Kitazawa Seed Co.

[ninnymary]

Tonight I attended a talk by Jim Ryugo, President/Owner of Kitazawa Seed Co. It was so good and very informative. Steve, I know you like to grow asian greens and thought of you. Jim and his wife bought the company in 2,000 when it looked like it was going to be closed down. The owners at that time were getting up in years and there were no heirs that wanted to take over.

Guess what seed sells the most? S H I S H I T O peppers!

Mary

 

[ninnymary]

He gave us this neat catalog that includes recipes!

 

[thistlebloom]

I have that catalog. I ordered from them last year. I didn't know it had recipes in it!

 

[digitS']

I must not have missed a year for an order in a long time, Mary.

I know that my first order for Asian veggies was from Stokes. By the way, that catalog underwent a recent change of format!

Often, us English readers have to get past the name to the description before we have any idea about what is being offered. Shi****o, eh? I grew those one season a couple of years ago .

Being receptive to the new makes life more interesting. I'm never on any cutting-edge, however. Nope. I feel like I'm always, a.l.w.a.y.s a half mile behind, but catching up! It's okay that way. For one thing, I can take a moment to grasp the heritage involved. Like supplying Japanese American farmers with seed for 100 years!

Steve

 

[ninnymary]

Steve, did you get this catalog? I have an extra copy I can mail to you.

Mary

 

[digitS']

They send me one every year, Mary. Thank you, though.

I haven't had a Pinetree catalog for years. Their seed packets were too small for me to make good use of. Pinetree had separate sections for Italian vegetables, French vegetables, etc.

I think it was @seedcorn who once said that popular varieties are popular for a reason and beginning gardeners have a better chance of success with them. It's true. However, we don't all garden in the same location. Differences can be frustrating.

What can help is drifting a little farther afield ... Seed companies are often, just trying to match varieties with customer demand. The garden centers are, too. It's crazy when they have the same variety from a half dozen different seed companies! And, that's it for a selection.

What if I imagine that my summer is more like northern Italy than New Jersey? How about my spring more like Hokkaido than California? What if I'm right? What fun to experiment and experience the results in the garden.

Steve

 

[seedcorn]

@digit. Sorry, I'd never say anything that astute.

I hate it that each seed company can call anything anything they want. Need a bar code or something so that you don't buy 2-6 varieties only to find out, all the same....

 

[Zeedman]

I hate it that each seed company can call anything anything they want. Need a bar code or something so that you don't buy 2-6 varieties only to find out, all the same....

Especially when the illustration on the packet (or in the catalog) is of something other than what you grew (Armenian cucumber, with a photo of a regular slicing cucumber, comes to mind.)

But to get back on track... I've always considered Kitazawa to be a good source for Asian vegetable seed, especially some of the less common varieties. Evergreen Y.H. is good too, but I've had inconsistent results with their seed, and their website seems to close unpredictably. Baker Creek also carries a surprising number of Asian vegetables.

 

[lcertuche]

I'm thinking one year about trying a radish like daikon or other kind of Asian radish.

My pet peeve is that the seed companies have at least tripled their price but now you only get about a dozen seeds. Another good reason to save seed. I think radishes maybe a biannual though and I'm not sure I'm ready for that much commitment!

 

[Nyboy]

@digit. Sorry, I'd never say anything that astute.

I hate it that each seed company can call anything anything they want. Need a bar code or something so that you don't buy 2-6 varieties only to find out, all the same....

isn't that what Latin names are for ?