January 19, 2017

About Our Plants

We are certified by the state of Maine and MOFGA.  We combine our own time-tested blend of micronutrients and biological agents, such as mycorrhizal beneficial fungi with compost-based, certified organic potting soil to ensure healthy seedlings.

Cow Pots allow roots to grow naturally without restriction and break down quickly once planted.

These pots allow roots to grow naturally without restriction and break down quickly once planted.

We rely on proper nutrient balance to grow strong and pest-resistant seedlings. We use live beneficial insect releases in our greenhouse to keep the plants healthy and to deal with any pest issues that may arise.

Most of our plants are sold in organically-approved, biodegradable pots. You can PLANT THE POT RIGHT IN THE GROUND! This cuts down on transplanting shock to the plant, and also reduces the amount of plastic entering our landfills.

Some of our plants are sold in recycled/reused and sanitized plastic pots and packs. FEEL FREE to return your good-condition plastic pots to us after you transplant your plants. We will wash and reuse them.

I offer mostly open-pollinated varieties (the seeds saved will grow true to type) with a few favorite hybrid varieties. Hybrids are in no way, shape or form genetically engineered! [There are no GMOs on my farm!] It simply means a plant of one variety pollinates another variety. It happens in nature every day and breeders have been using this technique for hundreds of years. Some hybrids have been stabilized and have become some of our favorite open-pollinated varieties! It is vital to preserve our open-pollinated heirlooms. It is also fun to explore and enjoy the added vigor and disease resistance that hybrids offer. While the seeds you save from a hybrid variety will not grow to be exactly like the plant you saved them from, they contain a smorgasbord of traits from the parent plants that might show up in delicious new ways.

PRICING for pots:
ALL tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and cucurbit “hills” are 4″ pots ONLY, certain herbs, too.
*You may mix and match any veggie pots in the categories above to reach the volume discounts.
ALL alliums, brassicas, lettuce and chard are in 6 packs ONLY, certain herbs are in packs as well.

Browse our online Pre-order store for variety and pricing details. Though our quality blows box stores out of the water, our prices are comparable, sometimes lower AND we offer volume discounts.

Glossary:
Indeterminate = Plants continue flowering and fruiting throughout the season so are taller and need staked.
Determinate = Plants tend to load with fruit within a window of time (which is usually the length of our short season in Maine anyway) – nice for canning! I would still stake these, but an average tomato cage is plenty tall and strong enough.
Days to maturity = (ex. 55 days green, 75 days red) general estimated days from transplanting until first fruit maturity. The example above means the pepper will be edible green by 55 days from transplant, if you leave it on the plant, it will be red ripe by 75 days. This number is somewhat variable for each garden and seasonal conditions.

We source our seed from reputable and ethically sound sources preferring organically grown seed. Never treated. Never GMO. No Monsanto or Seminis varieties (sorry Early Girl tomato lovers – you’ll want Bloody Butcher, also an early variety and every bit as good if not better!).

For tons of growing information, check the growing information in the Johnny’s Selected Seeds catalog in each vegetable section, or, click on ‘Growing Information’ under each variety of seed on their website, www.johnnyseeds.com.