By James Wall
Young Englishman Arthur Yates migrated to New Zealand in the late 1870s to escape the damp weather of his native Manchester. In 1883 he opened a seed shop in Auckland and, during a visit to Sydney in 1886, he realised there was an opportunity to establish a similar business in Australia.
In 1887 Arthur left his brother Ernest to manage the New Zealand side of the business and set up his branch shop in Sussex St, Sydney.
My Dad bought seeds from Yates and so do I. Not only is there 125 years of tradition. There is a guarantee that seeds will germinate or your money back. What started as a family business is now part of a listed company. Companies however never forget their past and it is with great pride that Yates release their commemorative seed tin with 12 packets of vintage seed. Most of the varieties included were part of the first Yates Australian catalogue back in 1887.
It might seem rather daggy to be sowing your own seed in this day and age. Seedlings are at least 5 weeks ahead, and you could even just buy harvested vegies from the fruit shop. There are a myriad of reasons not to sow seed in this fast paced world, but that’s not stopping thousands of people that we sell seed to every year from getting down and germinating their own.
Get organised, sow your own seeds, and you will save lots of money and live naturally. You see the thing about most packets of seeds is that you don’t use the whole pack. In fact you often get several successive sowings and many seeds are still viable many years after the official use by date. You may get a little less germination, but you will get enough to feed yourself or to enjoy a little flowering treat in your own backyard. You also know what the plants have been sprayed with, and most of all, you get a sense of achievement, an inner glow. Try it and you will see.
The special edition tin is just $19.95 and contains over $35 worth of seed in a commemorative tin that you can use to store seed for many years to come. Gardenworld is offering the tin at this very special price and it is also for sale online with free delivery Australia wide. Stocks are strictly limited. Click here to purchase.
Checkout the pleasantly simple names in the tin:
Beetroot Blood Red
Carrot Manchester Table
Cucumber Apple Shaped
Foxglove Fine
Leek Musselburgh
Onion Brown Spanish
Pansy Good Mixed
Radish French Breakfast
Spinach Round
Sunflower Tall Yellow
Tomato Large Red
Watermelon Ice Cream