Northwest Edible Life

urban homesteading in the pacific northwest

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{Giveaway} High Mowing Organic Seeds Garden Starter Collection

I’ll make this brief so we can get to the good stuff, which is Free Seeds.

Something happened a couple months ago when I started getting death threats for writing this blog. I had my own “put up or shut up” moment and realized that, in writing here, despite what I’d been telling myself about how this blog was just my hobby, I had accidentally created for myself an awesome job, and I had two choices: quit and lick my wounds because sometimes people are jerks, or respect this gig for what it really is.

After the douche-waffle thing, I took a few weeks off and really thought about what the hell I was doing here. In the end I decided that, if the Universe hands you the opportunity for your dream job, you take it and you work hard and you don’t complain. That snapped me out of a kinda anti-consumerist delusion I’d been operating under, this idea that I would be a complete fraud if I got compensated at all for the inordinate time, effort and expense it takes to make this blog happen.

So, anyway, long-story-short, now I have a sponsor. No – I have the best sponsor. When you are a little advertising shy like me, it helps when your first and only sponsor is a small, friendly, super-ethical seed house that believes in the exact same things you do.

High Mowing Seeds Logo

Meet High Mowing Organic Seeds

High Mowing Organic Seeds is my new sponsor. They are a 100% organic, GMO-free, farm-based seed house. They are located in Vermont, and grow and trial many of their varieties in-house, but also have partner organic seed growers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Vermont, and New York.

I love them, and here’s why. High Mowing is doing something really important – they are aggressively developing more varieties of seeds that are successful for organic growers. That matters for two reasons.

The Selfish Reason – Organic Adaptation: You know how people talk about how heirlooms are awesome because they have become adapted to certain conditions over generations of seed-saving? Well, the organic thing is no different. Seeds grown from organically grown plants carry genetics that make them better adapted to successful organic culture in the garden or in the field.

Conventionally grown seeds come from plants that probably grew well with a lot of help from high doses of very strong chemical fertilizers, fungicides and herbicides. But you aren’t growing your veggies that way, so why buy seed that is adapted to that culture when organic seeds are more likely to thrive under the backyard organic conditions you’re providing?

The Big Picture Reason – Look, most people growing vegetable seeds are decent folk, but the regulations regarding what can be sprayed on seed crops is far more lenient than what exists for crops grown for human or animal feed consumption. Because of this, it’s pretty easy to spray stuff on your seed crops that you’d never be able to spray on your food crop. The Oregon Department of Agriculture, as an example, grants Special Local Need (SLN) pesticide registrations for crops grown for seed. These give the grower carte blanche to spray…um, basically whatever…as long as they include this message on the wholesale tag:

“This seed was produced using one or more products for which the United States Environmental Protection Agency has not established pesticide residue tolerances. This seed, in whole, as sprouts, or in any form, may not be used for human consumption or animal feed. Failure to comply with this condition may violate the requirements of the Federal Food and Drug Administration, the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and other regulatory agencies.”

That’s just not very comforting, is it?

Stuff like this makes me feel like insisting on organic growing methodologies from seed-to-sandwich isn’t nearly so paranoid as it might seem. And that’s where High Mowing comes in. 100% organic seed production means none of their products are part of the problem, and – in fact – by pushing more seed crop land into organic production, supporting their seeds is nudging acreage towards the solution.

Win Free High Mowing Organic Seeds

Okay, back to selfish…High Mowing is starting off their sponsorship here at NW Edible with a bang by giving away one of their 100% Organic Garden Starter Collections to one lucky reader.

The High Mowing Garden Starter Collection includes 10 seed packets of adaptable, easy-to-grow, organic vegetable varieties (I’ve grown most of these very successfully in the Pac NW) and – bonus!- it comes in a fab, reusable box.

Garden-Starter-Collections-Large-01

This collection includes one packet each of:

  • Provider Bush Bean
  • Detroit Dark Red Beet
  • Danvers 126 Carrot
  • Marketmore 76 Cucumber
  • High Mowing Mild Mix
  • Gourmet Lettuce Mix
  • Cascadia Snap Pea
  • Cherry Belle Radish
  • Sweet Basil
  • Dark Orange Calendula

This collection is valued at $27.50. One lucky winner will get the whole collection for free.

To enter to win, leave a comment on this blog post telling me what vegetable you have the most trouble growing. (Mine is carrots, which is why I am excited to see if this rust fly resistant carrot lives up to the hype.) The winner will be notified by email.

Contest open until Thursday, January 9th at 8:00 PM PST. Contest open to US residents only due to shipping regulations.

Thank you to High Mowing for sponsoring this giveaway. I encourage you guys to go check out High Mowing and request a free catalog. See if you like what you see.

Good luck everyone!

Update: Contest now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered, and to High Mowing for sponsoring this giveaway. Congratulations to winner Joy D, who said, “I started gardening in a field claimed as a community plot for gardeners. Therefore the root veggies were/are the hardest. (I could find no one with a rototiller. When I was a kid my Dad was busy with his rototiller every day after he came home from his job until dark. Helping everyone he could to get a good start in their gardening.)”

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Comments

  1. So glad you got a sponsor and you can be supported for what you love doing! I have the most problem growing carrots (they’re always tiny), Brussels sprouts (never get them in early enough), spinach, and heads of lettuce. I know I was supposed to just pick one, but oh well..

  2. With our clay soil my problem is potatoes. The plant looked great but the taters were pathetic and small.

  3. I have the most trouble with pumpkins. I can never get them any bigger than a softball. I give them a lot of room, feed them lovely composted soil, water, sun, shade, and even give them some encouraging words to motivate. But, alas, no luck… Lots and lots of great big vines, some beautiful flowers and then tiny pumpkins.

  4. In South Florida the fungi are always ahead of anything I plant in the squash family so I’ve given up on them. I do great with the Asian vegetables though. I think the native pests and parasites are buffaloed by these “furriners.”

  5. I would say I struggle most with carrots as well. First it was the flies, then it was the wire worms, then it was something mysterious that caused really low germination rates. I tried starting them inside and got better germination, but they were stunted. I’ll get them this year I know I will.
    Congrats on the sponsor, since you are so reluctant to monetize I know they are a trusted source.

  6. I have trouble growing bell peppers. Banana pepper are fine, but not the bell peppers. My tomatoes did fine last year.

  7. Cucumbers. I don’t know why, but every year I try something different (grow vertically? hilled up on the ground? in big pots? start early in the greenhouse? plant pairings? soil acidity?) and for some reason, I only get 1-3 cukes in a season. From a dozen seeds. I’ve spent more time and money doing things like getting up at the buttcrack of dawn to spray the plants with neem oil to prevent powdery mildew, than I have any of our other food crops. They’re supposed to be so easy! Ugh

  8. Love, love, love this blog! I wish I had time to try every inspiring idea you send out! And, I have trouble with tomatoes, not the cherry tomatoes, just the regular types. Keep it coming and thanks for persevering.

  9. Tomatillos! They look great, have tons of fruit – but then they fruit are tiny and never grow up. 🙁

  10. I’m just starting out, so I have no idea what I have the most trouble growing! I haven’t had a garden before, but lately I’ve been encouraged by blogs like yours to start! Next spring it’s time to see if I have a green thumb or not!

  11. Broccoli and cauliflower make me crazy!!! Everything starts out so well; healthy, thriving plants, seemingly bursting with vigor! And that’s about it. No, really—that’s about all I get! My broccoli ends up looking like anorexic broccolini rabe (but gloriously green and TALL) and my cauliflower heads never get bigger than a 50 cent piece, if that! …….hellppp……….meee…………

  12. I lost all of my peas last year to an unexpected heat wave. It was our first year here, so I didn’t try to plant very much, but very few things survived that week of high heat. This year I plan to stay ahead of the weather!

  13. Brussels Sprouts – the slugs love them almost as much as I do! I’m fooling myself – they love them MORE than I do. 🙁
    Thanks for the blog – I enjoy reading about your horticultural experiences!

  15. Definitely brussel sprouts, the last few times I tried they got sick and when I pulled one up by the roots, it was crawling with ants.

  16. I am embarrassed to admit that it’s zucchini squash….a complete failure last year in my driveway container garden. Am loving your recent blog posts – and look forward to many more in 2014!

  17. Squash and tomatoes have been our biggest gardening failure. 🙁 I will keep trying though!

  18. Of the things I grow, and try to grow, I have the hardest time growing cauliflower.

  19. Usually I can only get one small-medium bell pepper. I haven’t quite figured out the tricks to getting them to grow here in the PNW.

  20. Artichokes ! Live in Seattle so I don’t think they get enough sun or something. Have not had a garden for five years ’cause I lost my (two decades) job and just might have dirt this year in the place I just moved into, near my new job ! Thanks.

  21. I’m noticing a theme here. Peppers. The only peppers that were a success last year for me were in the aquaponics. My garden peppers and corn were both stunted, but the peppers were the worst.

    Just wanted to say that I think it’s so cool that you’ve built such a great blog and now you’re getting rewarded for it. Kudos!

  22. Turnips. I’ve never been able to get turnips to grow. I keep planting them, as I would like a (very) few for the family and (quite a) few for the chickens, turkeys, and goats.
    I am THRILLED that High Mowing is your sponsor. I am also THRILLED that you’re getting more of the reward you deserve for this blog–an awesome resource and a source of much comfort and fun.

  23. I am a lucky gardener, and manage quite well, but God knows why I can’t get the hang of tomatoes. My friends laugh quite a bit, they all manage tomatoes if nothing else. I’ve tried, seeds, plants, small plants, big plants, one variety or the other, and at best they are small and evergreen and at worst inexistant.

  24. I live in central Florida and cannot seem to grow any squash relatives- they start off fine, even get flowers and then they just seem to yellow and die off. We even lost a whole crop of canteloupe, our most successful attempt, to a scourge of pickle worms.

  25. I too have trouble with carrots and absolutely can’t keep parsnips from getting root maggot. We build raised beds (“lasagna style”) in zone 4 with organic methods. Also, lately the potatoes have had scab, tho I buy organic scab-resistant seed…But we scrub and eat them and enjoy heartily.

  26. For me it is cauliflower. I don’t know why. I am quite proud of myself for many things I have grown. I dare not admit how many attempts I have made at growing cauliflower. I still have not seen a cauliflower head the size of an apple much less the size of…well…a cauliflower head! :0/

  27. Thank you for all of your hardwork and suggestions!! I love that you are local and will make it to some of your classes this spring…you will have them again, right? I was surprised at this house to have so many problems growing zucchini. Will try a new spot in the garden this summer!!! Thanks again!

  28. I have never had success with beets. I’ve only managed to get roots one time, and they had that horrible acrid taste. But I still try every year because I love them. This year I’m really trying to sweeten up my soil and I feel very hopeful!

  29. Congratulations on your new sponsor! I don’t know why some people are perfectly comfortable being wildly over compensated for what they do and others have trouble valuing their work, but good on you! It is great that you will be rewarded for your hard work that has benefited so many people.
    Oh, and I have the toughest time with Brussels sprouts here in the SF east bay. I’ve tried starting them at different times over the years with no luck. This year I planted 4 varieties in June and have one plant that is putting on little heads for the first time.

  30. I too can’t seem to grow normal sized beets despite my best efforts at thinning (love those beet
    greens in salads!) so everyone has plenty of room. Even worked very hard at making sure
    I was giving them some extra bone meal this year.

  31. Carrots! I even tried growing them in a big barrel last year so they’d have lots of deep, loose soil, but after almost a year they were still small. 🙁

    Glad to see you have a sponsor. Please do whatever it takes to continue with your blog. You’re full of fabulous information and the fact that you’re willing to share it with all of us is incredibly generous!

  32. I have the most trouble growing pumpkins, which is ridiculous because I live in upstate New York – they grow on their own! As a side note, I LOVE High Mowing Organics and have had great experiences with the company. They’re the good guys!

  33. Carrots! Planted 300 seeds in the spring in a raised bed last year and only 3 popped up in early fall. They were big and tasted fine. I’ll give it another try.

  35. Carrots have been tricky for me, too. But I’m going to try again this year! And I LOVE High Mowing seeds, I’m thrilled to see them as your sponsor!

  36. My most difficult crop is an actual family of crops – all the brassicas – broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, etc.

  38. The hardest things for me to grow are beets. It seems that no matter where i put them, or when i start them they never get taller than 3 inches high….very frustrating. also radishes grrrrrr

  39. I am a new-ish gardener (I grew veggies for the first time last year), so I had some trouble with a few plants: tomatoes and cucumbers mostly. I had success with carrots, potates and sugar snap peas. I also planted some asparagus which I love, but I guess is really hard to grow/ takes a long time (probably why it’s so darn expensive in the grocery store). I planted shoots that were already a year old, so I’m hoping they come back and I can harvest them this year!
    Love your blog, btw!

  40. I’ve been fighting with sweet banana peppers lately. What I do manage to grow is dinky in size and the taste is off.

  41. Congrats, Erica. You’re new sponsor has created lots of interest….based on the number of comments.
    I have trouble growing onions ….. due to thrips and rotenone is no longer produced for Canadian growers….a good thing I expect?
    /jn

  43. I can’t grow lettuce! They just sit there, tiny, not growing, and then they go to seed…

  44. I’m not a very experienced gardener, but I love fresh beets. I still haven’t figured out why they won’t grow for me.

  45. Carrots! They are a root vegetable! Why are they so hard to grow? If the seeds deign to germinate, the sprouts get eaten. If they don’t get eaten, they languish like Victorian maidens and don’t even get big enough to grow weirdly around a rock. My daikons, beets, onions–all fine. Fiddly melons and peppers–amazing. Carrots? Nope. *sigh*

  46. I started gardening in a field claimed as a community plot for gardeners. Therefore the root veggies were/are the hardest. (I could find no one with a rototiller. When I was a kid my Dad was busy with his rototiller every day after he came home from his job until dark. Helping everyone he could to get a good start in their gardening.)

  48. I gave up on carrots because 2 years ago when I first started the garden they didnt even spout.
    This year I will try again in an improved soil.
    Also squash never produced for me because of the squash borrowing bugs.
    I have very high hopes for this year and wish the same to you.
    Your blog has been an inspiration for me and my 2 kids who are the same age as yours.
    This seed give away selection is a dream for every gardener.
    Thank you for entering us to it too
    All the best
    Eliona

  49. Oh I would do a naked dance among the moonlight if I could get cabbage and brussels sprouts to finally grow!