Great, 'cat! Alas - so far I have not marked anything!
Spectacular 2007 Cottage Garden Seed Swap #4
I'm trying to figure where I could put another set of shelves. I have a HUGE basement (DH says we could mate elephants down there LOL, or add a bowling alley... your choice). Trouble is, I can't always take the stairs. I would have to be down there at least once or twice a day. So the basement is out.
We'll have to get you a winch, grampapa ....
HOLY COW! Ohmygosh, Ohmygosh, Ohmygosh! This is killing me! Today was my town's Christmas light put-up day of which I am an active committee member. I just popped home to let the dog out and stopped at the PO on the way. Now here I am with this GIGANTIC envelope of seeds and I don't have time to look at a single one of them. The official "lighting of the town" will happen in about 15 minutes with a bon fire and adult beverages to follow. I will be cutting this one short so I can get back home to run my fingers through these seeds. I'm rich, I'm rich! Muahahahahaha.
lala jane's post is great :) I GOT MINE TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel the same way but I was able to open mine ~ no tree lighting ceremonies here to stop me...and I've been sitting at the table ever since with all the seeds spread out...examining each and every one. Admiring everyone's different packages and dreaming of just where I can plant them :)
I really enjoy gardening, this is the best! THANK YOU EVERYONE for all your efforts saving, sorting, packaging and sending in your seeds!!!!!!! and special THANKS TO YOU SUZY!!!!! ...really appreciate all your efforts for us :)
One of my favorite things to do during the 'off season' is plan next years garden changes and additions. I sure have alot to plan for this time! and I think it is a great idea to post photos of what blooms from this swap as people have suggested.
THANKS AGAIN EVERYONE!!!!!...DG is a wonderful service to bring us all together like this from all over the country :) Have a blessed Thanksgiving too!
~in gardening friendship,
Diana
Oh, yeah WZ, That would work here, NOT! -- I can barely handle the 12 flats I have now!
For one thing, I just TODAY finished my WSing planting from Spring! Is that pathetic or what? For so long it just seemed that no matter how long I worked, or how hard I worked, the numbers of plants were going up, not down.
You must be very efficient -- all those seed packs are handmade, all those seeds are soooo clean, and then you have daily watering a misting of the flats -- I believe I am too inefficient to accomplish all that you do.
Wind, LalaJane and Seandor, I am so happy that you are happy! Yes, there are a lot of seeds, but you know the old saying, "Plant 'em closer!" LOL!
I guess we're still waiting on the west coast and Louisiana and Florida. Shoot! I was really hoping they'd get them on Saturday instead of Monday, but maybe we'll hear later for the west coasters.
Suzy
Suzy
Yahoooo! Mine came yesterday. I pawed through them and now I am going to go through and look up the info for each in the plant files. Thanks to everyone, especially Suzy for such an amazing swap!!!! Rachel
Drat! I was hoping you were going to say they came, Pam.
That's a good point about Feb., and I'm sure no one is going to love every single pack in the envie. Plus, some of those packs of seed that came through were enough for 3 packs of seed....no way a person could use them all if they all germinated. I am planning to split out about half the seeds in a lot of the packs and turn in the other half into the swap. On the other hand, on some of the packs I want to do some direct sowing because it's easier and faster in the long run. I can afford to do it with some of the full packs I got.
To all -- There are several varieites I am worried about: My Veronica Sunny Border Blue and Little Joe Joe Pye Weed and Gram's Heleniums come to mind. Even though the packs are stuffed full, the germination on these is likely to be very low because they are likely triploids. If you have these, and want the plant, then you will need to sow all the seeds and see what comes up. For the Little Joe,. you will be looking for the small seedlings, and on the Sunny Border Blue, you are just hoping to get seedlings -- of any kind. On the named Heleniums, you are looking for any seedlings, but if there are more than a couple, to get the best looking, most attractive flowers, you'll have to let them all get big enough to flower. Then yank up the ones you don't like. On variegated or purple colored foliage, you need to wait until they get their 3rd sets of leaves and pick the best variegation or the best color purple and yank out the bad ones.
Suzy
And now to sit down quietly with a cup of coffee (or 5) and go through this hugemongous stash. I believe it will take weeks to look these all up in PF and I shall savor every moment.
I too would be interested in another swap Suzy.........not because I need anymore seeds (for the next 5 years), but because this has been so much fun. And let's face it I'm an addict. :-P There is one concern in the back of my mind though. If we have another swap with many of the same participants is there not a good chance that we will be swapping a lot of the same seeds back and forth again? That's just a thought. I shall leave the thinking part up to those of you who are far more organized than I, LOL.
My thanks again to ALL of you and especially to Suzy for putting so much time and effort into making this the huge success it was. (Are you sure you had enough extra stamps to cover the additional postage and supplies?)
La
Gosh, Suzy, will you tuck me into your back pocket and carry me around with you for a couple of weeks? I could learn tons from you - may I ask what your background is? Did you go to hort' school? You're SuzySmartiePantz! Thanks for all of the information on the seeds. I am really going to have to get super organized for seed sowing this year.
just a quick ?
I'm reading up on some of the seeds I have and several are best suited for winter sowing which I've never done. I read some info on the http://wintersown.org/ website and the ? I have is:
Do I have to plant the seeds directly in the spot I want them? or do I just put them in a milk carton or other plastic type container then transplant them in the spring? and if I do it the carton way, would you recommend I put them up against a building like the house or garage or just anywhere outside? It seems it is ok for them to get snow covered.
You can direct sow, but you'll end up with fewer seedlings... some people have good luck with this method, however.
The wintersowing method on with wintersown.org site is all about sowing the seed in translucent, closed, vented containers (like milk jugs with lids off and holes punched in bottoms). A sheltered location is best -- somewhere they won't get blown around or tossed about by neighborhood critters. Also, I like to choose a location that's shaded from afternoon sun so the seedlings don't get cooked so easily in spring.
Critter, do you use the translucent containers? I've looked at the NUMEROUS stickies on the wintersowing forum, but honestly, it's Information Overload for this newbie. Wintersown.org is more to the point, yet I'd like to pick the brains of those who have already done it... kind of a catch 22, I suppose.
Most people use the milk jugs, and there are good reasons why; one of which is because you can move them easily with the handle, and another is that they are big enough, both in head room and "root room" - you can get 4" of soilless mix in them. Once filled, they are stable and heavy enough they won't blow away. They are easy to cut with an exacto knife and drill holes in.
The downside is they look like trash. Serious Hillbilly trash.
Last year I had 300+ milkjugs and it looked like Hillbilly Heaven around here. Also, there is not a good way to store them until you need them because they don't stack. Which means I was having Starbucks save them for me, and I'd have to go in to pick them up, then I'd have to buy a coffee because, well, because I felt like I should, either when Ipicked them up or when I "preordered" them (asked them to save them for me for the next day)
This year I am going to try regular 4" pots with a clear plastic drinking glass (from Costco) over the top. I am pretty sure they have a size that will be a snug fit so it won't blow and won't shatter when I drill some holes in them. The pots can be seated in a flat and I think it will work fine without looking like trash.
That's wintersowing, but there is also direct sowing.
In a lot of those packs of seed from the swap, there were enough seeds to direct sow in the ground, and that alleviates a lot of hassle. For one you won't have to water unless the whole garden needs water and for another you won't have to do any transplanting. That was huge for me and I literally just finished planting the last of my milkjugs yesterday from their spring sowing!
When you direct sow perennials, you have to have a seedling bed. A place where the babies are safe, but also where they can grow slowly without being taken over by more exuberant things. You can't just see a patch of bare ground somewhere and think, "Asters would look nice there." and put the seed down. If you don't have a place for a seedling bed, then my advice is to skip the direct sowing of perennials. Maybe one of the reasons why wintersowing is so popular.
Wintersowing annuals is only tricky if you're in a hurry. Things like Lantana will grow and bloom froma wintersowing, but they might not bloom until July when the summer is half over. Most people want their Lantana blooming in May (if not April!) Therefore it needs to be sown indoors. The trick is knowing which annuals can go out, and which ones stay in. Bachelor Buttons, Calendula, Clarkia, Agrostemma, Poppies and Dianthus are all ones that can be planted really, really early outside as long as they have germinated and are big enough to move.
Suzy
Lala, Yes, There will be a lot of the same seeds, but if you:
— are in other swaps or round robins and receive seeds you don't want;
— are still collecting and cleaning seeds;
— have seeds from last year;
— didn't get every pack that came in for this swap (and you didn't)
— received packages with way more seeds than you could ever use
then you will also get some new ones. There will be new participants, and WZing is sending some seeds from her 2006 stash.
The hope is that you can trade in the Hollyhocks you don't want for the Portulaca somebody else didn't want. BUT there is also every chance that you will get some dupes. By having seeds come back in here, I can see which of the seeds were unpopular, and put either a moratorium on them for fall of 2008 swap or some sort of cap.
Or maybe it's not such a good idea -- do you think they need to be all "new" seeds? By that I mean seeds that weren't in the swap before.
Suzy
Milk jugs and pop bottles work well (despite looking like hillbilly trash), and I've also done a lot of WSing in pint/quart deli containers. I think a hot skewer or an old soldering iron works better than a drill for making holes in plastic without cracking.
Mitch did an introductory article on winter sowing, http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/148/. I'm going to follow up with a "seasonal" article or two (maybe in January and again in June when we're looking at all those little seedlings and wondering what comes next), just to try to fill in a few more details... everybody's got a slightly different approach, and I've gathered a lot of good tips over the past couple of years.
Umm... yeah... I didn't get all my seedlings planted out.. Some of that was by design, as I wanted to plant out 1 year old seedlings in the garden next spring, but there are a few that are just languishing in their containers, poor things! At least they are fairly roomy containers...
thanks for all the wintersowing info...for some reason I was thinking it was also planting the seeds where you wanted them then putting some sort of cover over them in that particular spot. I was wondering how in the world you would keep the cover from blowing off etc.
The milk jug technique sounds like what I'll try. Suzy, sheesh...300 milk jugs full!!!!! holy cow, no wonder you just got done planting them!
OMG! It was wonderful and horrible at the same time. I learned a lot (which is how I knew about the Heleniums and the Veronica) and that is always worthwhile. However, some things died over the summer when I missed watering by one stinkin' day, and planting out bachelor buttons one tiny seedling at a time was annoying. The result was so much prettier than clump transplanting that I would do it again, but I'd rather throw out some seed and take my chances with the goldfinches.
All in all I got a LOT of plants and some beds are wall-to-wall perennials when I actually prefer annuals most of the time. I think I'll probably be sending out some flat rate boxes next spring, or carving more bed space out.
Suzy
Suzy, do you have photos of your garden beds somewhere? I'm dying to see your handiwork.
Here are two -- let me see what I have for this year....I mostly posted them all. One the 2nd of the 2 links, that area is all filled up and then some!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=2886402
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=2886408
I direct sowed a lot of blue bachelor buttons last year... between the finches and the drought, I didn't end up with as many as I'd hoped, but I may try to overcome that with sheer volume of seed... maybe I'll grow out my mixed seeds carefully this year in a protected corner, then harvest loads of seed to broadcast next year.
Here it is from Jun 3 2007 this year.
Here is another angle with the house to my back --
This is the front walk -- I have 2 front walks and this is the one no one uses except as a service walk (short cut)
I had blue pansies from Oct - May, and put the petunias in early May, so there is about a month overlap where they both are blooming at the same time. I ran out of time buying pansies this year and I htink I'll really miss them this winter and next year.
This message was edited Nov 18, 2007 3:19 PM
critter...in Mitch's article he says he leaves the tops off his winter sowing containers???? do you? so basically I just have to worry about jabbing (burning) holes in the bottom of the containers?
very lovely gardens Suzy :) ...in the photo with your house to your back what are the tall purplish flowers on the right? they are pretty
I have a couple of people saving those 5 qt ice cream buckets for me for winter sowing. Do you think they will work?.
As for different seeds, I for one will have several more in Feb than I did last month. I've got my Mom and a friend saving seeds too. Suzy you mentioned there were a few things you were considering not having. Were hollyhocks one of them? My mom has a gorgeous double white hollyhock she is saving seeds off of for me.
Oh, I love how tidy and (apparently) SUNNY your gardens appear to be. I'm terribly GREEN with envy. Things aren't as tidy here as I'd like ~yet~ ... and my cottage garden (backyard) is only partly sunny at best. Pretty Pretty Pretty!
You can leave the tops off milk jugs for WSing; that seems to give about the right amount of ventilation and space for water to get in... I wouldn't leave the top off a quart deli container or a yogurt bucket or some of the other containers I use. I did some wintersowed "flats" in deep foil roasting pans from the dollar store with clear plastic lids -- obviously, I kept the lids on (but poked holes in them).
Wintersowing is a great concept.. however, for me, I created more plants that I could ever possibly plant out and yes, mine looked hillbilly too..In a big way for all the huge black pots I had out everywhere. This year I am getting free compost from the county and I will spread all over where i want to fill in and grow from seed. I will run irrigation to keep the seeds moist and I will of course make labels to place where I have spread seed.. I'm thinking of it as wintersowing on the ground! :) Not textbook wintersowing, but direct sowing on great compost and keeping it watered :)
Susan
That's what I'm going to do - direct seed a separate bed with perennnials - that's perfect. I've got no experience wintersowing except what I've read on DG, and don't really want the hillbilly look (trying to combat it most of the time). I have a raised bed about 3 feet by 7 feet with nothing in it and could get a jump-start on spring. Just one question, I know this sounds dumb, but don't I need to cover or shield these babies so they don't freeze? The ground doesn't freeze here, just sometimes the temp falls below 32, maybe 24 degrees at the lowest.
Suzy, I met the mailman at the box yesterday, but nothing yet. I am so waiting for Monday, cuz I know that's the day! Golly, it's hard to wait now! Please mark me down for the Feb. swap because, like Lala Jane said, this swap was so much fun I want to have more, not to mention more seeds...(stamps ADDICT on forehead) :^)
LOL! No, you don't have to worry with freezing except on tender ones that won't be hardy in LA winters, anyway.
Your (mine, too) biggest problems with direct sowing is a gully washer of a rainstorm or varmits -- kids, dogs, birds, mice, rodents of all kinds. The fix is to plant the seeds about 2 weeks before your last frost, in other words spring sow, or late-late wintersow, so there is less time for that gullywasher and less time for the rodents to find the seeds. I've heard there are some kinds of birds that like to take baby seedlings to make their nests, so be on the lookout for them.
I figure if I just plant way too many seeds that that will take care of it. :)
Keep in mind, I am going to keep the special seeds and the ones I want to bloom early inside. This is more for the ones that I think will be okay outside because they are basically cultivated weeds....Hollyhocks for one, Echinacea, Bachelor Buttons, Calendula, Zinnias, Tassel Flowers, Asters, that kind of thing.
Wind, those are bachelor buttons.
Regarding the burning of plastic -- for the holes, yes, you can burn them, but do it outside. I don't do it because I can taste the plastic in my throat for hours after burning them. I use a drill, but I have the set up all ready and it's no trouble. A knife also worked, but it felt a teeny unsafe to me.
Wrightie, The rest of my garden is in the shade - I am surrounded by 4 story Beech, pine and oak trees that cast shade over all except the dead of summer when the sun is high in the sky. I have a lot of floppy plants. :)
Suzy
Good Morning!
I notice the talk has moved to winter-sowing so I thought I'd pipe in with my own experience. Last year was my first time trying my hand at it and I absolutely loved it. If you check out the WS forum here at Dave's http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/coldsow/all/ you'll note that the top 5 threads have been made sticky and are all titled "Lesson's for Next Year." Some of the tips you'll find there are worth their weight in gold. I can't remember exactly but I think I sowed something like 50-60 jugs last year. I am fortunate to have a place I can hide them from view in the winter, but the yard admittedly looked pretty trashy for about a month while I was planting out.
My biggest "lesson for next year" is to save the WSing primarily for perennials and do my annual sowing inside under lights. My WS annuals bloomed about a month later than the others and of course we're all anxious to see color as early as possible when spring emerges. One big advantage to wintersowing is that you do not have to harden the plants off which to me is a huge, HUGE, bonus. I had about 20 flats of flowers started inside and the constant shuffling to avoid sunburn was a full time job for a week or two. The WS plants had already been exposed to all the elements so could be pretty much ignored as long as they were kept moist. (Of course if you don't get them planted out early enough you have to be careful to not cook them in their tiny little greenhouses. The ones that got planted last were put in a shady spot and watered every other day and seemed to be quite content with the arrangement).
I'll include a picture of the front of my house. Sorry, the more "cottagey" part of my garden is in back, but this will give you an idea of how successful wintersowing can be. Almost everything in this picure but the sweet potato vine was wintersown.
Another view:
Lala_Jane,
Those are beautiful! In the first pic, what are the tall pink flowers in front of the tall red leafy plant?
Maggie
I'm looking forward to the next swap too- I'll be able to send the seeds that just wouldn't ripen fast enough for this one. Personally, I love hollyhocks and kind of miss them from up north. I only recently learned they would grow here. Is there a downside I'm missing? Buggy? Disease carriers?
Maggie
Suzy & Lala, thanks for sharing you gardens. lovely!!
Wintersowing is the answer for me. I only started last year, but how wonderful it is!! I would never be able to start that many plants inside under lights. and as Lala says, hardening off is such a hassle. I also agree on the annuals. for many, w/s'ing is too late for that burst of color you want so badly in the spring. can't wait to get started. I have an itchy seedin' finger LOL
still looking up my jackpot winnings and wonderful variety of seeds here at my house using plantfiles :) so far I have 8 to try at wintersowing and 6 for the indoor list! and still alot to look up! Thank you * Thank you * Thank you !!! The variety is amazing. I hope everyone else hits the jackpot today :)
Suzy the brazilian verbena says not to wintersow...have you tried? my friend calls it see thru verbena...I didn't realize the name was Brazilian verbena!
Yay!
Verbena bonairensis is the real name; I just chose one from Plant Files as the common name. I also heard a lady here all it Verbena on a Stick.
Yes, you can wintersow it, but you will be waiting forever for flowers is all. It will self sow once you have it, rather like Cleome, so it's not a hardiness issue, just a "who wants to wait forever?" issue.
It made it through our 2 hard frosts, so I expect if you can germinate it inside, you can run it outside in the spring a little before your last frost.
Suzy