Newsletter,
May 2014
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Ton Vreeken ❞At our company, May and June are strange months. Peak season in the plant nursery, lots of work for the packing team, but the seed team is already working on next season and licking its wounds...
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Plants, plants, and more plants!Our (small, organic) growers can just about keep up with demand, the sales garden is packed with the most fascinating edible plants (see chapters Fruit and Edible Plants). I enjoy it on two fronts: a) it's wonderful that we've been able to gather all these plants, it was a dream idea I had 10-15 years ago, and b) all those happy customers, walking around with baskets full of promises and muttering, "I've been looking for that for so long."
If you have an outstanding plant order: new varieties will continue to arrive until early June, so we may wait a little longer with shipping until the order is as complete as possible.
Big Clearance Sale
We're having a big clear-out in the shed: the garlic, flower bulbs, edible bulbs & tubers, and seed potatoes can all go now. Not everything is gone yet, so we'll post the offer again below (possibly with slight changes). But first... the annual run on our last asparagus plants!
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1) Asparagus plants, year after year from your own garden or pot!We store them as cool as possible; the plants are in good condition and can be planted until mid-June. There are 2 very fertile varieties, both suitable for "white" (with cover soil) or "green" cultivation (without cover soil). For this offer, we will mix them because the differences are quite small. Be quick, as experience teaches us that this offer will sell out fast.
30 plants (value € 26.70) now for € 14.90
100 plants (value € 69.00) now for € 39.00
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2) What is fresh garlic?If garlic is given a short growing period, you harvest it juicy and "fresh", meaning not yet fully ripe. This cultivation method is increasingly popular. If you help us clear the remaining stock, that garlic will have a shorter growing period and will be deliciously fresh in late summer!
25 bulbs for € 7.50
50 bulbs for € 12.50
100 bulbs for € 19.90
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3) New potatoes in late summer: is that possible?For years we've been advising customers to plant some potatoes in June for a delicious "young potato" in the autumn.
9 out of 10 times a successful crop, so worth trying. And that happens to coincide with our big potato clearance sale... Empty Vreeken's cold storage and click here for the "End of Year Packages".
No more room in the garden?
A few potatoes will fit in any pot or bag; we even sell special "potato growing bags". But a stack of car tires is also suitable, by the way...
If you manage, for example, a city nursery for a food bank: feel free to contact us for a donation.
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4) If you have a few spots left for "color-in-the-garden"We still have a small number of packages of beautiful summer flowering bulbs or tubers. Also great as a gift, we offer up to 55% discount!
From these packages you can choose a package for a small to medium-sized spot.
A little more discount for an extra large package!
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5) Easier than sowing...... is planting edible bulbs and tubers. We are busy planting them out, but still have some to spare for enthusiasts: onions and shallots for a tasty tender onion, South American Oca and Ulluco for delicious, nutty tubers, Madeira Vine and Chinese Yam are elegant climbers with edible tubers. Together with some garlic and special potatoes, they form a package worth € 40.00 that you can now fill your garden with for only € 19.50! Cultivation in pots is also excellent.
News
Almost every day I add new varieties and products to the site. It's like a party behind the computer... This year and last year, many flower seed suppliers have reduced their assortment, which for me is an incentive to add all sorts of beautiful varieties from different sources. So keep an eye on the "New" button on my site!
Having written this, I would of course like to get you excited about a few varieties that I'm enthusiastic about:
- Multi-headed Cauliflower, a bonus from nature
- A variation on the much-loved Palm Cabbage: with deeply cut leaves!
- Single-flowered Marigolds are immensely popular! The 'Linnaeus' stands out nicely due to its height (up to 1m) and deep chestnut-red color.
- Perhaps the most beautiful Zinnia that exists, just take a look and/or read
In late summer and autumn, I often post news of this caliber on Facebook. Are you already following me on this platform? Click here
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» What can you still sow?In general, it's now time for beans, brassicas, root vegetables, and leafy greens. Additionally, fast-growing annuals and mixtures can still be sown until mid-June at the latest for a slightly later bloom. Biennials and perennials that germinate with warmth can also be sown now. It's great that we're now experiencing alternating rain and sunshine: you could hardly wish for more growth-friendly weather. I wouldn't mind if the heat stayed away for a while longer...
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To be continuedSoon I will send a Newsletter or Newsflash. Hopefully, we can then announce the sale of special tomato and pepper plants, but my grower hasn't responded yet... In the meantime, browse the site for an original FATHER'S DAY GIFT! Delivery time is currently within 1 week in most cases, and within a few days for urgent orders!
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See you soon! Ton Vreeken, end of May 2014 ❞A personal note in closing
On Thursday, May 22, a good friend and former employee of ours, Ingrid Boesten-Vos, was laid to rest. She was 41 years old, and despite the great distance (her husband and 2 children live in Kelowna, Canada), we maintained good and quite intensive contact before and during her illness. You can imagine that this sad loss weighs heavily on us; we talk a lot with her Dutch family and friends and reminisce. For my business, she was a breath of fresh air and a constant force for change. We had an enormously enjoyable time with her, and even now (although it's almost 20 years ago), traces of her diligence can still be found in my store. Besides being a practical powerhouse, she was a beautiful person who, through her honesty and disarming personality, quickly got to the heart of every encounter or conversation. A tribute and much comfort and strength for her family at the end of this newsletter.