Not many choices, but good ones.
Tomato Seeds
The best sauce tomato we’ve ever grown and eaten
Our beloved “Astiana” tomatoes were brought from Northern Italy by the late, great Ayers Creek Farm and bred to Pacific Northwest perfection here in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. Ayers Creek retired in 2019. They are not only absolutely the best sauce tomato we’ve ever grown and eaten, but also a strikingly beautiful variety. Just enough pear shape and lobing to be cool looking, not enough to be frustrating
Not bad for the table but an absolute gem for the sauce pot.
Although others grow and sell them, we are not aware of another seed source for this wonderful strain.
Skeptical? google “Astiana tomatoes” and read the rhapsodies that others have used to describe them. While we must admit they are still just tomatoes and wont change your life, they are darn good.
Poppy Seeds
Rainbow Blend
Papaver somniferum, is the classic and beautiful annual “opium” poppy from central Asia famous for producing opium, but totally legal to grow as a stunning ornamental. Reaches 4-6’ with adequate space, producing up to a dozen spectacular blooms per plant. Once the petals fall, the poppies will grace your garden all summer long. Dried poppies also make great decorations.
We offer the Rainbow Blend, a lovely, well, rainbow of colors from the darkest purple and scarlet red to pink, salmon and almost white. Occasional flowers of every color have peony form or feathery petals.
Looking for other tomatoes?
There are many great seed producers out there. Two we admire are:
Territorial Seeds out of Lorane, OR, is renowned for their careful selection of strains that thrive in Western Oregon's unpredictable growing season. They have literally dozens of tomato varieties (no Astianas though).
Heirloom Seedhouse based in Portland, OR has many interesting varieties of tomatoes, especially including unique Italian strains not commonly found (no Astianas though).