Territorial Seeds

Curiosity has me wanting to ask on my blog today if anyone else uses social networks like Facebook and Twitter more then they do their personal blog?  In the past year I’ve had the privileged of attending a few social media seminars focusing on the topic of how to use these forums.   The number one thing I’ve learned from these events is that social media forums like Facebook and Twitter should be used as secondary methods of networking.  It seems I connect more often with people in the garden world using Twitter and Facebook finding myself tweeting a photo while out in the garden and then blogging about it later.  Does that make me ‘backwards’?  It works for me so I’m going to keep an eye in the rear view mirror and keep on sharing.

If it weren’t for the Twitter seed reference list I follow via Chicago Gardener MrBrownThumb I would have never seen the news that Josh Kirschenbaum, Product Development and Public Relations manager for Territorial Seed Company was appearing on News Radio 750 KXL .  I was able to listen to his interview on the web being broadcast from Portland, Oregon which is about 2,000  miles across the country from my garden.  I learned from his interview with Mike Darcy that  Josh is a power house of gardening information so it has been enlightening to follow him on the social network Twitter.

One of the hot topics during this radio interview was about grafted tomatoes.  I emailed Josh and asked him if he could give me the scoop on this product being a tomato grower myself.  Josh wrote me back stating : ” grafted tomatoes-This is the first year that they are available to home gardeners on a national level and we won the Mail Order Garden Association’s Green Thumb Award for it. They really are quite disease resistant and vigorous. Another really cool option, especially for the home gardener, is the double grafted plants where you can get 2 varieties on the same plant (i.e. Brandywine and Super Marzano or Sun Gold and Sweet Million).” Seriously – how cool is that?!!!  I would love to have a Brandywine and Marzano in one container on my kitchen deck.   Just think of all the space saving you can do with a grafted plant like that.

Knowing that Josh is into his green after reading all about this grafted tomato plant, I just had to ask him for the scoop on what is his HOT picks for seed growing this seasons.   Josh :  “new and exciting seed varieties-this is always a difficult one for me since part of my job responsibilities involve choosing the new varieties that go in the catalog. I tend to treat them all as my “kids” so I always have a hard time leaving some out (yes, I know that may sound slightly psychotic). In any case, Speedy Bean is a really productive, early maturing bush bean that tastes great, even when the pods start getting large. Creme Brulee Pepper is a beautiful, elongated bell type of sweet pepper that REALLY produced a lot of fruit, even in a short growing season. Fruit start out custard yellow and mature to an orangish red. And finally, Orange Cutie is a small fruited pumpkin that is great for cooking or decoration. Plants are semi-bush so they don’t get too sprawling.” I’m totally adding a few of these seed selections to my seed purchase list for a colorful harvest this 2011 planting season.

IF you’ve been following me on my networks at Facebook and Twitter you’ve seen me connecting with various seed companies  trying to get the latest in growing information for you to prepare for the  2nd Annual #supersowsunday event.  I am honored to announce that Territorial Seed Company is donating 100 packages of  #supersowsunday lettuce mix to be given away during the event February 6 on Twitter.   NOW… HOW COOL IS THAT?!!    Thank you Josh and friends at Territorial Seed Company for donating and we all look forward to hearing more about seeds via your shares on the network.

Be sure to follow Territorial Seed Company on Twitter and Facebook

Less then two weeks before the big SOWING on Twitter event.    Be sure to follow me BGgarden.com on Facebook if you don’t follow on Twitter so you can be entered into the GRAND PRIZE drawing to  take place that night.

Don’t forget to share with me your thoughts on social networking on this blog entry.  Do you find yourself ‘tweeting’ more then blogging?  Is that really such a bad thing if you come in contact with some amazing garden folks like Josh?   I would love to hear from you.