I am a market gardener. I just got my growers license. My market garden has always been supplemental income for the family but hubby lost his job two years ago and at our age( I will be 59 next week) there aren't any jobs out there for him. I am expanding my business and would like to offer some houseplants in the winter to go with my veggies I grow in a greenhouse. I am going to sell herbs , lettuce radishes chinese cabbage green onions and spinach this winter. I have some tulips and paperwhites growing for Valentines day. I have always had several African Violets and Christmas cactus plants since a teenager. I have a 45 year old Jade tree I bought with my allowance as a kid:). Where can I buy African Violet seeds. I used to see them all the time and now not one catalog has them for sale. I would love to get the variegated violets. I lost my blue and white spotted violet a few years ago and I miss it. Thanks for your help
LInda aka the gardenator:)
Looking for African Violet seed
Hi! Check this out. Maybe it will help you. Good Luck!!
http://nadeausafricanvioletseeds.com/Buy_Seeds.html
Thanks. I have been checking out local growers in NY State. An awfully lot of companies are no longer in business. Probably because of the cost of heating greenhouses in the North in the winter. That is how I got my tunnels. A large grower with 46 greenhouses had his heating bill go from $8,000 a month to $42, 000 a month. I bought 4 of his greenhouses. I grow veggies in them unheated. I plan on making several grow boxes for the tunnels and will germinate my plants in the house and grow them there until the weather improves. Thank goodness my house has 12 large rooms.
Linda
OHHHH those are nicer and I am ordering oval planters from Parks any way to sell mixed lettuces and herbs in. Thanks so much. Perfect
LInda
Good Luck! Just a FYI~ I believe Park seeds gets their seeds from Nadeau.
I was just researching the very same thing a few nights ago.
Just out of curiousity, why not start with Av leaves instead? Seems like it would get you marketable plants faster??? And then again you could always pollinate your own seeds!
Have fun and keep us posted, we maybe your first customers!
MsC
i have grown from seeds purchased from Park seed company. only one came from many that was double - beautiful, all others were just a blue violet flower. So not worth the effort.
growing from leaf is faster and guaranteed the same flower and leaf shape all the time, that is if the plants are registered with the AVSA. Helene
I also have had poor results with Park seeds germinating (not african violet) and remember paying a bit for a supposed bluish daylily that wound up blooming pink 3 years later! Their catalog is pretty though.
I have never been able to grow violets from cuttings. I did manage to get 2 fig trees from fall cuttings I took though. I will try again in a month or two maybe. I start thousands of plants for my market garden every year but flowers are always a problem for me.
mommagoose,
Believe me violets are much easier to grow from cuttings than fig trees or any type of fall cutting!! All of us here can help you with that.
Lynn
mommagoose,
Lynn is right...we can help for sure. I've never seen an AV that would not produce something from a leaf. They are the most willing of all the house plants to readily reproduce. You gotta give it another try! I was so surprised the first babies I got ~ I was hooked for life!
Once you ge tthe hang of it you will have them growing everywhere!! Thy're like Gremlins..lol
Welcome to the forum!
MsC
very easy, even i can start a violet leaf,
keep trying
jim
Hi Momma Goose,
I have to go along with the rest of these folks. I started some leaves in July and now don't know where to pot up all the little plants that have started. Going to have to get more flourescent lights, I guess. I will be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Earle G
I found a lot of local growers who sell leaf cuttings. I like the looks of the Russian varieties :) Especially a white one with red edges :) Tell me are there directions on this forum for starting violets from cuttings:) I am transplanting my Fig cuttings this afternoon :) Looks like another one may have begun to root. They took 8 weeks so far.
Linda
Hi Momma Goose,
I splurged and spent 2 dollars on eBay for a set of instructions. They were well written and had good photographs. I believe her store is called TeazViolets. She sells a lot of leaves and the set of instructions. Worked very well for me! I like the Russian varieties, as well, but have had limited success with the leaves I have bought. I think they spent too much time traveling.
Earle G
There is some excellent information right here on DG.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/565222/
Rob's Violet Barn is the best site for starting violet leaves. However,
Always 2 leaves same Variety. In a small solo cup cut 3 snippets from sides of bottom of cup, fill 1/2 full with 1/2 perlite and 1/2 AV soil, cut your Leaves on an angle more surface, place your leaves into this wet soil. Now either place them in a plastic bag shut completely than after one month open partially or use two 3/4" clear solocups stacked on top of each other with the leaves inside and adhere these making a dome/their own greenhouse or use store bought strawberry or something like that clams to house your solocup. - I do plastic bags - cheap -this work fine 2-3 mo or less little plantlets....