Ford's Seeds

Last Tuesday was cold, rainy, and fairly miserable.
The perfect setting to check out a new gardening resource.

Welcome to  

Ford's Seeds.

This Southern treasure is about 25 minutes from our hometown

and well worth the drive.

Started in 1920 and relocated down the street in 1928,

Ford's Seed Store is a staple of downtown Gastonia.

It's a seed store, but SO much more!

You can find their facebook page here.

Although the day was gloomy,
this place picked my spirits right up.
The pansies and other plants outside proved too tempting
to go home empty-handed.
Is anyone else getting that itch to plant something- anything?
I brought home a couple of flats of cheerful pansies to hold me over until the veggie sowing begins.

As soon as I stepped inside, I felt at home.
The jars that line the back wall contain every seed imaginable.
One of the benefits of shopping in this more personal venue,
is that seeds can be acquired by the ounce,
so that you can get exactly what you need.
This family-owned business is all about
customer satisfaction.
David Long, the owner, showed me the difference 
between a few of the roomy glass jars.
Some of them fit in one's hand like a glove
while others were just a bit cumbersome to handle.
The smaller jars were said to be moonshine jars.
What a kick, huh?
He also shared with me that early on,
folks often used to barter for supplies,
bringing in eggs or produce to trade for items.

The greenhouse was hosting an amazing array of herbs, ornamentals and veggies.
Their seedlings are way ahead of mine here at home,
and they look as healthy as can be.

If this doesn't inspire you to start growing,
I don't know what would.

In another area of the store, potted plants and cut flowers are available.
It was surprising to see even tropical plants for sale.
What a great place to find a gift for the plant lover in your life.
Everything I saw looked so well-cared for.

In another area (the store has expanded into the next two shops),
were birdfeeders and birdhouses as far as the eye could see.

We are looking to enlarge our feeder supply this spring,
so we can peruse the selection at Ford's.

Big K collects Lego campers,
and I couldn't help but think of him
when I saw these two cuties.

You need pots, watering cans or decorative baskets?
This place has options galore!

There are all sorts of garden-themed adornments available for your patio, porch or home.

The wooden birdhouses were quite appealing.
Having a place for our feathered friends to rest and roost
has become one of our goals for this spring.

I picked up some Yukon Gold potato seeds,
which were weighed on an old-fashioned scale.
This will be the first time I am growing any kind of white potato,
and I know that I am off to a good start by buying them here.

One of the main purposes of my trip to Ford's
was to pick up this fertilizer.
They are the closest location that carries it
and fortunately, they had some in stock.
This is the same turkey poop that Faye, Lynn and I used in Florida
for our Farm School posts,
and Farmer Lynn swears by it.
I brought home a couple of bags 
and hope to acquire a few more soon.

Ford's also has a gift shop just down the street
with all kinds of decor for your home or office.
I'm hoping to get there in the next few weeks and do a post on the shop.
The sign here says it all about this gem of a place.

Unfortunately,

Ford's Seeds closed in 2023.