Kyushu U seed coop?

Innovation and R & D budget cuts here in the USA will ultimately put us behind in the world. We've become a nation of services instead of development and exporting manufactured commodities. By all appearances ... the rich are getting richer here, middle class is disappearing because that group is sliding into the low income bracket and the gap between the two is widening with low income households on the rise. If the recession is ending here, I've not seen any indication of it yet in my area. :-(

I have not seen any relief in our area either. We are still in the 9 area for unemployment rates. That's high. I know we are close to a double digit percentage rate for it and it has not went down any. The plants are constantly laying people off.

Gas prices are going through the roof. right now a lot of families are spending their checks on Gas and food. Just to be able to work, People are going to 2 income households if not more.

Our government has lost something in the long run and the people have been forgotten.If you are not a major business you do not mean anything anymore. It is sad here in the USA

Hi everyone!

Good news,

I showed my grandmother the two links from Kyushu University - I guess they were the order forms. One was blank and the other was a sample filled out. She was able to translate everything and tell me what goes where. Now all I need to know is what steps to take next.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth - The next part is picking 3 cultivars!!! That's the best part. There is a single cultivar that I would love to get seeds for. So if you are taking suggestions, I have one! LOL!

Here is where you pick which plants you want. Go to this thread: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=8516412 and click on the link under ... "And these are the corresponding photos" which has the Q number of each plant. Not all are available though. You have to see whether they are available by the color coding.

Hi Becky,

Sure! Believe it or not, I'm still at work and it's almost 9pm Saturday here. April is a tough month for students and teachers alike and I'm about to drop dead from exhaustion! Let me know what you'd like and give me instructions on how I can get these seeds out to others who are interested. I wonder if they would send me more than 3 cultivars if we were to do a group coop. That's something that I was worried about. I could use my address, my work address, and my grandmother's address, but that would cover only 3 people.
Elizabeth

That is an issue . i know I would be interested in some. I know others would be too. You can always ask does not hurt to ask.

I may be able to ask 2 more friends of mine but that still leaves us with only 5 people. I wonder if Kyushu U has a phone number? My grandma could call and ask for me. I know they have an address on their request form and she was surprised to see that the sheet requesting cultivars was directed to the chairman of the Kyushu lab. She asked me if I was doing an expirment or something! LOL.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth - If I am not mistaken, I believe that KU sends 10 seeds of each cultivar. For me personally, three seeds is all I need of any one cultivar to get a single vine. I like to have 1 seed to grow and 2 as back-up seeds ... just in case. My thoughts are to grow some vines, hopefully get seeds from it to share with everyone! And of course to have some seeds to send back to KU to build their seed stock also. Whatever you can do ... I genuinely appreciate it! And if you want to know which cultivar I am most interested in, please dmail me. I know the cultivar doesn't always produce the desired results, but I am game to try it anyway! :-)

Becky, You have Dmail!

Elizabeth

This message was edited May 3, 2011 6:56 AM

I am game to just get any of them. Would just be grateful to try something new.

Good news,

So far, I have 6 different addresses here in Korea so the odds of getting more cultivars is increasing. I will try to get more by asking coworkers and relatives that live farther away from me.

Elizabeth

Make that 7, due to another nice coworker. It's past 10 pm here so I'm going to take off now since we officially got off work at ten.

Elizabeth

Hi Elizabeth,
I was in on the co op a few years ago, and would love to be able to again try some JMG seeds if I could?
I live here up north in Bay City, so if you need more house addys I have 2 houses I can get the addys from :)
Thank You.
Tootsie

Hi tootsie,


Thanks for your offer but they would also have to be fluent in Japanese since I would be letting you take care of your getting your personal collection of seeds from Kyushu directly. Since April and May are busy months for me at my English academy, I'm trying to keep this streamlined as possible and fair so that everybody gets to try at least 2-3 cultivars. Obviously, I can't send seeds to everyone, but those I've known personally and who've been kind and generous to me these past years will be at the top of my list. I want to make sure Kyushu gets seeds sent back in the fall and we'll all be able to swap our fall harvests in a few months. Those who have been so generous with me in the past I am sure they will continue the genetic line of Kyushu's seed bank.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth

This message was edited May 4, 2011 11:50 AM

Elizabeth - Wow! You are really doing a great job of lining up folks to help us get seeds! THANK YOU! I want to remind anyone interested that there is a fee for the Kyushu seeds. I think by my calculations, it came to between $30 - $40 for each 3 cultivar order, so they are not cheap! I dmailed you a list of some that I believe are available that are also very unusual due to their bloom and leaf habits. One thing to note ... some of the most odd blooming cultivars only make seeds from the "normal" looking vines - of which you could get a seed for. And future generations of those seeds will likely produced the rarer blooming vines as well. Once it's in the genes, those rare vines can pop up at any time! KU does require seeds to be sent back to them to keep their seed bank replenished. And that also puts us back on the list for the following year. So those truly interested, also have to be committed to follow through on this. Also, these seeds are NOT to be sold! That is a stipulation by KU!

Great reminder Becky! I hope gardeners on the forum remember and respect this request by Kyushu University. I would be furious to see any of the progeny from these seeds for sale on ebay or Dave's because I offered to help deliver seeds from Japan to the USA. I will ask my 2 other aunts and any other relatives I can think of, including their workplaces. The reason I want to keep this within my family and friends is to reduce the amount of stress I have to go through as I'm undergoing a terrible cold right now, taking good old Theraflu imported from the USA for the equivalent of $8 a box. If other people know friends with Asian addresses, then they are welcome to have their own private coop, however, it will complicate things for me and at this moment, I can't handle any more stress than I already have on my shoulders.
I'm hoping to return to the States in 2 years as long as the currency exchange rate between the US dollar and the South Korean won keep going up and the Won is at a 1:1 ratio with the dollar again. Gosh I miss home sooooo bad!!!! I miss my big back yard, driving around in my Ford focus, and ordering two slices and a coke in English in a real Italian pizza place. You don't realize the things you take for granted until you are away from home!


Elizabeth

This message was edited May 4, 2011 3:24 PM

Elizabeth - First off ... I am hoping you get better quickly!!! So sorry to hear how sick you are! If you have a virus, it should runs it's course and you'll be on the road to health again very soon!

Secondly, thank you so much for even offering to try to obtain some of the Kyushu University seeds. I personally value the work that the Japanese have done in their research to create so many amazing new cultivars! And I honor their rules and requirements concerning these very special seeds. I suggest you send one application to them to see if they will accept your request. Go through the process of obtaining the seeds (if your application is accepted) and see what the cost is, how long the process is, and anything else involved. And then if is all works out well, you could then use your other addresses to obtain more cultivars.

As far as things you miss about the USA, I never even thought about Pizza! LOL! How long have you been away? I had to smile ... I have a white Ford Focus. Love that little energy and dollar saver of a car! :-) And I love your lovely photo! :-) :-) :-)

Hi Elizabeth, what a cutie, love your photo!!!.... I remember trading with you over 10 years ago, and you were lilving in your dormitory growing plants... I really admired the fact that you went to school, studied and still found time to grow a couple of plants. How did you come to be such a young gardener at that time?

Well, put me in coach... I'm ready to play. (Kyushu co-op).. I've sent you a dmail with my choices and hopefully this endeavor develops and we are able to get seeds and commit to Kyushu some of the growout seeds. If we get some seeds, you better believe that I will probably only grow those out and take care of them like if they were babies.

I know what you mean about the pizza.. that is what I missed the most while working in South America, and I also missed the crushed ice and soft drinks that you get here in the drive thru's.. They don't have that there. The simple things in life are the best!

I hope you feel better and take care of yourself. Are you guys in Winter now? Or is it a Summer cold?

A.

Becky,
here are the price that I have, it's not so expensive !
I ordered 20 cultivars for the price of 5.540 yens either dollar 60.

I've not news yet !
http://mg.biology.kyushu-u.ac.jp/mg-files/biores/documents/pricelist.html

Q 1044 from KU collection.

Dany - Did you get them directly from Kyushu University? If so, I am impressed that you were able to get 20 cultivars! I thought they were only allowing hobby gardeners to receive 3-6 cultivars per year? I hope you are approved by KU to receive them all! $60.00 is very reasonable! :-)

This message was edited May 5, 2011 8:11 PM

Hi Becky and Antoinette!

Becky - I think your idea is a good one so I will do a trial run with my address and see if things run smoothly. I'd hate to promise something and not be able to deliver. :)

Antoinette - you have a great memory! Also consider yourself in if my trial run is successful. I remember going to the local big box hardware store with my father at the age of 7 because he needed caulk for the bathroom tiles and I happened upon the seed racks there. I was fascinated with the beautiful pictures on the packages and asked my dad if I could buy some of the "pretty flower seeds". My dad is a very loving person who wanted to nurture my childish curiosity so he agreed and also bought me a seed starter kit with perlite mix complete with the plastic tray, a 72 cell pack, and clear plastic dome. The first packs of seeds I ever planted at the age of 7 were "Boy oh Boy" Marigolds, Mixed Four O'clocks, and Cosmos Sensation mix. LOL. I still remember being awed at seeing the seedlings poking their heads up from the soil. I've been hooked ever since then and even considered taking a Master Gardening certification course a few years ago. I do remember signing up for a plant propagation class at my local community college and acing it. However, due to school, I didn't have the time to pursue the Master gardening course. I remember having many fellow dorm mates stop by my room to look at the flourescent shoplights I had installed in my room during college and med school. They thought it was the coolest thing. One of these days, I will get around to it. Maybe when I come back to the USA, start my residency in child psychiatry, join a group practice, and retire. LOL. My former classroom here in Korea was full of plants and kids from other classes stopped by during break to see all the different types of plants grown from seeds sent by gardeners in the USA. They were fascinated and it reminded me of the time when I was their age and saw my first marigold seedling. :)

Elizabeth


P.S. South Korea's weather is like that of my home state of NJ, so it is early spring, but the weather hasn't stabilized yet, so it gets cold in the evening around 10:30pm when I get out of work. The fluctuating temps plus the yellow sand storm Korea gets every spring from China makes spring a miserable time for many people here. I'm particularly sensitive to temperature changes and the fact that I work with so many children and share a communal space with 8 other teachers in a small space make it easy for anyone to catch colds.

This message was edited May 5, 2011 9:32 AM

Elizabeth - That is a really endearing story about your start as a gardener! You father sounds like an awesome dad! And that's neat that your indoor lighting set-up and plants were a hit at your dorm in college. :-) Very cool! You never know what others you may have inspired to have a love of gardening from those experiences! Like a ripple in a pond. :-)

That's wonderful that you and Antoinette go back 10 years of seed trading! :-)

I didn't know you got sand storms from China! Sounds like Spring there is quite challenging for gardening during that season. Is summer the best season for gardening in Korea?

Some of the students in my class get bloody noses from temperature changes. The humidity is a real factor here. Hot and humid. Ugh.

I hope you are feeling better today!

Elizabeth, yes, you can pick up all these childhood illness from the children, I forgot about that. Even I stay away from the illness that the Older men and ladies I take classes with when they are ill. Although, after taking the flu shot the last four years, I have not had any colds and (I better knock on wood) thank my lucky stars for that too.

You said you get out of work at 10 PM, are you teaching till that time? Wow.. do you guys have different shifts like? I used to get lots of ear infections/ear aches when I worked the second shift at one of my jobs when I was in my 20's. Boy was that a huge strain on me during the winter months.

Well, back to the co-op, yes, you may have to try to get your seeds from them first to see if you can and to see how it works, it could take a long time too for all we know.

Maybe Dany knows of a time frame here, we could be looking at months from now, which doesn't matter to me, if we could get seeds, it is that anticipation... how fun.


Becky, please send me some humidity, just a little..

A.

I sent my list of 20 cultivars KU to Nicolas (Tokyo) on April 03 and since no news from KU!
Yet we can buy all year long, I think!
Other years it was only 15 days in May - Hum! we are in May and also in Japan! lol

Well, that is a great time frame, it wouldn't take so long for us either, just the paperwork. This is getting more and more exciting.

Something that we may not be considering here ...

Japan has just gone through several devastating natural and man-made disasters. It may take longer than usual to get approval and receive any seeds from Kyushu University. I truly hope that both Dany's contact and Elizabeth have success getting seeds! Patience may be a virtue in this situation!

The ones I received right after the earthquake only took about 15 days. I've got more coming so I'll let you know how long these take from date of order to receipt.

One more thing I forgot to mention is that they will first be mailed to someone in Japan, then after that to U.S. It will be the whole process that will be an interesting thing to see unfold.

That's true, Antoinette. First to someone in Japan or Korea and then to gardeners in the USA. Yup! I am very interested to see how long it takes! :-)

Well, I'm outta here for the day, I have to take care of my Troop, my 12 turtles, they look like little soldier helmets when they all come out in the mornings.. I'm cleaning their pens and making them new condos.

TTYL guys,
A.

Hi Becky and Antoinette!

It's been a few days since I last wrote, I've been feeling much better since I've been able to get rest on Saturdays this month. Unfortunately, there are no shifts at my English academy - we show up for work around 1pm and start prepping for classes which start at 4pm. Each class lasts 45 minutes and there is a 5 minute break between each class and one 10 minute break between 6:35-6:45pm to get a quick bite to eat. There are 7 classes that I teach on a full day, and since I'm the only science teacher there, (there is no backup or substitute teacher system set up at my school), I cannot call in sick unless I'm deathly ill and admitted to the hospital. It's been really tough to get in a decent meal during the years I've been teaching and I've talked to my director about hiring additional teachers to allow at least one free class period (45 minutes) during the day to get a decent meal in our bellies. Classes finish at 10 and then we have to write teachers reports about how the day went before going home. How are we expected to teach if we cannot eat properly? It's a tough schedule, but I've gotten used to it. Teachers bring in finger food like bananas, raisins, apples, whatever you can manage to take a bite of between classes.
I just had a science project regarding plants approved by my director so my elementary school students will be planting seeds from trades I received in the USA and keeping a written and photo journal about their growth. They will be making a powerpoint presentation at the end of June to their classmates. I did this with my other students last year and they were so excited to be planting seeds from generous gardeners in America. It was a rewarding experience for both me and the students. Many of them planted morning glories like heavenly blue, Scarlett O'Hara, Flying Saucers, and Grandpa Ott among other American standards like heirloom tomatos, common herbs like lime and lemon basil, and different types of flower seeds unavailable over here. Seeing them take pictures of the blooms and getting text messages and photos from excited students who've never seen such varieties that we take for granted gave me a new appreciation for home. We may think them common since we are into Japanese MGs, but to these young minds, they were living jewels that came from generous gardeners in the United States of America, a country that I'm proud to be a citizen of and call home. They've never seen such colors or variations like what you would see in Heavenly blue, Flying Saucers or Milky way so I think I may have instilled the passion for gardening in some of them as well! Many of them also had tomato fruits on their plants and their parents had many positive comments about my classes which eventually reached my director! I was very humbled to have made such an impression on their children. If we're going to spend a month learning about photosynthesis, I figure it's much more interesting to see the process for oneself instead of reading about it from a boring textbook! LOL.
As for the mailing time to the US, I just received a trade from Wisconsin that took a record of only 4 days and a recent trade that I mailed back to her took less than a week. I will take a look at the seed selection at the link that Dany and Becky gave us this week and mail out a request form ASAP as I'm sure you're all waiting in anticipation for this to work out. It's Sunday morning, 7:45 am here and the weather has warmed up to a nice spring. The cherry blossoms are bloooming everywhere and it's a breathtaking sight to behold. The yellow sand storm that Korea gets annually from China during the spring is the only drawback as it gets in your hair and lungs. Many people wear cotton masks to cover their noses and mouths during this time. However, summer will be arriving soon - the weather pattern is very similar to NY and NJ except for the monsoon season we get every June to August and the awful humidity that comes with it, and I've already seen many gardeners holding permits for plots of land sowing their seeds the past 2 weeks. I'm sure many people on this forum are excited about this Kyushu project working out so I'll keep everyone updated on the outcome of this project as it unfolds...

Elizabeth





This message was edited May 7, 2011 5:49 PM

Oh, and Japan is only an hour's flight from Korea so mail delivery time between Kyushu University which is in the Northern part of Japan not affected by the tsunami should only be a few days. That plus the mailing time from Korea to the US should allow people to receive their seeds within 2 weeks after Kyushu gets their applications if everything goes well with my trial run. I'll keep everyone posted!

oooh, good going Elizabeth sounds like a good plan,

... I don't know how you are still standing at the end of each day with schedules like those. Good thing you are a youngster..lol


A.

Elizabeth - My fingers are crossed that you are approved by KU and everything goes smoothly! :-)

I have to tell you that I can't believe how horrible your school schedule is. I work 7.5 hours a day at a primary school. I eat lunch but it is with the students in the cafeteria! At least I get 30 minutes to actually eat something which I usually bring from home and can heat up in a microwave. I honestly never leave the students in my class except to go to the bathroom or run to do copying or a quick visit to the school office for something. The office is just a few feet from my classroom. At the end of the day, I am exhausted. But I have a family and I come home to take care of them after working all day! I fall into bed sleeping before my head hits the pillow some nights! LOL! I fully understand how you feel! I sure wish you got a 30 minute break to eat a real meal. That is so unhealthy! I am so sorry your schedule doesn't allow you a longer break!

Here in Florida and some other states, the politicians are currently going after the state workers ... mainly those in the teaching profession to cut benefits and wages. The USA needs to do something about it's huge deficit, so teachers have become the current scapegoat. I believe it is a deflection tactic to redirect attention away from the politicians. Why would anyone go after a teacher who only makes $30,000 a year when the politicians make $100,000+ a year? The USA sure seems to be top heavy with our current national, state, and local governments. The rich are getting richer, the middle class are sliding into low income, and the low income are now at poverty level or worse. There seems to be no respect for anyone in the teaching profession in many states in America. It really makes me discouraged that we, as teachers, are shaping the future of our country and the world through the students we teach, yet we are seen as the bad guys because of the misconceptions that some government agencies are promoting. It's especially discouraging for any college students thinking of getting into teaching as a career. I have heard that many teachers are now considering leaving their teaching careers to pursue a different career. I am only a teacher assistant and this year will be my 3rd year of taking a pay cut. Pretty soon, I'll have to pay the state to work as an assistant! LOL! I shouldn't laugh ... it's almost true. :-(

Anyway, I am so glad to hear that you are feeling better. Do you work 5 or 6 days a week? I hope they get another teacher there to spread the schedule out so that you do get a 45 minute break to eat and do whatever else you need to keep up with your busy teaching schedule!

We also grow plants in our class. I do believe more students learn by hands-on than by reading about it in a text book. You are right ... B O R I N G!!!! LOL! My students love science. We do many experiments in our class and expose the students to the world around them in new and exciting ways. It's wonderful to see the sparkle in their eyes when they "get it"!!! And I love doing the experiments with them! A lot of fun! :-)

I have a question for you ... Why are classes taught at night instead of during the day?

Hi Becky,

The English academy I teach at is one of the "optional" extracurricular activities that the majority of Korean students participate in after they get out of their regular school day which ends at 3pm. It's unbelievable to see how hard they study in this country - I now know what my parents had to go through when they were young. However, they didn't have English academies back then. I believe the school hours were longer - more like 7 am till 5pm back then.
Anyway, most of my students study at more than one academy - the other one besides English is usually Math. Some other students also take martial arts classes in addition to art or music. Although I'm of Korean descent, I am so glad that I didn't have to grow up here! They are required to wear uniforms once they reach the 7th grade, which is the start of intense studying leading up all the way to college. Sheesh. I feel like telling their parents to let them be kids and enjoy their childhood while they can. They also have to attend school every other Saturday, which really stinks.
I work 6 days a week usually but due to exam period in April and early May, I have been blessed with my Saturdays off. So far... I am not looking forward to working Saturdays again. It's not too bad on the weekend since it's from 2pm-6pm, but I hate the schedule because it's smack in the middle of the day and I can't go anywhere far during the weekend due to work.

About the Japanese MGs from Kyushu - I asked my grandmother this morning if there was a limit on the number of cultivars one could request and after reading over the request form again, she said there was no limit. Perhaps that was how Dany was able to get 20 cultivars? Dany, maybe you can help clear up this question. It would be great if there were no limits, but I figure the limit is the number of lines they give you to fill out under the cultivar column of the order form. The sample form that they filled out just happened to have 6 cultivars according to my grandma. Now I'm really getting confused. Anyone who can shed light on this?

Elizabeth

You know, we saw that and I'll bet you are correct, maybe we just assumed it was for a certain number. It would be great to be able to get more than the 6 cultivars per person. There are a few/many more that I'd love to get. Say thank you to your grandmother for all of us. Hopefully Dany will let us know also.
A.

I distinctly remember seeing a limit to how many a home gardener can order last year. But perhaps that has since changed. I do see repeated references for "processing of nine large sides", so maybe that is the new maximum limit of cultivars to request. I really have no idea. But go for it! If you request too many, they may send you a reply back via email to clarify the limit (if there is indeed one).

Elizabeth - I agree with you that having to start work at 2 pm just messes up any plans for the day. And having to work Saturdays sometimes ... ugh!!! I need my two day weekend to get prepared for the work week. That's pretty impressive if most of the students attend these classes which are "optional" extracurricular activities! Here in the USA, extracurricular activities are usually sports, band, gymnastics, etc. or various student clubs that can range from religion to science, art, boy or girl scouts, or anything you can think of! Not all have adult teachers either. Though many are volunteer parents!

Just wanted to update on shipping from Japan, my seeds from there were sent to me on the 4th of May and I got them yesterday, so the mail system is working there as normal I guess, because that is really quick I think. 12 days, almost same as Dany's.

Thanks, Antoinette! That's good to know! I think the areas of Japan that were most affected were the northeastern range where the tsunami did all the damage. Luckily, Tokyo and some of the larger cities were not damaged at all. :-)

Hi Everyone,

Just an update to let you know that I've emailed Kyushu University inquiring about their address which is printed in English. It just sounded weird to me so I asked them to email it to me in Japanese so I could just enlarge, copy, and paste it onto my request envelope. You may all have been wondering why I haven't gotten on this sooner. Both me and my grandmother have been ill at different times so the timing wasn't good at all.

Also, I have been so busy the past month. Sorry that I haven't been able to get on this project sooner. The language barrier is definitely a factor plus the fact that my grandmother doesn't have The Internet at her house. I wish that I were fluent in Japanese! I'm amazed at the folks who have contacts in Japan to send them seed packets.
Anyways, I've also been promoted to head teacher a few days after my last posting so my workload has doubled.

I will let you all know when I hear from the University. Looking at the Kyushu order form, it looks like one can order up tp 400 varieties which would cost almost 87,000 Yen! I asked them about limits and whether I could send them a list via email too. So, lets keep our fingers crossed! Also, let's keep praying for the Japanese people. I know the Rakuten internet market site that Dany recommended said that they are no longer selling asagao plants due to the earthquake. This is a terrible disaster for the country.

Elizabeth



This message was edited Jun 22, 2011 7:30 AM