You Are Invited to Celebrate the Impending Arrival of Spring

You are invited to a Winter Seed-Sowing

Saturday, January 12, 1:00-3:00 PM.

Church of the Holy Cross
11526 162nd Ave NE
Redmond, WA 98052

Directions: http://www.holycrossredmond.org/directions.aspx

I have a big bag of seeds gathered this fall. Many of you have seeds too.
January is a good time to winter sow perennials for spring germination.


If you have never tried winter sowing, you will be amazed at the good results. It has to be the easiest way to fill your garden with new plants.

You can bring spent poinsettias for sowing. Just cut off the top and sow your seeds on the poinsettia soil.

I have plenty of 4-inch pots, and a large container of sifted compost.
Bring whatever other pots and seeds you'd like to try.

This is an indoor event. We'll meet in the parish hall of the church.
So no freezing in the rain!

Questions. Comments.

Jim Eichner
GreenElephant
425-223-7249 Cell

Sounds like a lovely get together. Enjoy, and I'll be there in seedy spirit!

I was just wondering if this event was going to be a go! I hope I can be there, but not sure yet.

I had an idea - realizing that this is a time of year when some would not be able to make it for reasons of distance/poor weather/health/bad mood(?)/whatever!
I have been catalogue-cruising trying to figure out what to grow this year & thought that perhaps others might be interested in sharing. I don't normally use 1000 seeds of anything in one season, but since there are things I want to grow, I could pass on the largesse.
I will finish my lists & post over the next week. More catalogues arriving daily!

Nice idea! I have been cruising JLHudson's seeds site for a few weeks and made three different lists. I'm in if you want to do seed swapping.

I have a feeling this is going to turn into a spreadsheet unless I reign myself in.
I am a danger to my wallet in the LaLa land of seeds!

Where are you ordering from? I haven't yet placed my orders, but I usually order from Select Seeds, Thompson and Morgan, and JLHudson seeds. The danger I face is from overuse of the wallet, as well as having way too many baby plants. Emptying the seed envelope is a little like being a member of the 'clean plate club'. I have to remember that I don't need those kinds of memberships.

I e-mailed with Jim about a week ago and the event's still a go. I'm going. I have a few things from a seed swap earlier this year that I plan to share and I know Jim has seeds to share. If nobody wants the seeds, I may still try to start some seedlings for plants to swap in March.

I would be interested in swapping seeds as well Katye and Pixy.

Cool, Rach. I'll get going on making a list of what I have . . .

Here's the list I have from JLHudson Seeds. I haven't placed the order yet. If anyone already has anything from this list that they are going to trade, let me know so I can narrow it down a bit. I'll see what I have in the greenhouse already and post a list.

Amaranth Elephant Head. VAMA-EH. 1Packet: $2.50
Ammi Visnaga AMMI-25 1 packet = 2.00
Bergenia cordifolia Winterglow. BERG-6W. 1 Packet: $3.50
Limnanthes Douglasii. (b,h) LIMN-1. 1 1Packet: $2.00
Ipomoea purpurea Kniola's Purple-Black IPOM-64B 1 packet = 2.50
Nemophila Menziesii NEMO-3 1 packet 1.50
Nicotiana sylvestris NICO-33 1 packet 2.00
Papaver orientale Royal Wedding PAPA-30RW 1 packet 3.50
Papaver paeonyflorum Black Peony PAPA-32BP 1 packet 2.50
Pulsatilla turczaninowii. (d,l) PULS-42. Packet: $3.00
Philodendron Selloum. (d,h) PHILO-76. 1 Packet: $2.00
Salvia argentea SALV-4 1 packet = 3.00
Rhodochition atrosanguineum RHOC-4 1 packet 3.00
Tropaeolum peregrinum TROP-7 1 packet 2.00
Squash Round Zucchini. VSQU-RZ. 1 Packet: S1.50
Squash Vert et Jaune. VSQU-VJ. 1 Packet: $2.00
Squash Melonette de Vendee. VSQU-MV. 1 Packet: $3.00
Swiss Chard Five Color Silverbeet VSWI-F. 1 Packet: $3.00
Tomato Jaune Flammee. VTOM-JF. 1 Packet $2.50
Watermelon Cream of Saskatchewan.VWAT-CS. 1 Packet: $2.50
Watermelon Small Shining Light. VWAT-SL. 1 Packet: $2.50

Bean Blue Lake Stringless. VBEA-BLS. 1 Packet: $2.00
Carrot Little Finger. VCAR-LF. 1 Packet $1.50


This message was edited Jan 2, 2008 2:12 PM

Okay, here is what I have. Some are good for winter sowing, some are not. I got the 'seeds of change' catalog yesterday. Oy.

Delphinium Pacific Giant 'bluebird'
Delphinium 'king arthur'
Aquilegia clematiflora - pink - just a few of these
Digitalis lantana
Lychnis x arkwrightii 'vesuvius'
Poinciana pulcherrima 'Pride of Barbados' - few of these
Nixotiana x sanderae 'perfect mix'
Aquilegia flabellata alba nana - few of these
Nicotiana langsdorffi - few of these
Annual poppy - dark purple
Echium wildpretti - a few
Echium vulgare - a few
Pandorea jasminioides (bower vine)
Datura 'black current' - a few of these

Now as a diversionery tactic, I went through your lists & pretended that i had never heard or seen ANY of these names. Some were rather quaint, and some were just, well, odd. What the heck is Watermelon Small Shining Light? HUH?????
I scanned the lists quickly: it's no wonder people who do not garden are afraid of us... vulgar or wildpretti echiums, giant bluebird delphiniums (Pacific, no less!), Squashing vert et Jaune, little carrot fingers...
YOU try to say Aquilegia flabellata alba nana fast 3 X. I rest my case.

LOL!! So true!! In fact, I'm afraid of us, too!

So how come it took me until today to realize this is an afternoon event? Much easier than 10am for me! (particularly in January...)
And a seed swap, too! Fun stuff! Oh, now I'm really tempted. I've never done wintersowing and I gave up on seeds a long time ago. I've decided I want to give it another try this year, so it would be good to get some help from you experts. I don't have a lot of seeds yet, but I know that of what I do have I have too much of some of them. I'd rather see them turn into flowers for someone than sit on a shelf someplace.

I sowed some stuff after the swap last November and have it sitting out. I'll be interested to see when/what starts to come up.

Guess I need to get my flats ready before Saturday - had almost forgotten about that part. I'm going to go bonkers what with all the seeds I got from the "Newbie Round Robin Exchange" last fall. In some cases I got quite a few things and I'll be happy to share.

I have a ton of stuff to share as well.

I am going for sure, Katie are you still up for meeting for lunch at 11:30? Anyone else like to join us? Rachel

Whew. Rach, thanks for reminding me. My estrogen-deprived brain found a restaurant to suggest and then promptly forgot to e-mail you back. Anybody else want to meet us? Katye?

There's a restaurant called Chipotle right off I-520 where it enters Redmond and turns into Avondale road. What do you think?

http://www.chipotle.com/restaurants/map.asp?address=&city=redmond&state=wa&zip=

17875 Redmond Way
Redmond, WA 98052
425-558-5868 (phone)
425-882-1824 (fax)

Check out the pictures of their dogs from the menu on the main site:

http://www.chipotle.com/#flash/work_dogs

Sorry I haven't posted - I've been sick!
Want to come - will depend on when this yuk that I've contracted, passes. Don't want to infect anyone, if I'm still contagious.
SO, I've been consuming as much 5 star Thai soup as possible. Seems to be working, along with a nice homeopathis remedy for flu/sinus infection.
Meet at 11:30 & get to the WS event by 1:00? We'll need a clock watcher to keep us on time!
Sounds good to me - I will know for sure by Friday.

Hope you're better soon!
5-star! Wow, another hot pepper lover?

Yes, ma'am!

I really like to grow them, and thinking hard about how to construct a greenhouse that would fit a 4X8 raised bed. It would need to attach for stability - wind problems. here. I'd make one for growing tomatoes, too. Thinking it might be a whole lot easier to buy a kit (8X12) and install permanently in the garden.
With the prevailing winds hitting that part of my property so hard, whatever I get has to withstand some fairly high gusts. Flying tree limbs/tops seem to be a hazard here as well.

So you're thinking a greenhouse to actually get them hot? I love growing 'em, too, but they never get very hot here.
I've got some seeds on order, too. I usually get lazy and buy the starts, but I want to try Chiltepin and some other more unusual varieties.

Chipotle's hottest salsa is actually not bad-hot enough to clear a sinus headache, anyhow.

Hello Katye and Sue, I grow jalapenos, habaneros and a a small taiwan pepper my mom saves seeds from. I grow them both inside the greenhouse and outside. If we have a good summer they are just as hot outside. The key outside is cow manure. It seems to heat up the soil without changing the taste of the chilis....some of the others can change the taste. I grew more varieties of chilis and peppers in Arizona and have found the 3 I mentioned above to do the best here in WA...at least on the west side of the mountains.

Tomatoes heat up better with cow manure too!

Rain, rain go away....Let it snow!
Carla

And tire's mixed with rocks. Tomatoes love that. its all about warmth. they love it
and Cow poo even makes it better.

I usually use a compost blend with at least some cow manure-you mean just straight manure? How big of a container do you use?

Tomatoes get giant black nursery pots so I can shift them around if I need to-plus they can be cleaned and start with fresh soil each year.

The point is not the heat so much as the flavour. I grow a wide variety of peppers each year, but only when the summer heat is up do they acquire a fuller taste. Besides, I would love to be able to extend the season in both directions, & to do so requires a garden in a hot region or, a GH. GH is cheaper & my soil is great!

I only mix a little cow poo in my tires cause, I,m on a old horse paddock. lots of horse poo still there.

Katie Chipotle sound great! I have eaten at the one in Federal Way and love it! 11:30 it is. Katye hope you feel better and can join us and anyone else too!

Good morning all,
I use 1 part cow to 2 part soil mixed and it heats up the soil perfectly for me. I am in sand and really need the heat...sand not only is good for drainage it is also a cooler soil than even clay... the best way to test is either to get your beds ready early and test the temps of the soil... you could also plant in various areas different mixes and see which does better...you can always side dress if you need more...I finally got it right for my area and really enjoy the fruits of the experiments...lol I should grow strawberries...lol since this area was famous for them...but I hate all the slugs they bring....
I have my fingers crossed I will be able to make it to sow seeds, if I do not make it I am there in spirit...
Days are getting longer...,
Carla

Yay. I'm excited that we'll have a lot of our "group". Please plan on meeting us at Chipotle beforehand, if you can.

Just sos you all know, my home Internet connection is down (I'm guessing my wireless router is shot), so I'll only have access to e-mail during the day.

Anyone heard from Murmur (Carol) lately? I've got my fingers crossed that they're doing okay.

I am over the yuk & feeling much better.
Saturday 11:30 Chipotle in Redmond. Should we have a reservation for a table?
Ideas, anyone? I'll call - just need to know for how many.
Dmail me, or answer here...

Chipotle-reservation? Is this a different Chipotle than the one I know?

http://www.chipotle.com/

Ahh Susy - you got me on that one! I guess I am thinking there will be a great PNW contingency, & my style is to make sure everyone gets a seat!
I think they can handle as many that show up...
I think I spent too much time on the Dave's party thread. =:0)

I was wondering myself. Thanks for volunteering, Kate. And I'm glad you're over your stuff. Hope it wasn't my cold that you got. I just finished off a cold on Monday, but I think I'm getting another today. This is a first for me. Yuk.

Heck no - it wasn't yours - it was the folks that travel internationally & came to work sick. In all fairness, I understand that some of these flues & flu-types illnesses are contagious prior to one's knowledge of feeling sick. great.
But I was going to be mighty p***ed off if I was not well by Friday.

Hey, Katie-did you get your router fixed or are you still at work at this hour?

Susy -

Miracle of miracles, I rebooted everything and I'm back online at home. I tell you, I have had so many computer challenges with Internet access this year. I must have p**ed off some Internet Faeries. I have a 1.5 hour commute, so I pray that I don't have to spend too much after hours time at work - not headed that way yet, thank goodness.

Are you meeting up with us on Saturday for lunch, do you think?

Have spent much of the evening talking to my brother in Oregon. My mom is 87 and is prone to urinary tract infections with no symptoms until she collapses. Got another one last night and they ended up calling 911. Sounds like they'll keep her for a couple of days, treat her and that maybe she'll be home by the weekend. Whew!!

Katye -

Glad you're feeling better.

Internet has gremlins. Faeries don't hang there - they're out in the garden, or dancing in England. Although at this time of night, they'd be enjoying some light spirits.
Kathy - glad to hear that your mother was attended to immediately, and hope that she is resting comfortably & on the mend.

Homeopathic remedy along with 5 star Thai soup kicked a**!
Just tired, & looking like someone sanded around my nose!

I'm considering it, but I haven't made up my mind yet. It sounds like a lot of fun, but it's a long drive and I haven't decided if I feel like the tank of gas and all the time in the car. I'll probably decide on Friday. I might just show up at Chipotle. :)

Glad you got your internet connection working again! Are you on Comcast? Some of their old modems are pretty unreliable-they swapped ours out without even blinking when we had problems two years ago.

Sorry to hear your mom isn't well. I hope she recovers quickly. Is it cranberry you're supposed to take for urinary stuff? Could she add it prophylactically?

Hey gang! Well guess what!? Heidi from Dragonfly sent me a boot box full of seeds to bring on Saturday, WOW! I'm tired and am heading to be right now but will post what's in the box tomorrow. Hugs, Rachel

P.S. Susy hope can make it!