, specialty catalogs, growing guides, and much more.

Seeds of Change seedsofchange.com

Seeds of Change, whose tag line is “Goodness from the ground up,” is bio-diversity-oriented with gourmet greens, cover crops, and interesting veggie varieties. It now sells its 100 percent organic seed in reusable, recyclable envelopes.

Sand Hill Preservation Center www.sandhillpreservation.com

Sand Hill offers more than 350 tomato varieties, 50 sweet potato varieties, lots of other vegetables, poultry breeds, and more.

Irish Eyes Garden City Seeds gardencityseeds.net

Irish Eyes specializes in unusual potatoes (more than 80 varieties) as well as offering onions, shallots, garlic, and other veggies. It also provides some great online growers’ guides.

Johnny’s Selected Seeds johnnyseeds.com

This is one of the best-known seed companies specializing in short-season crops. It offers a broad selection of everyday seeds, exotics, cover crops, and organic selections, along with tools and supplies.

Native Seeds/SEARCH nativeseeds.org

This group, whose motto is “ancient seeds for modern needs,” offers seeds of Southwest Native Americans. They also have valuable information on seed saving.

Oriental Vegetable Seeds evergreenseeds.com

More than 350 varieties of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Thai vegetables are this group’s specialty.

The Cook’s Garden cooksgarden.com

The Cook’s Garden has culinary plants and seeds, an especially large collection of herbs, and some organic selections.

Park Seed Co., Inc. parkseed.com

This company has a huge inventory with dozens of varieties of your favorite vegetables. Look for their Whopper hybrids of super-size vegetables.

Greenpeople greenpeople.org/seeds.htm

This organization maintains a list of 168 companies, many of them small, that sell organic, heirloom, and untreated seed.

Equipment and Supplies

Benner’s Gardens bennersgardens.com 1-800-753-4660

This is my friend’s family’s company. They sell the mesh deer fencing and cattle grates that really do keep out deer. Also look for their groundhog/rabbit barrier. If you call, tell them I sent you!

Clean Air Gardening cleanairgardening.com

This company has an incredible collection of compost bins, cans, tumblers, and pails, along with all kinds of interesting Earth-friendly tools, equipment, and supplies.

Planet Natural planetnatural.com

Here you’ll find compost bins, cold frames, soil test kits, organic fertilizers and pest controls, heirloom seeds, rain barrels, and more.

Natural Insect Control natural-insect-control.com

I like this company’s Earth-friendly tone. It sells beneficial insects, organic fertilizers, insecticidal soaps, and floating row covers. They also have some great birdhouses (remember, birds eat insects!).

Gardens Alive! gardensalive.com

This company boasts “environmentally responsible products that work.” It has organic fertilizers and insecticides, floating row covers, soil test kits, and a zillion other things organically minded folks will appreciate.