Organically (and ecologically) Grown Seeds
Ecological seed growing has a firm official hold in Europe now and several ecologically grown seeds are introduced on the market every year. In EU 2004 was the turning point when all ecological growing of vegetables must be carried out with ecologically grown seeds to be approved. There will be extensive control of the seed trade and seed cultivation by both state- and certified control agencies. The ecological cultivation which was founded on ideological convictions and trust is being replaced by an economically ruled control apparatus, wholly along the lines of the times, where suspicion is the evident reason for increased control. It is still a positive development even though economical self-interest lies behind the sudden interest in ecological seed growing by the seed giants. The great gain, globally, is that the seeds will be grown without artificial fertilizers and chemical growth preparations and pesticides, which were used diligently without limits in seed growing before. We ecological growers will also be able to obtain seeds without having to support chemical growing. The number of sorts is, however, still limited and the emphasis is on central European sorts. Here in the North it will often be difficult to find suitable sorts and many ecological growers will face difficult choices.
Read about the ecological demands at www.sjv.se/amnesområden!
NON EU-SORTS: Those sorts which have not been registered on the official sort list of EU may only be sold in small packages to hobby growers. That is why several of our sorts are sold in portions only. Forces in the EU are lobbying strongly to limit these exceptions. According to a new proposal the non-official sorts are to be registered on special preservation lists and only be allowed to be sold regionally in carefully controlled amounts. We will be forced to put fewer seeds in our seed bags among other things.
DAYS OF DEVELOPMENT: The number of days stated behind the name of each sort is the time the development of the plant takes in a plot (after sowing or setting out) under optimal conditions. Perfect weather during the whole season is, however, a rarity. The number of days merely shows the different earliness of the sorts and not the exact harvest time.
DUE TO EXPIRE: We still have seeds left of several sorts with acceptable germination rate. We sell them at last year"™s price for as long as they last and keep the regulated germination rate. We will replace them, when there are none left, with similar ecological sorts at the ordinary price unless you forbid it. We will offer ecologically grown seeds, exclusively, in the future. We no longer wish to contribute to seed cultivation with intensive use of chemicals and its strong ties to unsound bio-technology and chemical pesticides. We hope and believe that several of those sorts we now remove from our assortment will be back soon ecologically grown.
TRIAL CULTIVATION: We have grown and compared almost all the sorts we carry for several years both in the north and the south. Since 1976 we have trial grown new and old sorts and chosen an assortment which suits our climate and our kind of agriculture. Several friends and customers, who are ecological growers in other climate zones, have also helped us with evaluating unknown sorts. To further improve our choice we give free samples of interesting, unknown, perhaps worthy of cultivation, sorts to those of you who would like to try something new. Write on your order if you would like a cabbage plant, bean, root vegetable, lettuce etc! If we have suitable seeds we will send them and hope to find out what you think of them, bad or good. We can help each other to find the best sorts for our climate.
Thanks a lot all you people, who helped us to continue by encouraging us and sending seed orders. We wish you all a lovely, long, warm, rewarding growing season.
