Sand Hill Preservation

LoreD · December 9, 2006

I just went over there to look at some sweet potatoes and there is an incredible variety of just about everything. Three pages on an order form just for sweet potato slips.

I spent a couple of hours and barely scratched the surface on the varieties at this site. Really great prices most of the packs were $1.50-2.00 A few rare types of seed were a little bit more. 50 sweet potato slips were $16.00. I am really glad that they don't accept credit cards or I would have gone completely crazy.

I've heard great things about this company from other people on site so I feel comfortable ordering from this site.

LoreD

shelleybean · December 9, 2006

They do have a lot of cool stuff. That catalog makes me want to keep chickens in my yard. I don't think the city would allow that and neither would my husband. :wink: Anyway, I have to order right after the catalog arrives in order to get what I need for spring. It takes a few weeks to get your order but sometimes they're the only commercial source for what you're looking for, so it's worth it. And as you said, their seeds are really cheap!

honu · December 10, 2006

Sandhill is excellent in every way. I applaud them for keeping their prices so low, no additional shipping fees, and offering so many interesting varieties. I like that their catalog provides more informative descriptions than other companies, rather than calling everything their favorite, sweet, and delicious.

**carolyn137** · December 10, 2006

What you see at Sandhill are two people, Glenn and his wife Linda, who are totally dedicated to the preservation of vegetable and poultry heirloom varieties.

Making enough money to cover their expenses is always a plus, and hasn't always happened, but making a significant profit is not their style, especially with Glenn still having his day job teaching to augment their hobby business.

Sure, I think they'd like to both spend full time at this hobby business but that can't be done now for lots of reasons.

Glenn has worked with Kent at SSE almost since the inception of SSE in 1975 and is still the Curator for Cucurbits although he spends less time there of late after teaching them how to pollinate cukes and melons and the like.

Glenn has been influential in getting many others involved in seed and poultry preservation and first knew Jere Gettle at Baker Creek when Jere was a youngster and ordered some heirloom birds, to give just one example.

And seldom will you find two people so very honest and above board about everything they do.

So that's why over the years we have been good friends, and that's why I send the best of my best to him re tomato varieties, and others do the same for their specialties, which gives him some very unique varieties not available elsewhere.

Sweet potato slips? Nope, I've never grown a sweet potato and it looks like I won't, but what a wonferful collection and it's one of Glenn's favorites. As I've said before, he's not a tomato eater of note altho Linda is.

And for the above reasons I wrote here, I do refer folks to Sandhill time and time again, not just b'c the prices are low, but b'c his reputation for tomato seed purity is superb. No place producing their own seed is going to be perfect b'c it's OP varieties they're dealing with, and those places who subcontract out and sometimes buy off the shelf can also have purity problems as well.

And the number of seeds they send out/pack of tomato seeds leans towards the ridiculous. But that's Glenn and Linda for you......always more than less.

Sure they get behind with orders after they start taking orders after Christmas, and yes, when it gets bad they do have a person or two who might help, but how can you expect ASAP processing at a place where there are no paid employees, as there are at Baker Creek and TGS and many others?

I personally would like to see them be able to let Glenn quit his day job and do only his veggie and poultry preservation, but when and if that ever happens is for sure in the future and not known.

We're pretty much in contact year round and I let him down this year again, b'c I'd offered to flesh out some of the tomato blurbs, and he accepted, and forgot to do so and felt bad about that. No, I wouldn't have said this tastes like this or that, I would only have added the basics such as leaf type, indet, det, maybe fruit shape and size and general DTM, as we have discussed. And only for those varieties I know b'c there are lots that he lsits that I've not grown.

Maybe next year.

shelleybean · January 5, 2007

Got the 2007 catalog today.

hoping4tomatoes · January 5, 2007

me too!

bizzarbazzar · January 5, 2007

Me too!

angelique · January 5, 2007

Me Three

Downinmyback · January 5, 2007

me four.

bluelytes · January 5, 2007

Me five. But I have NO IDEA WHAT is new for 2007,

And I sent in my order on Dec 24, hehehe, early worm and all that rot.

Regards;
bluelytes

hoping4tomatoes · January 5, 2007

I was hoping for the Ukranian Heart (TNMUJ strain)....Not available 2007...

bizzarbazzar · January 5, 2007

hoping, I am sad they did not have it for you. I still havent gotten to look through the catalog

**carolyn137** · January 6, 2007

I got my catalog yesterday as well.

And yesterday I got an e-mail from Glenn about this and that and he said that all the catalogs were mailed on Tuesday the 2nd. So for bulk mailing I think it's pretty darn good that so many of us got them so quickly.

Bluelytes, as you can see, their catalog is not a fancy one, and thus they can't use different ink colors or add big letters to new varieties to indicate what's new for that year.

Once you have your catalog you can read thru and then next year see which varieties are new. But as Glenn says, he rotates varieties based on the variables he discusses in that catalog and at the website, so new for a given year doesn't necessarily mean that it's the first time it's being offered to the public.

But I was pleasantly surprised to see that Glenn had added so much variety info for so many of the corn and squash and bean, etc varieties. And yes, even some of the tomato varieties.

But it's yours truly who let him down again, as I wrote above, in terms of helping out with some of the tomato varieties b'c he simply doesn't have time to do so and tomatoes are not his faves, as he also clearly states.

Maybe I can start working on it this summer while recuperating from the new right hip.

I'd add just basic info b'c what I think of a variety is not what someone else might think. But I laugh long and hard when Glenn says, don't grow this sweet potato variety b'c it cooks up mushy, or don't grow this one b'c the roots are so small.

Honesty is the best policy and sometime methinks he carries it to the extreme, which I love to see rather than every variety being praised to the skies which is what one so often sees at various seed sources.

So last night I finished reading thru all the non=bird entries and I'll do the birds today.

No, I have no intention of getting any heirloom birdies but I love to read about them.

The other thing that I'd call folks attention to is how many varieties Glenn himelf has developed.

And there are many varieties that he's had to work with for several years to get them 'cleaned up" genetically and I thank him for those efforts as well.

How he and Linda manage to get done what they do get done makes me feel tired just thinking about it, especially since Glenn has a full time job teaching HS science.

shelleybean · January 6, 2007

After I got he kids bathed, in PJ's and into bed lastnight, I crawled under the covers myself and read all the seed section and part of the chicken section. I mailed my order this morning. The only thing I was looking forward to but couldn't get was the Red Verone Savoy Cabbage. It's not available this year. Some of the others I wanted were limited to one packet but that's okay as long as I get that one. I wish I had room to grow corn. Looks like they have a lot of interesting varieties.

Soilsniffer · January 7, 2007

Speaking of corn ... all I've ever grown has been hybrid sweet & supersweet stuff. I want to try some of Sandhill's OP corn this year, any recommendations?

I guess my only condition is that the OP corn should taste totally different from the hybrids, otherwise why even attempt OP? I understand OP tastes more like corn and less like sugar. Cool.

J

December 9, 2006	#1
LoreD Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Chicago Suburbs Posts: 306	Sand Hill Preservation I just went over there to look at some sweet potatoes and there is an incredible variety of just about everything. Three pages on an order form just for sweet potato slips. I spent a couple of hours and barely scratched the surface on the varieties at this site. Really great prices most of the packs were $1.50-2.00 A few rare types of seed were a little bit more. 50 sweet potato slips were $16.00. I am really glad that they don't accept credit cards or I would have gone completely crazy. I've heard great things about this company from other people on site so I feel comfortable ordering from this site. LoreD __________________ Its not what you get to keep in life, its what you get to give away.

December 9, 2006	#2
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	They do have a lot of cool stuff. That catalog makes me want to keep chickens in my yard. I don't think the city would allow that and neither would my husband. :wink: Anyway, I have to order right after the catalog arrives in order to get what I need for spring. It takes a few weeks to get your order but sometimes they're the only commercial source for what you're looking for, so it's worth it. And as you said, their seeds are really cheap! __________________ Michele

December 10, 2006	#4
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	What you see at Sandhill are two people, Glenn and his wife Linda, who are totally dedicated to the preservation of vegetable and poultry heirloom varieties. Making enough money to cover their expenses is always a plus, and hasn't always happened, but making a significant profit is not their style, especially with Glenn still having his day job teaching to augment their hobby business. Sure, I think they'd like to both spend full time at this hobby business but that can't be done now for lots of reasons. Glenn has worked with Kent at SSE almost since the inception of SSE in 1975 and is still the Curator for Cucurbits although he spends less time there of late after teaching them how to pollinate cukes and melons and the like. Glenn has been influential in getting many others involved in seed and poultry preservation and first knew Jere Gettle at Baker Creek when Jere was a youngster and ordered some heirloom birds, to give just one example. And seldom will you find two people so very honest and above board about everything they do. So that's why over the years we have been good friends, and that's why I send the best of my best to him re tomato varieties, and others do the same for their specialties, which gives him some very unique varieties not available elsewhere. Sweet potato slips? Nope, I've never grown a sweet potato and it looks like I won't, but what a wonferful collection and it's one of Glenn's favorites. As I've said before, he's not a tomato eater of note altho Linda is. And for the above reasons I wrote here, I do refer folks to Sandhill time and time again, not just b'c the prices are low, but b'c his reputation for tomato seed purity is superb. No place producing their own seed is going to be perfect b'c it's OP varieties they're dealing with, and those places who subcontract out and sometimes buy off the shelf can also have purity problems as well. And the number of seeds they send out/pack of tomato seeds leans towards the ridiculous. But that's Glenn and Linda for you......always more than less. Sure they get behind with orders after they start taking orders after Christmas, and yes, when it gets bad they do have a person or two who might help, but how can you expect ASAP processing at a place where there are no paid employees, as there are at Baker Creek and TGS and many others? I personally would like to see them be able to let Glenn quit his day job and do only his veggie and poultry preservation, but when and if that ever happens is for sure in the future and not known. We're pretty much in contact year round and I let him down this year again, b'c I'd offered to flesh out some of the tomato blurbs, and he accepted, and forgot to do so and felt bad about that. No, I wouldn't have said this tastes like this or that, I would only have added the basics such as leaf type, indet, det, maybe fruit shape and size and general DTM, as we have discussed. And only for those varieties I know b'c there are lots that he lsits that I've not grown. Maybe next year. __________________ Carolyn

January 5, 2007	#5
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	Got the 2007 catalog today. __________________ Michele

January 5, 2007	#9
Downinmyback Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Northwest Tenn Posts: 59	me four. __________________ o my aching back

December 10, 2006	#3
honu Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hawaii Posts: 270	Sandhill is excellent in every way. I applaud them for keeping their prices so low, no additional shipping fees, and offering so many interesting varieties. I like that their catalog provides more informative descriptions than other companies, rather than calling everything their favorite, sweet, and delicious.

January 5, 2007	#6
hoping4tomatoes Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Oklahoma 7B Posts: 74	me too!

January 5, 2007	#7
bizzarbazzar Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Butte, MT Posts: 811	Me too!

January 5, 2007	#8
angelique Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Rocklin, California Posts: 501	Me Three

January 5, 2007	#10
bluelytes Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Pacific Northwest Posts: 250	Me five. But I have NO IDEA WHAT is new for 2007, And I sent in my order on Dec 24, hehehe, early worm and all that rot. Regards; bluelytes

January 6, 2007	#13
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	I got my catalog yesterday as well. And yesterday I got an e-mail from Glenn about this and that and he said that all the catalogs were mailed on Tuesday the 2nd. So for bulk mailing I think it's pretty darn good that so many of us got them so quickly. Bluelytes, as you can see, their catalog is not a fancy one, and thus they can't use different ink colors or add big letters to new varieties to indicate what's new for that year. Once you have your catalog you can read thru and then next year see which varieties are new. But as Glenn says, he rotates varieties based on the variables he discusses in that catalog and at the website, so new for a given year doesn't necessarily mean that it's the first time it's being offered to the public. But I was pleasantly surprised to see that Glenn had added so much variety info for so many of the corn and squash and bean, etc varieties. And yes, even some of the tomato varieties. But it's yours truly who let him down again, as I wrote above, in terms of helping out with some of the tomato varieties b'c he simply doesn't have time to do so and tomatoes are not his faves, as he also clearly states. Maybe I can start working on it this summer while recuperating from the new right hip. I'd add just basic info b'c what I think of a variety is not what someone else might think. But I laugh long and hard when Glenn says, don't grow this sweet potato variety b'c it cooks up mushy, or don't grow this one b'c the roots are so small. Honesty is the best policy and sometime methinks he carries it to the extreme, which I love to see rather than every variety being praised to the skies which is what one so often sees at various seed sources. So last night I finished reading thru all the non=bird entries and I'll do the birds today. No, I have no intention of getting any heirloom birdies but I love to read about them. The other thing that I'd call folks attention to is how many varieties Glenn himelf has developed. And there are many varieties that he's had to work with for several years to get them 'cleaned up" genetically and I thank him for those efforts as well. How he and Linda manage to get done what they do get done makes me feel tired just thinking about it, especially since Glenn has a full time job teaching HS science. __________________ Carolyn

January 7, 2007	#15
Soilsniffer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: z7, Richmond VA Posts: 187	Speaking of corn ... all I've ever grown has been hybrid sweet & supersweet stuff. I want to try some of Sandhill's OP corn this year, any recommendations? I guess my only condition is that the OP corn should taste totally different from the hybrids, otherwise why even attempt OP? I understand OP tastes more like corn and less like sugar. Cool. J __________________ Identifying garlic is done mostly by consensus. Many are like trying to identify the difference between twins.