Was that post title a little overboard? Sorry about that…I’m a sucker for free, organic, high-quality seeds, and (be honest) most of you, my wonderful readers, are too.
Part Two of our awesome giveaway week is here, and it rocks. (If you missed Part One of giveaway week, there is still time to go enter to win a copy of Food Grown Right, In Your Backyard from the guys of Seattle Urban Farm Company.)
High Mowing Organic Seeds emailed the other day and offered to send some free seeds to one of my readers. Yes, please!
This is High Mowing:
They sell organic vegetable, herb, and flower seeds. Don’t they look friendly, and pretty much exactly how you’d picture organic seed farmers from Vermont to look?
Why Organic Seeds?
All of High Mowing’s seeds are 100% certified organic. You probably grow your vegetables organically and we’ve all heard about the various ways organic food is better for you, the environment, farmers, etc. But you may not have thought about seeking out certified organic seeds.
There are a couple good reasons you might want to buy and use organic seed whenever possible.
1. Plants raised organically over several generations for seed tend make future plants that do better under organic culture. This is straight up adaptation at work. It’s like how heirlooms grown in one area over generations will become more and more adapted to the climate in that area. A plant raised successfully over time without the protection of chemical fungicides, insecticides and whatnot will tend to pass on genetics that make continued organic culture easier. A plant requiring more chemical help to get it to the reproductive finish-line (making seed) in one piece is going to tend to pass on more genetics for plants that do best with that same kind of chemical supplement.
2. Seed crops get hit with a lot of pesticides and fungicides (far more than typical food crops) which is pretty bad for the land and people involved in growing seed crops. In Oregon, for example, most vegetables grown for seed qualify for “nonfood/nonfeed site” status, which diminishes the labeling and pesticide residue test requirements for those crops. Further, since applications of pesticide and fungicide can be applied throughout the growing and seed development stages, minuscule amounts of these chemicals could remain on the seeds you plant in your garden. For someone very diligent about avoiding chemical inputs in their garden, that possibility alone might make the higher cost of organic seeds very worthwhile.
Thankfully, more and more growers are popping up to supply seed to organic home and small market growers, and so a broad range of organic seeds is now available from seedhouses like High Mowing.
So, About Those Free Seeds?
High Mowing Organic Seeds has put together several beautiful Seed Collections filled with up to 10 seed packets and worth up to $27.50, including this Heirloom Vegetable Garden Collection…
…and this Garden Starter Collection.
There are a lot more collections to choose from (Container Garden? Kids Garden?), and High Mowing is giving one of these collections away to one lucky NW Edible reader. The winner of this giveaway can pick the collection of seeds that is most appealing to them. Some kits contain more seed packets and are therefore worth more. Just so you know when you are thinking about which you’d want.
How To Enter
To enter to win this giveaway, leave a comment on this post telling us which one the new 2013 High Mowing seed varieties you’d most like to try out. You can see all their 2013 introductions on one page here. The Iko Iko Pepper and the Prinz Celeriac look great to me.
While you are poking around the High Mowing site, check out the Seed Collections and tell us which one you’ll pick if you win.
Contest details: entries accepted until Thursday December 20th at 6 pm PT. Contest open to residents of the US and Canada due to seed shipping regulations.
Good luck!
Update: Contest now closed. Congratulations to Aibrean, the winner of the seed giveaway. Aibrean, please check your email for details on how to claim your prize!
Ooooh the orange chard looks amazing!! Big fan of chard here 🙂
I’d try the Blue Coco Bean or the Topepo Rosso Pepper. And I think I would have to narrow it down to the Container Garden or Heirloom Vegetable Garden Seed Collections as my choice if I won this give-away!
Boothby Blond Cucumbers look interesting to me. thanks for the chance to win.
FREE SEEDS?!?!? Ok, I’m in.
Of the collections offered, I’d be interested in trying the Container Gardening Selection – as a fellow PNWite, I’d be curious to see how they do against some of the heirlooms we use here. But we’re hoping to add a lot more containers to the property this year to maximize the space. I really like the IKO IKO peppers though too. We do a lot of Mexican dishes, and can’t beet a delicious colorful pepper.
Thanks for passing on the offer.
Cheers,
Ben
Would LOVE to try the new Australe Lettuce or the Iko Iko Pepper! Amazing catalogue….already a long wish list and am only on page 6! Would choose the Heirloom vegetable lover’s Collection if I had my druthers!
Great giveaway, thanks to you and High Mowing…
The Container veggie collection looks awesome!! I’d probably plant it in our raised beds, not in containers though 🙂
I’m excited about the Pink Tiger Tomatoes–pink is my favorite color! I’d also love to try the Siberian Kale. Haven’t seen that one before.
Cold Michigan weather has me drooling over the idea of seed planting! I’d enjoy the Container Garden Collection because every variety is something I’d love to eat and grow. The Black Trifele Tomato looks interesting and would make beautiful salads. I love Mache and the bigger leaf of Baron Mache is one I’d like to try.
I would love to try the Fiero radicchio and the Heirloom Vegetable lovers collection.
I would love to try the Blue Coco Beans and the Rhazes Lettuce, they both look beautiful! I love purple vegetables. The Heirloom Vegetable Packet also has some excellent selections that I would love to try.
I love your seeds-the best product and most reliable! I love the varieties, I am looking at the Spanish Roja Garlic, Prinz Celeriac (my favorite!!!) and Cocozelle zukes! Last year the High Mowing zucchini across the board were the favorite of customers and family alike. I love visiting on tour days, it’s fabulous. I am glad to support it.
Ooo any and all. Right off, the Blue Coco beans are enticing, and the sweet peas. I’m a sucker for sweet peas!
Winter garden organic seed collection!
I’ve been following your site for months now and have yet to leave a comment. In other words, I’ve been stalking you and thoroughly enjoying your posts 🙂 I’ve even passed on your blog to numerous friends and I’ve convinced my husband to read a post here and there (he is totally jealous of your pantry). Now here I am, leaving a comment when free seeds are involved. Even if I don’t win you’ll know you have another reader on your side.
The Mirlo Lettuce seeds sound wonderful. I love butter lettuce but I’ve never grown it. This was my first year gardening so I have a lot to learn. The Black Trifele Tomato also sounds incredible – a tomato that resembles the taste of chocolate?! I love both foods and I can’t imagine them together but I’d love to try. I also have to include my interest in the German Butterball Potato. My husband loves potatoes and since marrying him I’ve eaten more potatoes (and bread) than I have in years.
As for which Seed Collection we’d be most interested in, I’d have to say the Garden Starter or Three Sisters collections. The starter would be great as we’re still beginners and trying new things and the Three Sisters would result in some squash to last us in to winter, beans to can and corn to enjoy fresh out of the garden.
Believe it or not, that’s the brief version of all my thoughts. Thanks for writing (and reading comments). Happy growing!
Thanks for de-lurking, and for reading! No one can resist free seeds… 🙂
I do my gardening in EarthBoxes, so the container gardening collection would be awesome! This coming year, I want to try putting the containers on raised platforms, so I can still garden, even with health problems.
The starter organic seed collection looks awesome – direct sowing, easy to grow . . . sounds like I could pull it off!!
Oooooh, I’d want to try the Vivid Choi and the Garden Starter Seed Collection would be perfect for me since I’m just starting to take my garden seriously. Thanks for a great blog and a great giveaway!!
Dario F1 Hybrid Cocozelle Zucchini and the Winter Garden Organic Seed Collection (trying to be better about growing food all year long…)
I think I would like to try the container garden seed collection . but all sound really good . Living in a short growing season climate, containers work the best here .
I’m new to your blog but I’m really loving it. I had never heard of this company but it looks cool. It was hard to choose but I think because I have a (fairly) black thumb, I would try the kitchen herbs. Herbs are baby steps right?
I’d like to try the German butterball potatoes and the painted lady sweet peas. Need more flowers in the yard….
As for collections, the Heirloom Vegetable Lover’s Seed Collection looks like an interesting one to try; I keep seeing multicolored carrot a my local food coop and haven’t been wild and crazy enough to buy some.
The Klondike Watermelons looks delicious and the Kitchen Herbs set is right up my alley. I love using fresh herbs to cook! Best of luck to all the entrants… May the luckiest person win!
hmm, those Silver Cloud cannellini beans look delightful! I had great success with High Mowing’s other dry beans this past growing season.
Yay! Free seeds!
2013 new seeds- the Spanish roja garlic looks mighty tasty
seed collections-I’ll have to go with the heirloom veggie lover set, though…so many good ones to choose from!!
I would like the Heirloom Lover’s Organic Seed Collection.
I think I’d have to go with the Organic German Butterball potato as the one I’d try. I just added more garden space that will be ready for planting in the spring and I thought I’d give potatoes a try for the first time. That potato variety looks like a good place to start. As for the the collections, I’d have to go with the Heirloom Vegetable Lover’s collection because that’s exactly what I am. My heirloom tomatoes have been doing so well that I’d never dream of trying something else. Plus heirlooms are more fun to look at.
Thank you for the opportunity to receive something for free!! I am learning to grow veges at a late age; however, since my knowledge is improving with organic living, I would be excited to receive the Container Garden collection. Nice to know that I can trust the seed source:)
I want to try any of the pea collection. I’m new at this, but for the first 2 years I only got a handful of peas. I’d love to win the Heirloom Vegetable Lovers Collection. I think everyone should have seeds (just in case….).
Love the High Mowing people. Met a few of them a few years ago at an organic farming conference, and saw them again last week at the Acres USA conference. One of the best out there, with a great story to tell.
I think I will have to choose the Heirloom Vegetable collection for the contest. Those look like some great varieties to grow. Thanks much for the opportunity!
1
I LOVE High Mowing Seeds! I just got their seed catalog in the mail and have been so enjoying leafing thru it, fantasizing about when the soil will be warm here in VT.
I’d like to try the VT cranberry bean to dry and use throughout next winter in soups, casseroles etc. I’ve never grown beans to dry before and would like to give it a try!
The new cabbages look great, but that Red Cipollini Onion has amazing color. As for seed collections, definitely the Kitchen Herbs Organic Seed Collection.
Wow, they all look so good! I would really like the winter garden collection, I wish I had all those yummy things growing in my garden right now!
This is the best giveaway EVER!!!!!
I would love to try soooooo many, but just picking one, I would go with Shishito Peppers and the Heirloom Vegetable Lover’s mix.
Dying to try those Iko Iko peppers!
The trifoli tomatoes look lovely. Nice and meaty for cooking or fresh eating.
Which new seeds would I like to try?! *Silver Cloud Cannellini Bean: we love growing dry beans, but we haven’t grown cannellini, but we use them.
I would probably go with the Kitchen Herbs collection 🙂
The Summer of Sunflowers collections sounds awesome. We live on a hillside and each summer plant the sunflowers along the fence of the garden and we can view them from the house. It appears the sunflowers are smiling at us each morning. Later in the summer the chickens are smiling because they get the sunflower seed treat.
Oh dear, I already have a seed buying problem. I really shouldn’t even click over and look, but….
I would love to try the Prinz celeriac or the Garnet Giant Mustard. Celeriac and mustard greens are two veggies we never had eaten before subscribing to a CSA and are now two of our favorites!
I think I would choose the winter garden set. I’d like to try to extend my growing season this year.
The collections look wonderful. My first pick would be the Starter Garden Collection. The individual seed that catches my eye would be the Topepo Rosso Pepper. We have learned that we love fresh peppers!, Now I feel the need to read “Animal Vegetable Miracle” and plan my spring garden
Oooooo…. I would love to try the Black Trifele tomatoes, and the Maayan Dark Orange calendula. For a collection, I’d pick the Container Garden Collection – which I’m psyched they have now, since I was wishing for one last year. Thanks for holding this giveaway!
I’m most curious about Des Vertus MarTeau Salad Turnip. I love eating turnips in my salads!
But the Blue Coco beans, and Iko Iko peppers are also intriguing.
And the Heirloom Vegetable Lover’s Seed Collection and Winter Garden Organic Seed Collection both sound fabulous to me. I need to plant more of a winter garden next year.
Choose 1?!? But I would have to go with Magnifienza melon and Winter luxury pumpkin. No, wait, the salad turnip. NO, no, the corn…Put me out of my misery, please!!!
Thanks for the give away!
Oh and I’d try the Heirloom Lovers packet.
This is the seed hoarder (but they keep forever if properly stored, right? and I DO share with friends!) who also commented on your last post. OF COURSE I’d love more seeds. The Black Trifele Tomato looks intriguing, and if I won I would choose the Organic Heirloom Vegetable Lovers Seed Collection. Fingers crossed.
Organic Heirloom Vegetable Lovers Seed Collection?!?!?! OMG, they know just how to stoke a girl’s gardening passion. I moved to southern Oregon a couple of years ago from Alaska and my gardening addiction has increased exponentially with the warmer temps. Year round gardening is SO Awesome! I am swooning at the thought of winning and thank you very much for this awesome giveaway. xoxoxo
I’d love to try the Mirlo Lettuce, it looks so cute and compact, or the Owl’s Eye F1 Pumpkin. The pale yellow pumkins look super cute!!
The Summer of Sunflowers Seed Collection looks so pretty. I just got married this fall and sunflowers were our main flower in our arrangements. It would be so nice to grow some at home this year.
thanks for the contest and the info on this organic seed company!
Very nice giveaway… do want!
High Mowing seed variety I’d most like to try out: Pink Tiger Tomato looks fun 🙂
As for the Seed Collections, I like the Heirloom Vegetable Lovers the most, although the Garden Starter also looks great to me.
Love all the melons, but I think the mache is super cool!
The minute I saw sprouting broccoli, I stopped there. Definitely some of the handiest seed to have around in my estimation. I checked out the other new offerings and will be purchasing some locally (I’m in Vermont).
For the Seed Collection, I’d definitely pick the Heirloom Seed Collection. I would really like to try to save seed this year. Thanks for the contest!
Cheers! I would love to try the Detroit Dark Red Beet – roots are one of the precious few vegetables we midwesterners are really able to master 🙂
Really I wouldn’t say no to any of these! I especially love the Iko Iko Pepper (love the variety and colour changes). I also love the Black Trifele Tomato or the Red Swan Bean, which are gorgeous. I ordered High Mowing’s catalogue so even if I don’t win, I’ll still be able to get my hands on some of these in time for next year’s growing season! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity… nice that it is also open to us Canadian readers 🙂