Others- Lentils, Tomatillos, Trees, shrubs

Lentils  40 seeds per pkg. – $3.00

400. Ethiopian –  70 Days to dry lentils  These lentils are larger than what you may be used to at about 3/8” across.  They are light greeny-brown and tasty.  They grow readily in the North and shell easily.  The whole plant can be pulled and dried by hanging upside down. Limited for 2012.

401.  Red Lentils – 75 days to dry lentils.  Limited offering.  I had good success growing these lentils.  Although small they are abundant, and easily shelled inside a sack or paper bag and pounding lightly on them prior to winnowing.  Tasty and easy to grow in all conditions.

Tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa)

$3.00 per packet of 20 seeds.  Dates are from transplants.

580. Cossack’s Pineapple Ground Cherry – 40-50 days  This abundant spreading tomatillo produced amazing 1” husked, yellow, pineapple flavored ground cherry fruits, that were wonderful. All season producer, that falls to the ground when ripe.  Self-seeder, and squirrels love them.  Very low quantities.

581. Purple Tomatillo – 87 days  Requires a longer, hotter season to be a reliable producer, 2009 just was not the year!  But did manage to get to taste some, and they are good, purple and wonderful to look at.  Larger than the above.  Limited quantity for 2010.  15 seeds per pkg.

582.  Toma Verde – 78 days.  These plants took over the garden in 2010, getting all the rain and heat they apparently needed to produce an abundance of large (as big as or bigger than any store bought) husked tomatillos that stored very well until after Christmas!  Great producer.

800. Lemons

801. Oranges

802. Pomelo (Chinese grapefruit)

803. Clementines

804. Lemon/Lime mix

805.  Sorghum – Broom Corn.  105 days for broom stalks. 50+ seeds. This variety grows tall like corn with multicolored seed heads forming late in the season. Green stalks can be cut and used to make straw brooms.  Fun to grow for a change.

806.  Tobacco – Virginian.  100 + seeds.  Grown for it’s long slender leaves, this tall plant has an abundance of seeds in the Nicotiana type flower head, of which family it is a member.  Plants grow at least 5 feet tall.  Leaves are harvested from the base up when they turn yellow.

807.  Tobacco – 1000 year old. 100+ seeds per package.  From Dan at Salt Spring Seeds originally.  We hear the story is that the original seeds were found preserved in an urn and carbon dated to be over 1000 years old.  The plant is a very old version of Nicotiana with enormous round leaves that make quite a different version of tobacco.  Used for ceremonial offerings or household use.  Very tall plants – up to 6 ‘ in our area.

For Edible oil seeds see Sunflowers in Flower section and flax and canola in the grains section.

Trees and Fruiting Shrubs

810.  Red Currant – An outstanding producer of small red berries in the summer that make excellent jams and jellies, wine or can be dried as an addition to cakes and cookies.  The raisin of the prairies.  Growing instructions included.

811.  High Bush Cranberry – Another wild edible from tall shrubs that are abundant producers and yield red berries in the fall for uses similar to red currants.  A must with turkey.  Instructions included.

812.  Tamarack – a variety of Larch that is known to drop it’s leaves in the fall, growing in wet areas and yielding an extremely hard and rot-resistant wood.  Can be used as firewood, ornamental or other uses such as fencing, building and the like.  Easily grown from seed in soil with a sandy medium in the beginning.

813. White Spruce – a conifer common to the Alberta prairies and woodlands, and growing tall and relatively large for here.  Common uses as firewood and building needs.  Can be pruned for ornamental uses and shelterbelts.

814.  Black Spruce – A lowland variety of the white spruce, known for it’s compact growing habit, dense wood structure, and resistance to rot.  It was said that a larger black spruce could be used to make shakes for roofs.  Jack Pine was also useful for this.  See below.

815.  Scots Pine – or Scotch pine, is one of the ornamental pines brought to Alberta by settlers and that likes to grow here.  An uncommon trait is the long, graceful needles, common to pines, but especially long in this variety.

816.  Lodgepole pine – used by Native Peoples across the land to construct their winter lodgings, these trees when found in stands grow straight and tall.  Excellent ornamentals as well, and easy to grow on any soil.

817.  Jack Pine – A variant of the lodgepole, these pines are not as straight, but have great character, loving sandy soils where they are readily found throughout the province.  Used for shake manufacturing as they are resistant to rot and large enough to accommodate this use readily.

818.  Ponderosa Pine – these tall giants usually inhabit warmer climes, common to the interior of BC, in places like the Okanagan Valley where they are immense, daunting giants.  We have the fortune of having an Alberta Source where these trees were lovingly established by a master gardener.  Special seeding instructions included.

819.  White Pine – limited quantities.  These seeds are again native to warmer areas of BC, but can be established here and found occasionally in Alberta.

820.  Pincherry – harvested sustainably from wild Alberta groves nearby.  These tree/shrubs produce a small sour cherry that can be used like red currants or chokecherries.

821.  Chokecherry – not available until 2012.  Wild harvested viable seeds producing wild shrub/trees bearing clumps of black cherry berries with a mouth-moisture draining aspect.  Very medicinal and excellent for wine, jellies, jams, etc..  Only the brave eat them raw!!