Who We Are
We are super excited to be back enjoying and sharing our seeds with YOU! For those who are new friends to our seed selections, welcome all!Our last catalogue was published in 2006, so you may have some questions.
We have been growing and saving seeds since 1997, and have hundreds of varieties of open-pollinated, culturally significant heirloom seed that we will be growing-out and putting on offer in the next few years. For this season we have some of the more popular heirlooms, plus a few unique items. We only grow open-pollinated, non-GMO, untreated seed. Our plant hardiness zone ranges between 6a to 5b, so anything we grow will be acclimated to withstand our dramatic Canadian growing season.
For us, the planting and growing of open-pollinated heirlooms, harvesting of seed, and production of this web-site, is a work of the heart.
First and foremost, long before seeds became a business, it was a life-long passion so encompassing that winter months were filled with wall charts and moveable cropping pieces that were re-worked and re-thought to provide as much space and as complimentary a planting schedule as possible. Come March, window sills were crammed with little green plastic pots, cuttings, and trays of young seedlings. Some of those seedlings came from genetic legacies that originated thousands of miles away, and others from the neighbour next door. They all were, and still are, culturally unique, and important to us. The sublime power contained within a tiny seed to grow and change the very landscape upon which we, as mere mortals, exist is beyond comprehension.
Why Choose Agrestal?
Absolutely. We have a germination page on our website listing the germination rates for all our current seed listings. We do all our own germination testing at the end of each grow-out season. If any of our seed falls below a 70% germination rate, we automatically provide you with extra seed in your order for that variety. Some seeds are tricky, or stubborn, or just don’t like the germination chamber. For the life of me I can’t figure out why – it’s like a spa in there! Regardless, all seed reacts differently, each with their own biological map to reproduction. Sometimes they will just not get to 70% in the chamber, but that’s ok. They still need to be grown, enjoyed, and maintained as a variety. That is why we offer them.
First and foremost is our concern that your garden will be a success. Our focus is on culturally unique and out-of-the-ordinary, quality heirloom varieties of vegetable, herb, fruit, and flower seed. Open-pollinated, non-hybrid seed, which produce the same great tasting and reliable product year after year, century after century. We choose to produce our seed organically. If you are dissatisfied with your purchase of seed, we will either replace it or refund the purchase price. However, our guarantee is limited in that good growth and production depends upon weather, soil and cultural practices over which we have no control. Every growing location has its own set of environmental factors. The secret for successful gardening is finding the perfect variety for your particular location. For this reason, we limit our liability in all instances to the purchase price of the seed. If these terms and conditions are not acceptable, please immediately return the unopened package of seed for a full refund. Acceptance and use of the seed constitutes buyer acknowledgement of the conditions of sale and the limitations of this guarantee.
Well, now that you mention it … YES indeed! We have a Welcome back Gift for all our gardening Friends old and new! TOMATOES!!! Who doesn’t love the juicy, tongue popping smack of flavour a summer Tomato delivers! We have all types of different varieties available for your purchasing pleasure, at our 2006 price of $1.99 a package for 25 seeds. ENJOY!
