In addition, I've got these orange & purple ones set aside so far for Jenn. What she doesn't want, she can trade. :-
Alonsoa meridionalis (Mask Flower) ‘Bright Sparks’ (apricot-coral)
Aquelegia (Columbine) – purple, yellow
Coreopsis, yellow
Cosmos ‘Cosmic Orange’
Liatris (Blazing Star, 5 ft)
Malva sylvestris ‘Zebrina’
Nasturtium, Jewel Mix (orange & yellow)
Papaver somniferum, ‘Lauren’s Grape’ 1 packs
Papaver somniferum (poppy) purple, 1 pack
Rudbeckia hirta ‘Indian Summer’ (Black Eyed Susan) or I have plants in spring
Tithonia ‘Torch’
Zinnia ‘Profusion Orange’
Zinnia ‘Purple Pince’
Think Spring! Seed Swaps and more for Feb 23 Tea Party
oh my gosh
Jill- half a pack of Balsam will be fine, you know how easy (and fun ) it is to collect those seeds for next year
Yes, and as far as I know they come true to their individual colors. I do have that color in my mix, but I haven't managed to save seeds (uncooperative weather and out of town trips) for the past couple of years)... still, I think my seeds should be viable, and I've promised to share a few extras with Jenn.
I haven't heard anything from Chantell. That order is going in after midnight, with or without her! They'll probably still let me add in the morning, just by calling... I've done that before... :-)
I'm beginning to feel a bit intimidated here, guys......doesn't anybody grow veggies? I've got few flower seeds to offer since I'm starting all over again. I could do rose cuttings if this was a little later in the year......ah gee
I'm not trying to intimidate anybody! Those seeds above are pretty much just available to anybody who comes to the swap, no trade needed. I'll probably do SASBE offers after the party, maybe even sooner on some (like the basil).
I had a notion just now... I could give everybody a "starter bag" of swap seeds at the door, requested or not. If you don't want or can't use what's in the bag, you can use them as "trade fodder" together with whatever you happen to bring. I'm trying to give away some of these extras! :-)
I do grow veggies... that list would've been a lot longer if I'd included all the tomatoes and peppers on it! If there's anything you're looking for or thinking of ordering, just ask (or Dmail me), and I'll see if I have it. I can definitely fill requests like "pink tomato" or "cherry tomato," may or may not have a particular variety. I can spare a few seeds of nearly anything in my stash.
I grow veggies on my tiny patch o' land, but I'm not likely to make it to the swap. In fact, I brought home herb & veggie seeds from England last Spring. I think I even have some purple brussels sprouts seeds on hand...
I grow lots of different "edibles" but I have less than a 1/4 acre lot in total; real estate and sun is at a premium.
Wrightie, we know only a schedule conflict is keeping you away... you're sort of an honorary participant in these proceedings! If you see anything you'd like on my list, just ask. I'll mail it, or send it on down to you with somebody if you're doing that lunch thing the following week.
I have been reading with much interest. I am not available to attend the seed swap but would also like to be an honorary member. ha- I hope, I hope, I hope. Jill, I would love to have a packet of your cleome. Last year was the first year that I have had it and I loved it. I got the original plant at the swap. I hope that it has re-seeded, but am not going to count on it.
I have a good stash of seed and if any one would like to list what they are hoping to find some of, I will gladly look through them and see if I have them available. I caeither send a SASE or reimburse for postage.
I hope that the seed swap is fun for everyone. It sounds like fun already and I am disappointed that I won't be attending. Thank you for your gracious hospitality Jill.
Ruby
Well, that makes me feel better......I want it all and I want it right now!! and I want to plant it all right now! Man, I have got the fever bad....LOL I'll just divide up some of these veggie seeds. :) I have about 6 different varieties of heirloom tomatoes, some commercial, some seed swapped. I've wanted to do this heirloom preservation for years and figured since I was basically starting from scratch, I'd do what I really wanted to do. Wrightie, how neat to have seed from England. Way cool. Just got my Garden Gate yesterday with Dave's article in it. I went ahead and subscribed, pretty interesting and I like the way it's set up to put in a binder.
I signed up for a Bartlett tree pruning seminar on Feb 10 for MG hours. Going to go with a couple of MG partners and am touting Dave's. Hmm, he may owe me kick back if I can get it rolling with that bunch........LOL
doccat.. I plant Veggies.. I have posted a list somewhere, but I forget what thread. I am not sure if I grow them well, but I do plant them. I have to add on to the veggie patch this year because now I have to plant Lima Beans for my mom.. UGH I hate those things! :)
I have found out over the past 3 years that I cannot grow cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, bell peppers, and cucumbers.. I will figure out what I cannot grow this year!
I do pretty well with squash, herbs, and tomatos..
Jenn: I can understand all but the peppers and cucumbers. Unless you don't like those, you should give them a second try! (We never had much luck with plants in the cabbage family.)
Jill: How long do you treat your seed as viable? I haven't bought any new seed this year, and the only seed I collected were from Gita's datura. But I have a ton of seed from earlier years that is nicely organized, and I'l be happy to share (I can post or bring a long excel sheet), but it isn't fresh -- 1-4 years old for the most part. I know it is easy to test viability in a damp paper towel . . .
I can get other types of peppers to grow but the bell peppers and the cucumbers are really little and kind of shrink on the vines/plants. I have NO clue what I did to them, but they do not seem to like me much.
That's weird. When I've grown cucumbers (I can't now -- not enough sun), they've galloped all over the place. They were exceedingly easy. Now squash -- I used to get those nasty squash vine borers, and would have to perform surgery on the vine. Prolific but troublesome.
I have great sun, just not great vines.. Maybe I have been growing the wrong type. I have no clue, but I was not going to waste the space again because I had such a bad time..
Wish I could trade you for some of that sun . . ..
I would share with you if I could figure out how to do it...
Happy, most seed that's 3-5 years old seems to sprout just fine for me, even if germination rates are lower. There are exceptions -- I think beans, parsnips, maybe beats, and a few other things aren't supposed to last well, and I don't know offhand which flowers are best sown fresh. I keep my poppy and columbine seeds in the fridge, so no issues there.
I've also had "fresh" seed (both commercial and traded) that failed to germinate, so there are never really any guarantees. But most packets seem to produce at least something! So sure, "older" seeds are welcome! :-) It's useful to have the year on the packet, if possible... Mostly so that, 3 years from now when somebody is looking at the 8 remaining seeds in that packet, they'll know how old they really are and that they might need special treatment to germinate.
BTW, I'm really encouraging everybody to package their seeds for trade ahead of time. The only reason I mentioned having baggies etc. is because I know people will end up splitting packets on the spot or sharing "just a few" seeds of something to try, and you need a way to keep track of those. (after a while, you run out of pockets)
Ruby, I was hoping we might see you! You know you're an "honorary member" of any gathering when it comes to swaps. I will certainly send you some Cleome and anything else on that list that strikes your fancy. Please Dmail me and let me know what you'd like and what sort of things you're looking for. I don't have things packed up yet (still behind!), but I'll start a trade tracker entry for you.
Jenn, I think your problem might be bell peppers... they hate my garden. Want to get in on some 'Gypsy' and 'Carmen' hybrids from TGS? http://www.tomatogrowers.com/sweet.htm I'm probably ordering the larger packet of 'Gypsy' anyway. They both produce the way you think bells should but don't.
'Carmen' is a big, sweet red bull's horn like 'Corno di Toro', fabulous flavor, and the hybrid has been hugely more productive for me than the OP varieties. I'm ususally all about heirlooms, but not so much in my sweet pepper patch. 'Gypsy' and 'Carmen' and a few hybrid banana peppers like 'Bananarama' are my "main crop" plants.
Cucumbers, I have trouble with that mosaic virus, or whatever makes the vines shrivel and die just as they're getting little cukes. I think it's carried by those white cabbage butterflies. I've found that starting cucumbers really late and/or putting them under row cover until a week after they start blooming (have to remove it once female flowers appear) helps. Last year, groundhogs ate all my earlier ones, and I didn't have surviving cucumber planted until July -- they did great!
Squash, I've given up on because of the squash vine borers that Happy mentioned. I will happily trade other veggies and fresh pesto for anybody's extra yellow summer squash and zucchini! I get mine at the farmer's market, and that's OK. :-)
I do grow one heirloom sweet pepper, one of my favorite edible ornamentals... 'Sweet Pickle'. I'll make sure to save a few seed packets for the swap. I'm hoping to get some serious bagging & tagging done next week, and then I'll set up little jars or something with names on them and put seeds aside that people have requested. :-)
That is funny. I can grow summer squash and zucchini until I am blue in the face. No one eats it but me. Last year I only planted one of each plant. I can throw some more into the mix this year.
Jill I will go in with you... I will bring you my paycheck when I see you in Feb! :)
LOL... I'll get a big pack of 'Gypsy' then, and a couple packs of 'Carmen'. I've got enough seeds of that 'Carmen' left for my own use this year (I could spare 3 or 4), but I always talk it up, and I hate to have zero extra seeds when somebody asks... and since I'm touting it in an article at the end of Feb, I know people will ask! (I just checked about getting the big pack of 'Carmen', couldn't believe it was actually more expensive that way, go figure.)
Extra summer squash is especially good, because it makes the best soup! I freeze it... summer in a bowl!
Jenn, I promise we won't break the bank... LOL, have I not stopped you from ordering more seeds than I've added? Maybe not quite... but I did save you from the heartbreak of trying to germinate expensive Gerbera daisy seeds!
Oh I so love Gerber Daisies... I will end up buying the plants. I have rotten ones in my flower bed right now!
BTW, somebody on dial-up please tell me when this thread starts getting slow... we're not doing lots of photos, so I figure we can go a while, but I don't want it to get to be a problem!
Jenn, you are going to save lots of $ by starting these other plants from seed. That will pay for a nice pot of Gerbers by the front door! Of course, this year you won't realize all the savings because you'll spend a few bucks for lights and stuff... but by next year, you'll see a difference...
To be completely honest, I don't think I spend less money because I start so many plants from seed and cuttings and swap plants, etc... but I sure end up with a whole lot more plants in my garden than if I had to buy them all at nursery prices! Plus, the variety is such fun... and I love seeing all those DG names on my plant tags (I like to keep track of where plants come from).
Critter, have you ever ordered seeds from https://growitalian.com/Qstore/Qstore.cgi ? They have oodles of Italian vegetable and herb seeds and flowers too, including gerbera daisies, Jenn.
Best of all, the seed packets are HUGE, many times the number of seeds you'd normally get, and are nearly all under $3 a packet.
Yes! That's where I got my 'Sicilian' Basil last year (and I see they had a crop failure this year, so you'll be happy to know you can get it from me!). Bluekat and I went in on an order with Theresa's family last year, and I think we all got a lot of seeds. :-)
I just sent that link to somebody looking for alpine strawberry seeds... I've got some in the fridge (yes, enough to share) from 2006, but I can't commit to sending out seeds right now, and she wanted fresh ones, so she can just order her own. Pinetree has them too. (If anybody orders from Pinetree, let me know... I want yellow ones!)
Great list, Jill! Can I put my dibbs on Scabiosa, Burgundy (Pincushion Flower), please, please, please? I'll get back to look more later. Gotta run, eat & go to a meeting tonight.
Shirley, no problem! You'll like that one, and you can winter sow it, too. :-)
I would love some of those strawberries, pretty please, maam. :)
all right, no lie, I had adream last night that I went into my yard and found all these little cold frame things with alllll these seedlings I must have started. HA HA. Now , dream or vision of future?
Vision of future... Dream would've involved enormous greenhouse with team of groundskeepers at your beck and call, or (less rosy version) endless rows of seedling flats, overgrowing their pots faster than you could dig to expand your garden beds and get them into the ground!
ha ha- guess you'reright !!!
When you are talking about little baggies are you talking about the very tiny ones? I use those and the "snack" bag types, just buy the cheapo store brand.
No, Doc, These are 2"x3" little zip loc baggies and they can be found in the jewelery beads aisles in Craft Stores, but Wall Mart has the best deal! 100 pc. package for 97 cents. And believe me, once you start sorting seeds--they go fast!
Gita
Who has the 2nd best deal on those bags? I do not show at wal-mart. :(
Jenn,
I have also bought some at A.C. Moore, but theirs come only 50 to a package and it costs $1.29--I think. I am sure Michaels has them too and Joannes. Haven't looked for them everywhere.
Gita
Thanks Gita!
UGH - THAT'S what I forgot to check on ...those baggies...promise to check tonight..
Remember that they're in the craft department... you'll search "office supplies" etc in vain! I made myself crazy trying to find them at first. :-) Thanks!
Last fall I bought the little manilla coin envelopes at the office supply store. I had convinced myself (without any advice from others or facts) that putting seeds in plastic bags instead of paper was bad for them. I thought they needed some air circulation or something. Sounds like I'm wasting my money?
LOL - yes THAT I remembered...it was just getting them that slipped my mind...geez, like THAT'S a first...LOL
BTW - if anyone has use for shredded misc. paper...I can bring it with me. I've been trying to clean/catch up on misc. stuff here at work..to include the very boring shredding of paper..ugh!! Any-who...I'd be happy to bring it instead of putting it in the dumpster here at work
paper vs plastic - seems to be supporters on both sides...I know the there's an issue with static and plastic w/smaller seeds