No. 72: Ecstasy

I am often asked that by customers and journalists. It is a combination of interest, curiosity, passion for collecting, luck, and a vast network of global contacts. Sometimes I strike up a spontaneous conversation with a customer who has something special to offer. Sometimes growers only grant us their assortment because we have built a bond through mutual interest and respect. Sometimes I just have to search for years to find something; a "Eureka" is not always the result... If I do then receive a small treasure, the art is to perpetuate the species. For that, we have an enthusiastic circle of professional and amateur growers who maintain dozens of species especially for us. What a fascinating profession I have! I'm actually living in my own dream....

Journalists can exaggerate quite a bit; the above title was attributed to me by Karlijn Goorts, who by the way wrote a nice article about me on the well-designed Dordrecht website "indebuurt".

There's no vegetable growing in popularity as fast as the Sweet Potato. Even serious Dutch growers are already building a solid business cultivating this virtually disease-free tuber. You harvest them just before the first night frosts, so hopefully, that's still a while off... Did you know that the Sweet Potato is a tropical plant, which you can easily propagate yourself in winter? We're lending a hand by offering a nice assortment of fresh, young plants. After purchase, it's best to put them in a larger pot, and as long as the temperature is still pleasant, they can stay outside. As soon as it gets colder, place the plants indoors in a moderately heated and very bright spot. The plants will grow considerably, allowing you to cut plenty of cuttings. I know few plants that root as easily as these! This way, in a few months, you'll have several dozen plants that can fill your garden next spring. For this nice experiment, we've created an attractive offer of 5 tasty varieties (we'll supply as many different ones as possible until stock runs low) at a sharper price: normally €19.75, now €15.00.

They're already coloring beautifully, and perhaps you've even started harvesting the ripest bunches. Hungry birds have probably been eyeing your harvest greedily, believing you've reserved it exclusively for them... To make it clear that you actually want to enjoy it yourself and to protect the bunches, we sell handy (reusable) mesh bags that you attach around a bunch.

View and order the mesh bags

They're also incredibly useful for corn cobs, as mice are already eyeing those! Speaking of grapes: our selection of successful varieties is extensive, and now is a very favorable time to plant them. The young plants can still take root before winter sets in. Have you ever dreamed of your own small vineyard? Inspired by those informative TV shows by Ilja Gort? We offer a nice starter collection at a friendly price.

I am a fairly heavy coffee drinker; fortunately, recent research has shown that it is not an unhealthy beverage. What remains after a delicious espresso from our moka pot is the grounds or dregs.
Collecting these and inoculating them with an edible fungus is, of course, a huge deal! That's why we sell so many Rotterzwam kits every year! However, at the end of spring, I overstocked a bit...

View and order the Rotterzwam Growing Kit

Since the kits have an expiration date, I am now clearing out the older spawn. This expires at the end of the month; you do have a few weeks of leeway, but it really needs to be used as soon as possible. An excellent opportunity to get acquainted with the exciting cultivation of Oyster Mushrooms. Of course, we also have fresh kits, but nobody likes to pass up a bargain, right? Normally, Rotterzwam costs €14.95. With the link below, you can order a kit for €9.95. We supply a growing bucket complete with a bag of spawn that needs to be used quickly!

While autumn-flowering bulbs are slowly thinning out (don't wait too long to order!), the assortment of spring-flowering bulbs is building up. Just a few more weeks and our "Bulb Tower" will once again be bursting with promises for the coming spring... In October, we'll even receive a special batch of Arisaema and Tacca tubers, more on that in a future newsletter. You can also order spring-flowering bulbs already; many customers have already done so! A special place in this group is occupied by Cyclamen. We don't offer those enormous tubers of hederifolium, which settle very slowly because they are sometimes already half petrified, but rather: pot-grown plants, which have a very high chance of "taking root" in the garden and (depending on the variety) will provide a surprising touch in autumn, winter, spring, or summer.

And then, of course, the autumn hit of the last 10 years: garlic! Delicious from your own garden and harvestable at any stage, although they need to be well-ripened to store them for a long time. Growers prefer to plant them in November so they don't go into winter too large. The first batches arrive with us during September, the rest at the beginning of October. See which varieties we can supply, we will probably be able to add a few more scarce varieties, as some growers are still cleaning and sorting. Prepare your soil, here you will find detailed cultivation instructions. In the wake of the garlic, several other alliums that need to be planted in autumn are also arriving: perennial leek, autumn onions, Utrecht Onions and the tastiest "grey" Shallots. This week we received the Egyptian Onions, but so many of those have already been sold that we first need to prepare the orders. Yesterday, the first 1000 wild garlic bulbs arrived, so they can also go into the ground! Finally: on the recommendation of a vegetable grower, we have also purchased a nice batch of onion sets, which can be planted immediately (also very good in the greenhouse) to be harvested as young onions after 2 months of growth: wonderfully sharp, fresh and juicy!