New--to me--Seed Catalog!

13 years ago

Hi all,

I was surfing around today--don't even remember what I started out looking for, and ran into this place. It's Horizon Herbs, they have veggie and herb seeds, and they have things I've never seen in other seed catalogs! I spent a couple hours checking out their listings this afternoon--just couldn't stop looking, and have ordered the "real" catalog.

They have things like Ancestral Puebloan seeds, like the Anasazi beans, and even Anasazi corn, which I had never heard of! They also have a lot of Asian seeds and some Mesoamerican seeds. Digit, I think this is a new place for you to look for all those "weird" greens you grow! ;-)

They have a bunch of HOT peppers--including one listed as "180,000 Scoville Heat Units!" ('African Bird' pepper - page 5 on the veggie list) I will not be trying that one! I don't even do ONE on the Richter Scale!

I don't have room to grow many squash, but I found an interesting sounding squash named 'Red Kuri' that I'm tempted to try! They describe it this way: "As the squash cooks, it creates its own sugary glaze. We find it unnecessary to augment the natural nuttiness and sweetness with any oily or sugary additive." Doesn't that sound good? They also say it makes the "best pumpkin pies," for you pie bakers!

For those who were looking for cover crops on a recent thread, they carry multiple types in sizes ranging from "packets" to pounds! So for people wanting to try cover cropping on a regular residential lot, you don't have to pay for a humongous quantity of seed!

I was surprised when I looked thru their herb seeds that I found things I had never even HEARD of! Guess I don't know EVERYTHING after all! And after finding things I didn't know about on the "regular" herb list, I discovered that they even have a section titled: Horizon Herbs seeds and plants of Rare, Unusual, Obscure, Historical, Dye, Cacti, Permaculture, Strewing and Sweeping, Odd and Wonderful Herbs!

I've never really known what the "definition" of "herb" is, and I finally decided to see what I could find online regarding that---and I STILL don't know what an herb is! Everybody seems to have a different opinion about it! The reason I tried to look it up, is because I always knew a lot of the plants we sold in the "perennial" department were "herbs," but when I was looking at their list, I was seeing things I used to sell that I never considered herbs! So I don't know how "they're" defining "herb," but they DO have a long list of seeds in the herb department! WAY more than the usual basils and stuff that most seed companies carry.

They don't have a big long list of things like tomatoes--just a couple, but as near as I can tell, all their seeds are "organically" produced, and I think they're all open pollinated. Their seed prices seem pretty reasonable, and shipping prices for seed is good---shipping for plants is another thing!

Might sound crazy, but in just generally looking around their site, I like their "attitude!" Could be wrong, but I get the feeling that they're just "good folks" trying to provide a "good product" for people.

Has anybody else ever heard of this company? Am I in the Dark Ages?

I'm pretty sure at least some of you will be interested in checking this place out!

Skybird

Here is a link that might be useful: Horizon Herbs

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Comments (5)

digit
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Skybird, unless your were looking for medicinal herbs, I don't think you are in the "Dark Ages."

Ha, ha! I guess saying that could be taken 2 ways! What I mean is, the WayBackMachine shows that Horizon Herbs didn't have internet sales until 2002. Then they used the logo: "Strictly Medicinal Seeds, Plants and Roots" until they seemed to drop that in 2005. Perhaps, they were anticipating selling vegetable seed. Which, they began to do in 2008 while consolidating some of their "herbs" under that rubric.

I will enjoy looking at their offerings. In fact, this outfit is just a hop and skip from where I grew up in the Rogue River Valley of Oregon. I left nearly 50 years ago, however.

I was going to tell you about another seed company in the Horizon Herbs neighborhood: Peters Seed & Research. But, I went to their website and it says: "Peters Seed is Canceled." That's fairly straight-forward. They's gone . . .

Well, another that's a little further up the line is Peace Seeds in Corvalis but I haven't been able to figure this one out lately. The website is registered in CHINA!! Okaaaaay . . .

The Peace Seed website has a large collection of links to other seed companies! I don't know if the Chinese are keeping it current . . . There was another company in this neck of the woods (southern Oregon, not China ;o) but I can't remember its name. I wanted to order some things but waited a month or 2 too long. They went out of business, also.

As far as Asian greens go, I'm always thinking that I should order from www.agrohaitai.com in Canada. Usually, I buy from Kitazawa. I appreciate that they seem to be around year after year, month after month. Evergreen Oriental Seed Company surprised me in 2010 by not taking orders from March to July this year!!!! Then, they came back online!

Steve

Here is a link that might be useful: Peace Seeds
digit
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Did you know about this Oregon seed company, Skybird?

I have been curious to try their different Oraches and their Giant Goosefoot!

;o) digitS'

Here is a link that might be useful: Gathering Together Farm
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Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
Original Author
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Ha! Speaking of "medicinal" herbs, I notice they don't carry seed for Salvia divinorum! Or that "other" Herb!

Never heard of the Way Back site, but I've saved the link!

And, your Peters company may be out of business, but, uh, I think you better check your Peace company one more time too! The link didn't work so I googled it, and I wound up at the same "page not found!" I hope you don't bet on the horses!

And that AgroHaitai site! Are you sure they aren't in Korea, with an importer in Canada? I checked them out, and the Gathering Together site (neither of which I had heard of, and I have links to 51 seed companies in my Favorites!), but both of them seem to mostly carry "those weird greens" that you're partial to---but I'm not!

I was gonna post this on your "harvesting" thread, but haven't gotten around to it yet, but I don't like BITTER things! Don't do arugula, radichio, orach, escarole, endive........... I know there are a lot of people who like them, but I don't get it!

And---shouldn't a Giant Goosefoot---be on a GOOSE? Alright! Never heard of that one either? Is it bitter???

I'll be curious to see if you find a bunch of things at Horizon that you've never heard of too! When it comes to "weird greens," you sure do seem like an Expert to me!

Skybird
digit
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
This may be one of those cases where the Peace Seeds webpage is in my computer's memory. I never ordered from them but used their links to other seed companies - it is extensive!

To see if Peace Seeds has more web-presence I went to the Garden Watchdog (GW doesn't allow that link). When I clicked on "Visit their webpage" it took me to a Chinese language only page! So, maybe, they are gone too. (No, I don't bet on the ponies . . . ;o)

Here is a seed company that is on that Peace Seed page: http://www.pantrygardenherbs.com/

Here's one that I was looking at the other day: http://www.mainstreetseedandsupply.com/ You'd think with a name like "Main Street Seed and Supply" that everybody would know about them! But, we live in a new, internet world where even seeds from China, Korea, Taiwan, France, Italy, etc. are right there for us . . . nor not.

Steve
david52 Zone 6
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Red Kuri is a pretty good squash to grow - it's reasonably easy to find the seeds elsewhere.

New--to me--Seed Catalog!

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Skybird - z5, Denver, ColoradoOriginal Author

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