How to Order
(and some answers to other questions)
Hello gardeners! Please read this entire page before ordering. It answers many questions about when your plants will be ready, where you can pick them up, what to expect from us, and more. If you still have unanswered questions, you can contact us at the bottom of this page.
Heirloom Plants and Your Garden
What is an heirloom? And why should I care about endangered heirlooms?
Heirloom plants are historic varieties that maintain their traits through open pollination, and whose seed results in fruit (or vegetables) just like the fruit from which it was saved. Most vegetable seed, plants, and fruit available today are hybrids (their seed will not produce fruit that is true to the parents), and are bred for their productivity, tolerance to disease (as well as to herbicides and pesticides), and endurance to mechanical harvesting methods, transport, and storage. While hybrids can be hardier, they are generally not bred for flavor or nutritional value, but instead are engineered for greater profitability. Hybrids have been the norm for commercial agriculture since 1951. As a result, many ancient and heirloom varieties are on the brink of extinction. Genetic diversity is critical to providing our species with food security, by avoiding monocrops such as that which resulted in the Irish potato famine. Did you know that today we are (again) growing predominantly one variety of potato in the western world? History has a way of repeating itself, especially for those who aren't paying attention. For more information about crop diversity, we recommend the book (and the movie) by Michael Pollan, The Botany of Desire, Gary Nabhan's book Renewing America's Food Traditions: Saving and Savoring the Continent's Most Endangered Foods, and our fledgling sister site www.chilepeppernation.com. Slow Food USA's RAFT alliance and the US Ark of Taste highlight threatened varieties, and are the basis for many of the selections in our catalog. Home gardeners like you can be the key to saving these varieties. "Eat it to save it" is a rallying cry for those of us who care about genetic diversity (and outstanding flavor!) in food crops. Pass it along...
I'm new to gardening in Arizona. When should I plant?
For most of central and southeastern Arizona, optimal Spring planting dates for tomato seedlings are between March 15 and April 15, and for chile pepper seedlings between April 1 and June 1. This is highly variable, and may shift earlier or later depending on your altitude and microclimate, this year's weather (especially frost dates), and the specifics of your garden (whether it is outdoors, in a greenhouse, on a patio, etc.). For planting dates and tips specific to vegetable gardening in Arizona, we recommend that you visit the Arizona Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener Manual.
Are all your plants suitable for my garden?
Probably not. We'd love to say "yes," but let's be realistic. Every garden is different, and desert gardens do pose unique challenges. We suggest that you choose some varieties that are better adapted to Arizona's climate, then be bold and creative with your other choices. Take practical matters into account, but also consider each variety's thrill factor. Don't be afraid to take some risks...some plants may surprise you. For instance, many varieties that originate from colder regions (such as Russian heirloom tomatoes) can do well in our similarly short growing season. We would love to recommend some favorites (and some "sure things"), but we're going to leave that up to you and your gardening buddies.
What size are your plants?
Most seedlings are at least 4" tall (there are always a few slow growers, such as Chiapas Wild, Ciudad Victoria, and Coyote). All are organically grown in roomy 3½" square pots (industry standard is 2") in a small greenhouse that is opened to the elements almost daily, exposing them to Arizona’s natural climatic conditions. They are hardened off the week before pickup and ready to transplant.
Ordering and Picking Up Your Plants
When can I order my plants?
Order early for the best selection! Many varieties sell out by mid-winter. We will leave our 2010 catalog open for as long as we have inventory available. Our 2011 catalog will open on October 1, 2010 (mark your calendar)! To reserve your selection, we must receive your order within 12 hours of the start time of the market or event you choose for pick up. If you miss this deadline, we will do our best to accommodate you!
Do I have to order online?
It depends. At the Udall Park Farmers' Market we do not sell plants on site, but you may pick up plants that you have already ordered online. At all other markets we have an extensive selection of plants for sale, but we sell out of many varieties quickly. Thus we strongly recommend that you order your plants online. This reserves your selections, and ensures that we bring them to the market for you. At most markets we also sell "Natural Selections from the Sonoran Desert" by Skeleton Creek, our other passion, so look four our booth under either name.
When do I pay? What forms of payment do you accept?
You may pay cash on pickup, or pay securely with a credit card or PayPal online. At markets and events we are set up for cash only (except at the Santa Cruz River Farmers' Market, which accepts credit/debit/EBT on our behalf).
What is the minimum order?
One plant.
Do I have to register to order?
Nope. We like to keep things simple. But register if you'd like to receive notice of our early bird sale (and a coupon) for next season's listings.
Where do I pick up my plants?
We offer plant pickup exclusively at Tucson area farmers' markets and events. See our Market Schedule for locations and dates. We do not have a retail nursery, nor do we ship our plants.
When do I pick up my plants?
Select a pickup date that is close to your planting date (don't let your plants hang out in their pots for more than a day or so). For each variety in our catalog, you can select a pickup date range (dates that have sold out do not appear). Before selecting your pickup range, check our Market Schedule to view your options. At checkout we will ask for your preferred pickup date and location (they must occur within the pickup range that you selected for your items, as each pickup range is tied to our inventory). If the date that you choose doesn't match the range that you selected, the pickup range takes precedence.
Will you remind me about my pickup date? Will you call me if I forget?
No. We don't have time during our busy season to make reminder calls, nor do we have software designed to send reminder emails. You can set up Google Calendar (it's free) and/or Microsoft Outlook to send you a reminder. See next question.
What if I need to reschedule a pickup?
Please provide at least 12 hours' notice of your need to reschedule. We don't want to stress your plants (or our backs) by bringing your plants to market if you won't be there. Check our Market Schedule, then contact us (below) with your request for a new pickup date. We will confirm the new date if there is room in our vehicle. If your order is not prepaid and you don't show up for to pay and pick up your plants and don't contact us by the end of the day, we will cancel your order. If your order is prepaid and either four weeks pass since your first scheduled pickup date, or you twice fail to give 12 hours' notice that you won't be picking up your plants that day, then we will consider that you have abandoned your plants, and will donate them on your behalf to the community garden of our choice. We're sure that this won't be necessary, but our lawyer friend (an oxymoron?) advised us to mention it...
Will I get exactly the varieties that I order?
Usually. We stock over 60 heirloom varieties, each with inventory staggered over at least eight weeks each season. That's more than 500 variables, a very tricky feat for inventory control! We can't in good conscience sell plants that are too small, yet overly large plants don't adapt as well after transplanting. Also, Mother Nature can be capricious, and our best predictions can fall prey to a hungry critter. It's a delicate balancing act. We may need to make substitutions, but it's unlikely. If you are concerned about this, we invite you to contact us with your substitution preferences. We will do our best to adhere to them. If this doesn't provide enough certainty for you, consider growing your own plants from seed. It's surprisingly enjoyable.
Why don't you list the variety that I want, for the week that I want it?
If our market schedule shows that it's in season, we probably sold out! We plant from 50 to 500 seeds of each variety each season, and sell out quickly. Each plant takes from 4 to 8 weeks to reach optimal size and strength for market. If you are placing your order is on the eve of Spring, please remember that we are dealing with living organisms, not a production line of widgets in which an inventory gap can be overcome simply with the addition of labor. Sorry, we don't make the laws of nature. Good thing...
Can I cancel my order?
When you place your order, we reserve and tend a seedling just for you. Please be certain of your selections before committing to your order. We understand that unforseen circumstances can cause changes in your gardening plans, and will accept modifications or cancellations within 7 days of your order date, no questions asked. After this grace period, we cannot accept cancellations. That said, when you commit to your order, we make a commitment to you. We promise to provide you with the highest quality plants available.
My dog ate my plants. Can I get a refund?
Uh...no. We invite you to thoroughly inspect your plants at the time of pickup. In the unlikely event that a plant is damaged or diseased, we will provide another. If we do not have another, we will offer you a cash refund on the spot. We want you to be completely satisfied! Due to many factors affecting your plants’ health after you pick them up, including everything from the drive home, to transplanting, to your soil conditions, gardening methods, the weather, and your dog, we cannot issue refunds after pickup. You are responsible for their well-being from this point forward! Oh...tomato plants are poisonous, so tell Fido to steer clear.
What if I change my contact information?
Please inform us right away! If for any reason we must postpone or cancel our attendance at a market or event, we will contact you asap using the email address and phone number that you provide. While we're on the subject, remember to add our email address to your online contacts so that our communiques don’t land in your spam folder. Our address is heirloomsX@Xaravaipa.com (remove the Xs; we inserted them to foil the spambots).
Contact Us
How can I contact you?
Our contact form appears below. We welcome your opinions and ideas. If the above Q&A didn't satisfy you, ask us for help. Please don't ask us for these two things: 1) We cannot offer gardening advice between January and June. This is our busy season and, much as we enjoy discussing gardening, we just don't have enough time to mentor. For gardening information that is Arizona-specific, we recommend the Arizona Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener Manual. You can also try your local gardening club. You'll probably find someone smarter than us anyway. 2) Please don't ask inventory questions. If you see an item in our catalog, it's probably in stock. If not, it's probably out of stock. There's always a small gray area (we say it's in stock, then a squirrel eats it, or we say it's out of stock, then serendipity occurs), but please don't try to pin us down. We do our best to adjust our inventory estimates throughout the season, and this is always reflected by our online catalog.
How soon will you reply?
If you send a question between January and June, please allow up to a week for a reply. This is our busy season, and the garden demands most of our resources. Thanks for your patience!
