Store Visit to Native Seeds SEARCH

More Seeds from Native Seeds

Well, today I finally made it to the REAL store for the Native Seeds SEARCH group in Tucson where I’ve been getting nearly all my seeds from! Not that I really needed more seeds, as I have gathered quite a collection so far this season. But I couldn’t resist! I wanted a few more things for the fall planting season (especially cauliflower and broccoli). I know it’s early but I like to plan ahead… Then their selection of chiles has been hit or miss online so I picked up a few more varieties. And then some herbs. Oh, and a mixed variety of wildflowers… ☺ But no shipping! So I figured get everything I had my eye on direct from the store!

I really am enjoying trying a bunch of different things out in the garden. I want to see what works the best for us to grow ourselves, and I won’t know until I try! Plus we are working on a backyard project that is going to give us even more garden growing space. I can’t wait! I’m especially excited to expand things this fall. A lot of the fall veggies I’m planning to grow take up a lot of space. If we want to eat them more than once that means more garden boxes!

(Read about the NEW Raised Garden Beds 2.0 that gave us more growing space!)

Native Seeds SEARCH has been a great online resource for me as I’ve been researching gardening in the desert southwest. They sell a variety of vegetables that are native to our region, and so heartier in the heat and dry. You can shop their online store if you aren’t close to Tucson where their physical store is located. They also make appearances at some of the Phoenix area farmer’s markets so keep an eye out or check their site for current updates on that.

One of our favorite varieties we got from Native Seeds is the Ordono Chile. I have never seen it anywhere else! It produces a multitude small, multi-colored chiles that add just the right amount of spice when used fresh. It’s also a really neat plant, growing like a small tree. When it is covered with purple, yellow, orange, and red chiles, it’s definitely ornamental as well! Read my full post on growing this chile.

Native Seeds also has a great planting calendar that I have taken as a base for figuring out what to plant when, and when to expect to harvest. You can find that planting calendar here.

I hope you’ve learned something interesting, and found a few good resources and ideas for your own vegetable garden!