Upper Canada Seeds

44 Macklingate Court
Toronto, Ontario
M1V 1A1
416-447-5321
email: uppercanadaseeds@rogers.com
Order on-line at uppercanadaseeds.ca

2010 Seed Listing

Well, that's another year in the books. I'm still doing experiments at our home in Toronto to determine how practical it is to grow my tomatoes here. I tried a dozen varieties with mixed results, but the weather was so poor for growing tomatoes that it was far from a typical growing season. For at least the next few seasons I'll continue to grow my seed production tomatoes at our farm in Prince Edward County. We have built a small greenhouse here in Toronto so we will be offering some heirloom tomato seedlings for sale. I'll send an email to everyone on our mailing list that lives in the Toronto area, as they will have to be picked up when they're ready around the end of May. If you don't wish to get this email please let me know. Also, if you no longer wish to receive our seed listing by snail mail or email please let me know and I'll remove you from the mailing list. I don't want to contribute to plugging up your in box with unwanted emails. I know what that's like.

The interest in heirloom tomatoes is stronger than ever. Organic tomatoes continue to command premium prices but they're becoming more available in grocery stores. This year we're offering over 260 varieties of tomato seeds. We don't sell hybrid, chemically treated or genetically modified seed. All of our seeds are organically grown, and most are heirlooms. Our tomatoes are grown for their taste instead of appearance, uniformity, concurrent ripening or long shelf life. Heirloom tomatoes spread the maturity of their crop over an extended period and are more suitable for home gardeners than modern varieties.

We only tried two new varieties this year, and they both did well. Sugawarra and Summerjet were both developed in British Columbia. Thanks to Carol Allen for sending me my original supply of seeds.

As always, we have no shipping and handling charge, and all applicable taxes are included. This year our prices are the same as last year. I have a limited supply of most varieties so please give me a call if you want to purchase bulk quantities of any variety. Each packet contains 20 to 25 seeds. This year we're still offering a 'Mystery' packet of tomato seeds. We took leftover seeds from a number of varieties and mixed them together so you don't know what you'll end up with. Although this was a terrible year for growing peppers, we're still offering Relen's Sweet Pepper seeds. This is a very early variety, although this year we didn't get many that got to the red stage.

If you know someone who would like to get our seed listing let me know and I'll send one. Our mailing list is never shared. Happy gardening in 2010! Below are some tips for starting your seed and growing tomatoes.

Start your seeds about the middle of April. I've found that 6 to 7 week old transplants do best. After growing for about 4 weeks I move the plants to a 4 inch pot. If you start your seeds in 4 inch pots then obviously you can eliminate this step but there is an advantage in re-potting after 4 weeks. When you move them to 4 inch pots you can plant them deeper than they were before. Roots will grow out of the stem that's now buried and you'll end up with a stronger root system.

When planting in the garden, I soak the roots before planting and you should plant deeper than they were in the 4 inch pots. The space to leave between the plants depends on the variety. A very small plant like Tiny Tim needs only about 18 inches from plant to plant; larger plants like Amish Paste or Red Brandywine should have 5 feet in each direction. Indeterminate plants should be staked or caged to keep the fruit off the ground and reduce the risk of disease. They should be pruned but I don't always do this. To prune tomato plants, pinch off any growth coming from where the branch meets the main stem. Pruning can increase yields, but very acceptable yields can be obtained without pruning. Keep the weeds down and look forward to a great harvest!