Seed availability issues

[Fusion_power]

I'm starting this thread to document varieties that have availability issues. Feel free to post anything that you are having trouble finding or would like to have but can't get.

There are three varieties that come to mind.

1. Earl's Faux - I don't think it is in short supply but I have had 2 emails requesting seed recently. Who is selling it for next year?

2. Plum Regal - Only seed available currently is from Randy Gardner. Have not yet heard if bejo will make it available commercially for 2011.

3. Mountain Magic - ditto for bejo availability.

DarJones

[maf]

I know that Casey's Heirloom Tomatoes (from Canada) has Earl's Faux in their 2011 listing, but don't know if you were just talking about U.S. sites. They are also the only site (in any country) I can find that is listing Vorlon this season.

[walkinggin]

This is a useful question.

Sarnowski Polish Plum. It sold out in 2009 from Sandhill and was listed as unavailable in 2010. Tatiana's TOMATObase is also sold out. They were the only ones selling it as far as I can tell.

the same story for Phil's Fantastic. A red beefsteak, I grew it this year and couldnt decide whether it or Linnie's Oxheart was better. When I was looking for information about it I realized it isn't widely available.

Ginny

[fortyonenorth]

Originally Posted by walkinggin

This is a useful question.

Sarnowski Polish Plum. It sold out in 2009 from Sandhill and was listed as unavailable in 2010. Tatiana's TOMATObase is also sold out.

I noticed just yesterday that Marianne's Heirloom Seeds is listing Sarnowski. I believe they list it as "in stock."

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by walkinggin

This is a useful question.

Sarnowski Polish Plum. It sold out in 2009 from Sandhill and was listed as unavailable in 2010. Tatiana's TOMATObase is also sold out. They were the only ones selling it as far as I can tell.

the same story for Phil's Fantastic. A red beefsteak, I grew it this year and couldnt decide whether it or Linnie's Oxheart was better. When I was looking for information about it I realized it isn't widely available.

Ginny

Ginny, Sandhill usually lists Phil's Fantastic and it is a good one but I'd take Linnie's Oxheart over Phil in an upstate NY minute.

Tania's site is pretty darn good at listing all the possible " acceptable" seed sources for a specific variety so I'd look there before saying there is no seed source and she's now including Remy's Sample Seeds and Carol's Knapp seeds as sources as well.

Sandhill had a positively horrible season last year which is why so many varieties were not available. I haven't chatted with Glenn or Linda lately to see how this season went but will be doing so soon, and fingers crossed it went much better.

Things went pretty well with Mike at Victory Seeds and he and his wife and his two youngest kids were East a couple of weeks ago attending a seed packaging conference at the USDA labs in Geneva, NY, with side trips to Cornell and the Bejo trial fields at Geneva. I was so pleased when they stopped by to visit me on their way back from Fort Ticonderoga. They made an educational trip out of it bc Mike is a real history buff and they wanted to show the kids, and themselves, some historic places such as the Saratoga Battlefield and more. Victory Seeds is one of the places where I sent some of the best of what I grow for trial, along with Sandhill and Gleckler's and usually TGS and it was great to meet Mike personally.

Yes, Darrel, I WILL e-mail Elaine at Bejo, but not right now at 4;30 AM b/c now I'm tired enough to go back to bed.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Fusion_power

I'm starting this thread to document varieties that have availability issues. Feel free to post anything that you are having trouble finding or would like to have but can't get.

There are three varieties that come to mind.

1. Earl's Faux - I don't think it is in short supply but I have had 2 emails requesting seed recently. Who is selling it for next year?

2. Plum Regal - Only seed available currently is from Randy Gardner. Have not yet heard if bejo will make it available commercially for 2011.

3. Mountain Magic - ditto for bejo availability.

DarJones

Darrel, lots of seed sources for Earl's Faux:

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Earl%27s_Faux

I also told you last week that I would contact Elaine at Bejo Seeds to see what info I can find out about availability for Plum Regal F1 and Mt Magic F1. I'm only now getting things back together from the surgery Monday and will try to do that tomorrow b'c to be honest I'd forgotten about doing it.

I know that Randy does NOT want to be known as a source of seeds, as you mentioned above, for Mt Magic F1, Plum Regal F1 and Smarty F1. When I asked his permission to distribute those seeds here at Tville that was mentioned to me and actually makes good sense as I see it. Tomato hybridizers such as Randy are not personally seed sources to the general public. rather, contracts are made with those companies that do that, such as Bejo in this case.

So I'll post here if you wish, instead of the other thread, when I hear something back from Elaine at Bejo Seeds about where and when those two varieties are expected to be available.

[Stepheninky]

Earl's Faux is also avalible at Sampleseeds.com

[farmall]

We will have both Earl's Faux And Sarnowski Polish Plum plus 75-100 other new tomatoes for the 2011 season.

Thanks
Adam

[habitat_gardener]

Originally Posted by farmall

... plus 75-100 other new tomatoes for the 2011 season.

drooling...now I have to figure out how to get more growing space and more time to tend to more plants....

[mdvpc]

I had great trouble getting seed for Al-Khuffa. Earl was able to get me seed from a friend of his.

[amideutch]

farmal; Adam when are you going to make the new list available? Ami

[geeboss]

I'm ready to order

George

[pinakbet]

how about OSU blue...?

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by pinakbet

how about OSU blue...?

There are no companies that should list OSU Blue b'c it has never formally been released by the hybridizers.

It was given to several folks for breeding rpojects and the seed was not to be shared by anyone, but it was and is. Actually a person working in the lab of the hybridizers distributed seed for it at one website which I think was reaoly wrong but she said she hadn't asked if she coulkd and was doing it.

Besides, there's no ONE OSU Blue out there; there are now several versions from folks using it in crosses, especially the P20 one.

Does anyone else have an opinion about the legality of a company offering ANY form of OSU BLue? As I said above, I know the original seeds sent out to just a few folks were NOT to be shared and as I undertstand it the signature of the person reciving the seeds had to be signed saying that seeds wouldn't be shared. There's now good way to address the issue of the person from that lab giving out seeds but I see it as wrong b'c we know the intent of the hybridizers was otherwise.

[Stepheninky]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

There are no companies that should list OSU Blue b'c it has never formally been released by the hybridizers.

It was given to several folks for breeding rpojects and the seed was not to be shared by anyone, but it was and is. Actually a person working in the lab of the hybridizers distributed seed for it at one website which I think was reaoly wrong but she said she hadn't asked if she coulkd and was doing it.

Besides, there's no ONE OSU Blue out there; there are now several versions from folks using it in crosses, especially the P20 one.

Does anyone else have an opinion about the legality of a company offering ANY form of OSU BLue? As I said above, I know the original seeds sent out to just a few folks were NOT to be shared and as I undertstand it the signature of the person reciving the seeds had to be signed saying that seeds wouldn't be shared. There's now good way to address the issue of the person from that lab giving out seeds but I see it as wrong b'c we know the intent of the hybridizers was otherwise.

Yes, I think it is wrong to profit and sell it against the originators wishes, and also to share it. I have seen it offered here and there on a few auction and rare seed sites and while I am interested in it have resisted the urge to buy it. Not really sure on the crossing issue. It is pretty well know what the two original parent plants were. I have seed on the way for the wild one and will do my own crosses with a few but different varieties to see what comes of it, if I get a blue variation I will of course be happy about it but in truth I am just doing my crosses to experiment and see if anything new or interesting comes out of it.

I do think if you use some one else's introduced or crossed variety credit should be given to them as well. Just as a show of respect.