A Visit from Johnny's Selected Seeds

July 7, 2017

As many of you know, I am an avid gardener and am always on the lookout for innovative, sensible and easy-to-use tools and supplies.

One of my favorite sources is Johnny's Selected Seeds in central Maine. I discovered Johnny's years ago and have been using their seeds, plants, and tools ever since. Johnny's provides practical solutions for both the home gardener and the professional farmer and uses the expertise from great horticultural masters such as Eliot Coleman.

Not long ago, a team from Johnny’s Selected Seeds came to visit my Bedford, New York farm. My gardeners, Ryan and Wilmer, guided them through the vegetable and flower beds and talked about how well our crops have done over the years. Our visitors also brought some of Johnny’s newest tools and supplies for us to try - it was a very informative and enjoyable visit. Here are some photos.

After the team from Johnny's came to the farm, they wrote up a nice article about their visit for their online newsletter. Take a look at it by clicking on this highlighted link to Johnny's Selected Seeds web site.

: Ryan and Wilmer spent several hours with the team from Johnny’s Selected Seeds – they came all the way from Albion, Maine. Here they are in the vegetable garden – Wilmer, Tania Cubberly, Adam, Ryan, Marcella Sweet, and Kristine Dyer. Marcella is also the cousin of Gretchen, who works for me in Maine. http://www.johnnyseeds.com/

: They brought a number of new items for us to try and demonstrated how best to use them.

: Ryan and Wilmer were excited to test these new seeders and planters. Johnny’s focuses on making many gardening chores easier, especially for the home gardener.

: Adam Lemieux, Johnny’s Tools and Supplies Product Manager, goes over the new items with Ryan.

: He brought step-by-step instructions on how the tools are used.

: The group headed down to the vegetable garden to learn how to operate Johnny’s Tillie V2.

: The Tillie V2 has an articulating tiller head. It is an electric tiller and raised bed former and a perfect stepping-stone tool for use in smaller spaces.

: The Tillie V2 has a powerful hub motor which can be used not just to till, but to cultivate pathways, hill crops, and even form raised beds.

: Here’s Wilmer using the Tillie V2 to cultivate the soil for our corn crop. This tool is great for small field work – there are no fumes and it’s very quiet.

: It’s also very easy to use, and much lighter than a gas-powered rototiller.

: Over the next few days, Ryan tried several of the new tools from Johnny’s. This is the Four-Row Pinpoint Seeder. It is ideal for planting small to medium-sized seeds.

: This seeder is made of long-lasting stainless steel.

: It’s perfect for planting our cilantro. Ryan dropped seeds into each compartment. The seeder plants four rows two-and-a-quarter inches apart or, two rows of four-and-a-half-inches apart, or two rows of six-and-three-quarter-inches apart.

: This seeder also has individually adjustable brushes in hoppers that precisely meter the seed. This was developed in conjunction with Eliot Coleman.

: This is the Easy-Plant Jab-Type Planter. It’s for more precise placement of large seeds.

: This is great for corn, beans, squash, pumpkins, melons, cucumbers, and sunflowers. Ryan is using it to plant our corn.

: Ryan drops some corn into the long chute.

: And, by pushing the planter lightly into the ground, the corn seed drops into the soil. It is made of oak and galvanized and painted steel.

: The seed is planted deep enough also – no bending required.

: The seed is in the ground and ready to be watered – so easy, and it weighs just under four-pounds.

: This is the original Field Knife with a beechwood handle and a sharp, seven and 3/8-inch high-carbon steel blade. It is quickly becoming one of Ryan’s favorite new garden knives.

: Here, Ryan easily cuts the lettuce at the base. The cutting edge makes a smooth, quick cut.

: It has a nice handle and is great for harvesting all the brassicas in our garden.

: And this is the “Gardener’s Hollow Leg” – a fabric pouch attached to an adjustable belt that’s perfect for depositing debris from pruning, deadheading, or other cleanup chores.