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  • From: "Beth Jensen" <bjensen AT johnnyseeds.com>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] RE: Johnny's Selected Seeds and Garlic
  • Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 16:01:34 -0500


The Research Department at Johnny's Selected Seeds would like to respond
to the recent posts about Johnny's garlic varieties.

In 1992 Johnny's started selling garlic, one variety, New York White
(soft neck). In 1994 we added Elephant Garlic and German Extra Hardy
(hard neck, Porcelain type.) Then in 1999 we added a fourth variety,
Russian Red (hard neck, Rocambole type.) Since then we have not added
another variety, we have just added organic versions of these four.

In past years we have looked at a number of garlic varieties in our
trials and came to the conclusion (similar to Dr. Volk) that all the
Porcelain types looked very similar to each other, and all the Rocambole
types looked very similar to each other. We couldn't justify adding
something that was basically the same as what we were already selling.

The responses are correct in saying that it can be unethical and
misleading to rename varieties. We have not and will not rename
varieties just to "increase sales" as it appears to have been implicated
by Mr. Stern at the Roundtable of the Garlic Seed Foundation. Re-naming
of vegetable and flower varieties is quite common in the seed industry.
This allows the seed company to appear to have a unique or exclusive
variety when they do not. Johnny's is one of the few seed companies to
attempt to source varieties from the original growers/breeders. We trial
our varieties each year to be sure they are true-to-type, uniform, and
high performing. We could offer many dozens of named garlic varieties
that our customers request, but because of our trials and research, we
feel it would do our customers a disservice to offer varieties that are
essentially identical to the ones we already offer. There is a lot of
confusion about garlic varieties. Until it gets sorted out, we will
offer our selection of widely adapted varieties and continue to look for
the best of what's out there.

Johnny's Research Department
www.johnnyseeds.com



  • [Market-farming] RE: Johnny's Selected Seeds and Garlic, Beth Jensen, 03/22/2005

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