Eat It Up

Edibles—namely vegetable seeds and starts—have buoyed the bottom line of garden centers for going on three years. To keep the trend growing, suppliers continue to introduce new varieties and product lines. Here's a sneak peek of some new items for spring 2012.
 

BOOST Collection // Burpee Home Gardens
Burpee Home Gardens is launching its BOOST Collection—six high-antioxidant vegetables specially chosen for their added nutrition: Gold Standard Cucumber, Sweet Heat Pepper, Cherry Punch Tomato, Solar Power Tomato, Power Pops Tomato and Healing Hands Salad Mix. It's an entire wholesome, healthy package for your customers.
www.burpeehomegardens.com

Hamson Tomato // Mountain Valley Seed Co.
You can call this a "re-introduction." The Hamson tomato from Mountain Valley Seed Co. was originally developed in Utah by the company's founding father Demetrios Agathangelides. This meaty tomato produces a large, smooth, deep-red fruit. It's great for a slicing tomato and does very well for canning. Another great feature: Its ability to set fruit at extreme temperatures. The Hamson is a semi-determinate with good foliage cover and is resistant to blossom end rot, fusarium wilt, and verticillium wilt.
www.mvseeds.com

Heritage Varieties // The Chas. C. Hart Seed Co.
Hart's Seeds is going back to its roots with its Heritage Varieties. Catch your customers' eyes with these authentic reproductions of turn-of-the-century packets—including original lithographs. Detailed historical information, growth habit and culture are found on the back of each packet. All information is accurate and easy for new gardeners to understand.
www.hartseed.com

Vegetable Seed Mats // Amber's Garden
Amber's Garden is offering a foolproof way to create a successful gardening experience for beginner gardeners, container gardeners and kids with its vegetable garden seed mats. The company has selected its most popular vegetables—which are ideal for small-space gardens—so all your customers have to do is plant, water and harvest. There are 10 themed gardens to choose from.
www.ambersgarden.com

Vegetable SeedBallz // Strong Marketing
SeedBallz is about to break a few more rules as it rolls out its new Vegetable SeedBallz. Plant them and grow a cluster of spinach, sweet spring onions or red and green lettuce—no more single-seed, single-plant. SeedBallz will use less space in the garden and are perfect for containers as well. All SeedBallz are hand-rolled by people with developmental disabilities. It's a success story in the production and the garden.
www.strongmarketinginc.com

Bulk Garden Seed // Olds Seed
Olds Seed is kicking off 2012 with a 'green' merchandising solution: new bulk-seed bin models. The bins reduce packaging inputs, minimize waste and prevent contamination. They provide a clean and attractive merchandising presentation, and appeal to gardeners who are seeking environmentally responsible green products. The large scoop bin is constructed of durable polycarbonate and features a built-in scoop and false front to keep the bin looking full as it sells down. The small seed inversion bin is ideal for small vegetable and flower seeds with an airtight seal and graduated cylinder dispenser. The turf and forage seed gravity bin has a glare-free label holder and false front. It holds up to 35-pounds of grass seed and 70-pounds of beans.
http://oldsgardenseed.com/