EDIBLE ROUND ROBIN?
Now that the holiday season is over and the blaaa weather continues, is anyone interested in participating in an 'Edible Round Robin'? Think of all those lovely flowers, herbs, fruits & veggies you will receive, just in time for Spring planting!!!
I arranged a "Pink Round Robin" which left here October 26, and is just about finished it's 'Flight' around Canada & the USA. Has been really successful and so dreamed up the "Edible Round Robin".
I was totally amazed how well the 'Pink Round Robin' worked between Canada and the USA … in the most part. I had envisioned all sorts of 'Bureaucratic Nightmare Nonsense' between our two countries. As it turned out the majority of the 'Pink Round Robins' flew without any problems between our two friendly countries - and are still flying, on to the last few participants.
There was only one 'Round Robin Nesting Box - #4' that went astray or whatever, luckily only 3 participants in Box #4 were not in any other boxes so instead of having the Robin return to the Nest to myself, I have arranged to have the 3 participants receive my seeds. I think it is most unusual for a box to go astray but these things happen!!! Check out the site of the Pink Round Robin, it has almost completed it's flight in just over 2 months. www.expage.com/page/pinkroundrobin
Besides the obvious - HERBS, FRUITS and VEGETABLES, herewith some edible FLOWERS that would be acceptable: Borage, Calendulas (Pot-Marigolds), Carnations (Pinks), Chamomile, Chrysanthemums, Chives, Clover, Dandelions (I do not have any lawn so would personally be happy to accept some dandelions for wine making Ha, Ha!!), Daylilies, Dianthus, Elder, Gardenias, Geraniums, Gladiolus, Hollyhock, Johnny-Jump-Ups, Lavenders, Lemon, Lime & Orange Blossoms, Lilies, Lilac, Marigold, Nasturtiums, Pansies, Peonies, Primroses, Roses, Rosemary, Squash Blossoms, Sweet Violets, Tulips, Violet, Woodruff, Yarrow and Yucca all have different edible portions that are nutritious and tasty.
(Flowers are lovely tossed in a salad for a beautiful fragrant presentation.)
NOT ACCEPTABEL AS ARE POISONOUS: Azalea, Crocus, Daffodil, Foxglove, Oleander, Rhododendron, Jack-in-the-pulpit, Lily of the Valley, Poinsettia, Wisteria to name but a few.
If you are interested, in the upcoming "Edible Round Robin" please email me ASAP and let me know what you will be contributing. It MUST be a minimum of 100 seeds of any variety, package up in 10 separate packages. On each package please list growing/germination instructions, height & spread, if it needs sun or shade etc. The MORE information on each package the better for everyone. I would ask if you are contributing Bean, Corn, Pea or any LARGE seeds you restrict them to an ABSOLUTE minimum of 10 seeds per package, as they are so heavy and bulky, seeds like Plum or Apricot will have to be restricted to 5 seeds. PLEASE when packaging your seeds, make sure if you use Scotch tape or any sort of sticky tape to construct your seed envelopes, you FOLD the paper over, so the seeds are not stuck to the sticky tape, such a waste of good seeds if they are all stuck to the sticky tape!!
At this stage I do not know how many "Nesting Boxes" there will be, but because of the logistics of organization I would also ask that you only send a maximum of 3 types of seeds, ie 30 package - 10 x 3 different varieties. If you have a great deal of some type of seed, and would like to 'donate' them for the good of all, or for some unfortunate individual who does not have any seeds to send and therefore would be unable to participate, I will gladly accept your generous offer of extra seeds.
The 'Edible Round Robin' should fly out February 1, 2001 so everyone will get his or her seeds in time for Spring planting. That means I MUST have your contribution by January 25th at the latest. Email me your selection and then get those seeds in the mail to me PRONTO or ASAP!
Helen Banham
652 Maplewood Way
Ladysmith, British Columbia
Canada V9G 1S6
Mother Robin … 'Gardendragon' Helen
EDIBLE ROUND ROBIN - anyone interested?
What a wonderful idea, GardenDragon. Should be a lot of fun for everyone involved.
I'd like to make a suggestion, though. Ten seeds is really too small a number for any particular vegetable variety. For most, in order to maintain genetic vigor, you need to save seed from that many _plants_.
What I would suggest is that for the round-robin (and, in fact, for any veggie trade) you follow the SSE (Seed Savers Exchange) recommended minimums. For most plants, this means 25 seeds. Out-breeders, which require 30 plants, mean 60 seeds in a trade. And corns, which require collecting seed from at least 100 plants, should have 200 seeds in a trade.
Another suggestion is that participants contribute to the postage costs---which, obviously, will be much higher if you go with the recommended minimums. Canadians can send you stamps along with their seeds. Americans should include an international postal coupon. You'll have to come up with a resonable figure for how much postage each person should send.
Also, a reminder that large seeds like peas, beans, and squashes require padded envelopes, or else they'll get crushed by the postal machinery.
Hope this helps.
I was in Helen's Pink Round Robin. She's got a great way of doing it. Each receiver of the box pays the postage for the next part of the trip ($3.20 for Priority Mail). It works great!
HI Brook, Ten seeds is the Minimum number of seeds that were acceptable in the Pink Round Robin. Most people sent more than those in their seed packages. I just said that the seeds packages had to be restricted to 2" x 3" in size and there had to be 10 packages of the same type of seed already packaged up, I do not have time to package everyone elses seeds.
As for postage as Granny Lois said everyone sends me the original 10 packages of seed, I then put them in "Nesting Boxes" - and mail them off to the first person on the list, then the next person on the list mails to the next person. I have labels made up in the Nesting Box, and a "Flight Plan" in each Nesting Box.
If you would like to join - would be delighted to include you.
Still time to get in on the "edible round robin", need a few more participants. Email me for details.
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