The Sower

03/05/2026

2026 at THE SOWER

And just like that, planting time is knocking on the door!!

Our planting schedule begins March 31st. Onions, asparagus, poppies Will be planted first. The end of April, all the seedlings will have been planted. Germination rates and development rates are different for each variety of seedling, so we try to have them all ready to sell by the end of May. Then the rush is on to have them all sold and picked up by June 5 so that we can use our Greenhouse to plant our own seedlings.
SEEDLING CATERGORY OVERVIEW
Onions: white, red, yellow [Talon, Blush, Spanish]
Bell Peppers: New Ace, California Wonder
Hot Peppers: Jalapeno, Pathfinder, Cayenne
Slicing Tomatoes: Beef steak, Big Beef, Scotia
Cooking Tomatoes: Roma
Cherry Tomatoes: Tiny Tim, Sun Gold, Sweet million, Red Alert
Ground Cherry: Aunt Molly
Field Cucumbers: Marketmore, Straight 8
English Cucumbers: English Telegraph, Summer Dance, Tasty Green
Squash Butternut: Prism
Squash Buttercup: Waltham Buttercup
Pumpkin: Howden
Zucchini: Dark Green
Flowers: Limelight, Marigold, Pink Poppy
Miscellaneous: Swiss Chard, let, Asparagus, Basil

PRE-OORDER IINFORMATION
We do take orders which helps us stay organized And gives us an indication of how busy we will be. It is very helpful if orders come in email format to avoid getting lost in the plethora of social media platforms. Please use [email protected]
Please include
• Full Name
• Phone Number
• Variety Name
• Quantity Of Each
2026 at THE SOWER

And just like that, planting time is knocking on the door!!

Our planting schedule begins March 31st. Onions, asparagus, poppies Will be planted first. The end of April, all the seedlings will have been planted. Germination rates and development rates are different for each variety of seedling, so we try to have them all ready to sell by the end of May. Then the rush is on to have them all sold and picked up by June 5 so that we can use our Greenhouse to plant our own seedlings.
SEEDLING CATERGORY OVERVIEW
Onions: white, red, yellow [Talon, Blush, Spanish]
Bell Peppers: New Ace, California Wonder
Hot Peppers: Jalapeno, Pathfinder, Cayenne
Slicing Tomatoes: Beef steak, Big Beef, Scotia
Cooking Tomatoes: Roma
Cherry Tomatoes: Tiny Tim, Sun Gold, Sweet million, Red Alert
Ground Cherry: Aunt Molly
Field Cucumbers: Marketmore, Straight 8
English Cucumbers: English Telegraph, Summer Dance, Tasty Green
Squash Butternut: Prism
Squash Buttercup: Waltham Buttercup
Pumpkin: Howden
Zucchini: Dark Green
Flowers: Limelight, Marigold, Pink Poppy
Miscellaneous: Swiss Chard, let, Asparagus, Basil

PRE-OORDER IINFORMATION
We do take orders which helps us stay organized And gives us an indication of how busy we will be. It is very helpful if orders come in email format to avoid getting lost in the plethora of social media platforms. Please use [email protected]
Please include
• Full Name
• Phone Number
• Variety Name
• Quantity Of Each

Send a message to learn more

03/05/2026

2026 at THE SOWER

And just like that, planting time is knocking on the door!!

Our planting schedule begins March 31st. Onions, asparagus, poppies Will be planted first. The end of April, all the seedlings will have been planted. Germination rates and development rates are different for each variety of seedling, so we try to have them all ready to sell by the end of May. Then the rush is on to have them all sold and picked up by June 5 so that we can use our Greenhouse to plant our own seedlings.
SEEDLING CATERGORY OVERVIEW
Onions: white, red, yellow [Talon, Blush, Spanish]
Bell Peppers: New Ace, California Wonder
Hot Peppers: Jalapeno, Pathfinder, Cayenne
Slicing Tomatoes: Beef steak, Big Beef, Scotia
Cooking Tomatoes: Roma
Cherry Tomatoes: Tiny Tim, Sun Gold, Sweet million, Red Alert
Ground Cherry: Aunt Molly
Field Cucumbers: Marketmore, Straight 8
English Cucumbers: English Telegraph, Summer Dance, Tasty Green
Squash Butternut: Prism
Squash Buttercup: Waltham Buttercup
Pumpkin: Howden
Zucchini: Dark Green
Flowers: Limelight, Marigold, Pink Poppy
Miscellaneous: Swiss Chard, let, Asparagus, Basil

PRE-OORDER IINFORMATION
We do take orders which helps us stay organized And gives us an indication of how busy we will be. It is very helpful if orders come in email format to avoid getting lost in the plethora of social media platforms. Please use [email protected]
Please include
• Full Name
• Phone Number
• Variety Name
• Quantity Of Each

Send a message to learn more

05/19/2025

“The time has come, the walrus said,
To speak of many things”
I need to do to get my garden ready.
The tradition of planting gardens on the long weekend of may is beginning to be an anachronism. This year has been, in the famous words of John Cleich, “right out”.
The SOWER started planting seedlings green house in late March to be ready for you to pick up for transplanting in your garden this week (Beginning May 19). We have the usual and traditional varieties of onions, tomatoes, Peppers, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, pumpkins as well as a few items such as kale, lettuce, Swiss Chard, Cilantro, Summer savory and asparagus.
We do not advise planting tender vegetables before the first week of June. June 10 is our traditional start date, and even then, we watch for cold, unexpected temperatures to occur during the nights surrounding the full moon which occurs the week of June 10. Although we may feel we are starting late for the race, our plants mature at the same time as those planted much earlier.
We are usually open for business from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM. Those who cannot fit that into their schedule can make special arrangements by e-mail or phone. We accept cash or E transfer. If you know when you are coming, it is very helpful for us to know ahead of time so that we can have your plants packed and ready to go home. If you are purchasing rhubarb to make the famous strawberry rhubarb pies, we have a great supply and time will be saved if we know what time you are coming and we will have it harvested A few minutes before you get here.
We appreciate Being able to serve you in this way.
E-mail: [email protected]
Mobile: 506 866 5052
Home: 506 856 6081

Send a message to learn more

01/29/2025

2025 at the SOWER

Here we grow again! Thank you to our many valued customers for your years of buying our seedlings and enjoying the gardening family. Today, with the wind chill of -23°, some might deem it ridiculous to be thinking of gardening, but the avid gardeners can't stop thinking and planning and browsing all the seed catalogs.

Here at the SOWER, planning for 2025 really began last summer. With the help of a generous gift from a friend, we constructed 8 raised beds for which we thank our friend and for which our knees will thank us.

Pricing is another issue that we wrestle with each year. For most of the last decade our price of $2.00 per potted plant has not changed. Although we have kept our price at $2.00, other similar growers have kept up with increasing costs and last year, we noticed prices were commonly $5.75 plus tax. We are able to keep our price much lower because our overhead expenses are much less; we have no paid staff. However, $2.00 per plant no longer covers the expense to produce the product. As we have all experienced, gardeners and non gardeners alike, the cost of heating the greenhouse has skyrocketed over the past year especially. In addition, the price of seeds has risen by 46%. For those reasons, we have been pushed to increasing our price to $2.50 per potted plant. Those who have been buying from us over the past few years have recognized that our product is of high quality and that the price and the service are of good value.

Listed below are the vegetable types that we will be offering as seedlings this year:
TOMATOES: slicing, cherry, plum, cooking, ground cherry
CUCUMBERS: field, English, pickling
SQUASH: butternut, buttercup, pumpkin, zucchini
PEPPERS: bell/sweet, Jalapeno, cayenne, pathfinder, cubanelle
HERBS: summer savory, cilantro, parsley, basil....
GREENS: swiss chard, kale, romaine lettuce
ONIONS: talon, blush, oneida, sweet spanish, chives, garlic chives
ANNUALS : marigolds, limelights,
PERENNIALS: asparagus, pink poppy, grapes

As in the past, you can place an order to be picked up at the end of May. It is very helpful if you would use e-mail [[email protected]] to place your order. We find that orders placed on social media platforms such as Facebook sometimes disappear

WHEN TO PLANT
Generally, follow the instructions on your seed package. More specifically, when to plant seedlings such as tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, outdoors is somewhere between an art, a science and a gamble. We have always suggested June 10, but that is not a hard and fast rule; there's a higher risk of frost in the days leading to and away from a full moon or a new moon. The full moon in June, 2025 is June 11, so the June 10 rule is questionable this year.Vesey seed company says that the last frost date for 2025 in the Moncton area falls between May 11 and May 21. That might lead to some people planting tender seedlings in the middle of May, and we would discourage people from planting that early. The middle of May might be safe for planting root crops. The bottom line to the debate is to watch the weather forecast carefully and recognize that any forecast more than seven days in advance has a high probability of being inaccurate.

We welcome feedback end questions about our 2025 season and the product's that we are offering.
Have a great season
Ann and Denison

Send a message to learn more

05/23/2024

THE SOWER HAS SOWN
and the seedlings are mostly ready. Multiple varieties of tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, onions, lettuce, charred, Peppers, and more. We are open 10 AM until 4:00 PM each day. We also arrange by appointment beyond those hours. For the most part, we have maintained the same price of $2.00 per plant since 2016.
“We pick” rhubarb is now available at $3 per pound. We pick it for you after you arrive to assure that it is fresh, fresh, fresh
We are at 47622 homestead Rd., 4 minutes straight up the hill from Magnetic Hill McDonald's. Phone us at 506 856 6081. Mobile: 506 866 5052 or 506 866 0422.
We accept cash or E transfer. E-mail: dk tate at nb net dot nb dot ca

03/03/2024

We gardeners have been thinking about what we're going to be growing this season. Today is March three, 2024 and many of us are finding it difficult not to start our seedlings already. Of course, there are some vegetables that can be started this early such as onions, leaks, chives, asparagus and perhaps a few very special items that will not die before it's time to plant them outside.
The SOWER will be planting onions in the middle of March. The germination time for most onions is about 7 days. We will need to move them to the greenhouse where they will receive direct sunlight by the 1st of April. Otherwise the seedlings will be weakened even though growing under grow lights for a week.
During the months of April end Early May, we will be planting tomatoes and cucumbers and peppers and squash and pumpkins of many varieties for sale at the end of may. There will also be several plantings of lettuce, herbs, chard, etc so that we have a continuous fresh supply.
As always, we caution against the urge to plant seeds too early. One also needs to think about maturity time that fits your schedule. Although carrots can be planted direct seed in your garden quite early in the season, planting them too early will result in the need to harvest before cold weather sets in in the fall. If you were hoping to be able to store carrots for the winter, they need to be timed for harvesting after warm weather is behind us in the fall. The key too long storage for carrots and other root vegetables is to avoid harvesting too early. Carrots and turnips and other root vegetables will not store well in temperatures above 10° Celsius.
We do encourage you to order your seedlings early so that we can have them ready for appropriate planting time. Setting out your seedlings before the end of the first week in June [June 10 is always a target date] will almost always result in Las due to frost. A few days after the new moon or after the full moon in June is a date to keep in mind.
Ann and Dennison
[email protected]

01/21/2024

Welcome back to the SOWER. We hope you are still enjoying some of the fruits and vegetables that you grew in the 2023 season. The hard work that you put into caring for your seedlings and the maturing edibles hopefully has paid off as you sit down to a home cooked, homegrown meal from time to time. It's good to know where your food has come from and how it has been grown and how it has made its way to your table.
If your seedling journey began here with us, we thank you again. It is our plan for the most part, to replicate the varieties of seedlings that we provided last year. Orders have begun to arrive by e-mail and the work of planning is well underway here at the SOWER. We have had encouraging and kind comments about the seedlings that we sold last year.
It has been helpful to us to have your orders placed early to allow us to start the varieties of seedlings that you are looking for. Although we cannot meet every need, We have been able to supply most requests. If you wish to order, you can contact us at [email protected] or on Facebook. If you wish to speak with us by phone, our home number is 506 856 6081. You can text us at 506 866 0422.

08/10/2023

Storing Carrots
Perhaps you have planted carrots this year and have had success. Not everybody has been so fortunate this year. We like to imagine having fresh carrots from our garden for Thanksgiving and maybe even for Christmas. You might have discovered the perfect way to store carrots so that they last well into the winter. If you have never tried or if you have tried and failed to keep your carrots from spoiling, here is a tip worth considering.
Carrots keep best when they are kept cold. At or slightly above 0o Celsius is the temperature required for long term storage. A cold room is not a cold room in September or October. It might not reach the required degree of cold before November. If your carrots are harvested before the cold room is cold, the carrots will deteriorate while waiting for those low temperatures. As long as your carrots are not harvested, they will maintain their good quality. Therefore, keeping your carrots in the ground until the cold room is ready is the first requirement. We leave our karats in the ground until the night before a hard freeze. One year, we misjudged the ideal date for harvesting and they froze in the ground. We harvested them with a pickaxe and they still lasted all winter. Once the carrots are harvested, wash them and break the green leaves close to the top of the carrot and store them in buckets. No need for sand or sawdust; just thrown carefully and loosely in a bucket in the cold room will do the trick. Although we have a cold room, we actually store our carrots in buckets in the garage which we keep heated to just above freezing.