Rare Seed Business Thrives On Canadian Farm

Rare Seed Business Thrives On Canadian Farm CROPS Miscellaneous We try to grow the rarest of the rare so we re able to offer many seeds that no one else does We make sure they are true to type and we delve into the history of the seeds we sell says Tanya Stefanec owner of Heritage Harvest Seed a farm-based business
    Growing and selling heirloom seeds combines her two passions ù horticulture and history Her success ù a seed catalog with more than 600 heirloom varieties ù is due to efficient organization skills and working full-time year-round
     The preparation is the hardest part ù to get it on paper before you plant says the Carman Man entrepreneur
    Her garden stretches over 17 long acres ù half a mile from one end to the other Plus her mother and other gardeners grow varieties for her Plenty of space is a necessity as heirloom varieties are open-pollinated and varieties in each species need varying distances to ensure they don t cross-pollinate
     Beans are one of the easiest Stefanec explains They only need to be separated by 20 to 30 ft Tomatoes need 100 to 150 ft Squash varieties must be half a mile apart
    The purity of the strains is worth preserving as the seeds go back hundreds and even thousands of years Stefanec records the history along with plant descriptions in her on-line and print catalogs
    For example: Crapaudine ù The oldest beet in cultivation dating back to the time of Charlemagne about 1 000 years ago Or Sweet Pea ù In 1699 the Cupani Sweet Pea was originally found growing wild in Sicily and then sent by a Sicilian monk called Father Franciscus Cupani to a teacher in Middlesex England named Robert Uvedale This is the original variety that all sweet peas originated from
    Gardeners appreciate heirloom seeds because they produce vegetables and flowers with the same characteristics year after year ù unlike hybrids Stefanec also finds them to be disease-resistant and hardier in a variety of conditions She sells seeds for all different zones and notes that if they produce in Manitoba s short season they can make it practically anywhere
     The taste is just phenomenal says Stefanec noting it s one of the main reasons for raising heirlooms There s so much variety û white cucumbers purple potted peas striped beans tomatoes in all colors
    Winningstadt cabbage has a pointed head Jaune de doubs is an old yellow carrot variety One of her favorites is the super productive dragon tongue bean yellow pods with purple stripes
    Stefanec s work is much like any other gardener planting in the spring and weeding and harvesting with the exception that she has to keep track of each variety As vegetables flowers and herbs are harvested her family eats the produce her rare breeds poultry and hogs eat the scraps and the seeds are saved and dried in the second and third stories of the Stefanecs big red barn She uses an air compressor to blow off chaff from some seeds soaks and separates pulp from seeds in varieties such as squash and goes through a fermenting process to save other seeds such as tomato seeds
    She packages and markets her seeds through the winter with orders starting to ship in December
    Stefanec acquires her seed through seed exchanges and a network of heirloom gardeners Some were commercially available more than 100 years ago Others have been handed down from home gardeners and Native Americans
    One variety she is proud of finding through a European source is Early Scarlet Horn carrots a variety from the 1600 s grown in the early U S settlements The seed is very rare and this is the first season she has enough seed to sell
    Raising and selling heirloom seeds is very rewarding Stefanec says But it s a year-round job and has the same challenges as gardening Wet weather is her biggest problem because seeds will mold if it s damp They must be brought inside the house or other heated building
    For gardeners interested in trying heirloom varieties she suggests ordering seed early as some seeds are in limited quantities Catalogs sent to the U S cost $2
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Tanya Stefanec Heritage Harvest Seed PO Box 40 RR 3 Carman Man Canada R0G0J0 ph 204 745-6489; www heritageharvestseed com

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