FARM LIVING
THE WESTERN PRODUCER | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | FEBRUARY 28, 2013
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SEED COMPANIES | ORDER SEASON
Garden catalogues warm up winter Countdown to spring | Eager to get growing BY CATHERINE RUMANCIK SASKATOON NEWSROOM
Dizzy and Starfighter lilies are prolific bloomers. |
An angry wind slams snowflakes against the sunroom window. The thermometer reads -38 C. Snow threatens to devour the peak of a garden trellis, and a trio of metal daisies appear to shiver with every gust. It’s the perfect day to snuggle up with a stack of garden catalogues and a bowl of soup laced with Ring of Fire peppers, Cobra tomatoes, Hercules onions and Atomic red carrots. Seed catalogues start filling the mailbox even before New Year’s resolutions have been broken. Every company has something new and improved, or just different, to seduce newbies and make green thumbs drool. But forget red tomatoes, orange carrots and green cucumbers. That’s so Grandma’s garden. Think Yellow Pear tomatoes, White Satin carrots and Lemon Apple cucumbers. Corn comes in “every colour known to corn” on ears of Painted Mountain. And goodbye boring yellow beans, hello red dappled Borlotto Lingua di Fuoco, which beg to be served with a glass of Merlot. Cucumbers are round, tomatoes
CATHERINE RUMANCIK PHOTO
Orbit cauliflower looks too pretty to eat. | OSBOURNE SEED PHOTO are not. Beans are a yard long, carrots are short and stubby. Orbit, a lime green cauliflower that looks like delicate ocean coral, could serve as an accent piece on the coffee table while Peppermint swiss chard would look attractive in a flower arrangement. Chioggia beets, also called candy cane beets, look like fun with red and white rings inside that resemble lollipops. Sadly, the catalogue says the rings fade when cooked. Edamame soybeans have grown in popularity as a snack food. Stokes suggests eating Beer Friends warm with a little salt. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
HOPPER AUGERS One Man, One Stop. No Moving! Options: Q Painted Steel or Aluminum Q Manual Control or Wireless Remote Q 8” or 10” diameter
Q Available for 1, 2, or 3 Hopper Systems Q Ideal for filling Airseeders in spring and bins in fall
Q 5.9 cu. in. hydraulic motor with flow control valve Q Attaches directly to chutes on trailer
SIDE-ROLLING TARP SYSTEMS For All Grain Bodies Q Beveled pulley and spring on both ends ensure constant and uniform pressure Q Splined Universal joint for easy tension adjustments Q Aluminum end-caps
Q Swivel crank handle allows for easy rolling of the tarp system Q Ridgepole sewn into fabric on farm models, optional on semi’s Q Removable rear hood on Farm Models enable full function of the tailgate Q Available with Electric Switch Operated or Wireless Remote
Industries, Ltd.
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MAXIMIZER
The “Original” Side Rolling Tarpaulin System with precise fit.
Incorporates added width to the fabric to accommodate heaped loads.
P.O. Box 119,St. Gregor, SK., S0K 3X0
(306) 366-2184
Email: sales@michels.ca
www.michels.ca