CLOSED: Can you Oink? Can you say SUUUUU_EEEEEEEEIIIIIIII?

Oh hollyhock lady I hope you have seeds from your namesake, I so want the deep maroon almost black ones and I NEED some yellow, too.

I've read some of last years threads and have a good handle on how to get my list together. So glad this is a sharing swap and not one for one. Your tomato seed bruschetta collections sounds wonderful, I'd like the mixture. Thanks Jill for the potato top tomato seeds, I've just started some to take to FL for the winter. I'll transplant into my 5 gallon buckets and we'll have fresh tomatoes all winter. Love the handles on the buckets, makes it easy to bring into the living room when we get cold spells.

Between the woodchuck, squirrels and this little devil I haven't had good luck with my deck gardening this summer.

Some plants just aren't heavy seed producers, like Moon Vine for me, I'm lucky to get just a few seeds. The seeds are big too, so if they do produce, I'll probably just pack 5 seeds per pack.

This little piggy wants to play!


Please say I'm not too late?

Critter, your tomato mix sounds good to me!

I was wondering about saving tomato seed, but I didn't bother this year because I have them all planted in one bed. I've got it in my head that they would crossbreed and wouldn't come true if they're close together like that, is that true?

Carolyn (our resident expert) says that most tomatoes self-pollinate, regardless of their neighbors... tried to find the number she gave; I think it was something like 96% coming true from seed. I just make a note that I didn't isolate plants or bag blooms to prevent crossing... I get very few surprises from saved seeds.

An exception is if you have cherry tomatoes or currant tomatoes in the patch, as I believe they are very good cross-pollinators.

I got lost....When and Where do I post my Seed List? What are the Dates I send the seeds...Where do I send them? To Who? These answers may be out there...forgive me. But I am more of a deadline person and probably wont do a lot of reading. Just Tell me WHEN... WHERE... and HOW :-) Somebody...please! he he he

Kim, the seed list thread hasn't been posted yet. The whole process will take a few months and last year the seeds were due in December. Everything will be posted, so just keep watching.

Ohhhh Wow! December?? Okkkk then I'll just keep collecting. Thanks!

Please do! Also forgot to say that once the list is posted, you can keep editing your post to add to it and to let people know what's already been taken.

That's great, I'll harvest my seeds here and by the time I get to the condo I'll be able to get some tropicals and snatch seeds from the sidewalk gardens, too. They plant between the sidewalk and the road with the little yellow and orange flowering annuals, not marigolds but the southern equivalent. Lots of canna seeds to harvest down south. Bright red ones. I hope my beautiful salmon pink and yellow and orange ones produced some seed. Without me there to deadhead every day there's a good chance there might be some.

Mittsy, you've sparked my curiosity! Any idea what the "southern equivalent" to marigolds is? I'm stumped.

I'm dong as many ahead-of-time preps for the swap as I can too. I'm starting school in a couple of weeks and although I hope I'm wrong, I'm preparing to have no life once it starts.

Last night I sat down in front of the tube and made a bunch of small envies out of wax paper for those small, staticy seeds. It worked pretty good too. I plopped down with a sheet of paper, a pair of scissors, and a glue stick and by the time the movie ended I had them all finished. I'll still stick those smaller wax envies in a regular plastic seed envie in case of spillage, but I think they're going to work out great.

Tonight I'll work on labels, then all I need to do is wait on the seeds.

I think I've heard its true that pigs never wait until it is time to eat.

So....


OINK OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNKKKKKKKK

Hee hee...I want some of Jill's tomato seeds and I don't want to wait to get my oink in just in case they all get claimed before December.

I think I've got the hang of this piggy stuff (no swine stuff, though).

LOL

Too fun.

LOL... I haven't started taking notes for this swap yet, so be sure to oink at me again! Last year, I think I didn't send much in the way of veggie seeds other than "ornamental" varieties of peppers and those Wild Cherry tomatoes (because I love to let them meander around in a perennial bed and supply some of the best ever garden snacks), but I'll put the tomato mix on my list for anybody who wants some.

I will have lots of rare veggie seeds like Chinese long beans, Japanese Black futsu squash, Raitawk blue pumpkin, etc. Will anyone be interested in veggies or just flowers?

I have plenty flowers as well :)

Guamsorbit... Hollyhock Lady... fruit of the Vine.. welcome to the piggy swap.

Only 5 for space s available for newbies.

If an old piggy hey you in the game automatically. : )

Carolyn.Copper.. Folks do like veggie s for sure. This swap just about anythign goes and folks want it all too. LOL

Veggies, oink,oink,veggies, voink, voink (just oink w/ a veggie accent).

Yum yum veggies in my slop bucket. :-)

well, heck, I guess I better join in if there is room for me. I never plant all the seeds I have now, but you did say we were being piggies, right?
Susan
=^..^=

Carolyn, please do include those veggies- I'm very interested! And ya know, the traditional Cottage Garden includes flowers, veggies, fruits, and herbs all together, so those veggies are wonderful additions to the swap! Ooooh, and you're in KY too! Those you've grown should do well here too :-)

Susan, yayyyyyy!!! Glad you're joining in the fun- you'll fit right in among this bunch :-)

Neal, If I could remember the name I'd have listed it. Hey I'm getting old, memory malfuntions on a regular basis. When I do remember it, I'll dmail you.

cosmos may be what mittsy is talking about. they do that alot on road sides and mediums. they also do this pretty type of clover too. its really cool looking.

I will be including heirloom veggie seeds in my seed list also. Have went mostly to heirloom seeds. Produce just as well or better than the hybrid seeds do.

Maxine

Good morning everyone.
Susan, good to see you're joining us oinkers!
It's been pouring all morning, so I can't go out and check my organza-hooded plants for more seed - what a disappointment. Funny thing I've been thinking. Last year I was a newbie here, and couldn't imagine when star mentioned something about if people had 100 seed packets. I just couldn't imagine having 100 seed packets. I thought geez, those people must either be lunatics or have acres of gardens. Well this year I seem to have joined the lunatics, because I have only a small yard, though I also have a plot at the community garden down the street, and so, access to some of the seeds there. And it seems I've gone into a seed-collecting frenzy, because even after donating quite a few packets to the "free seeds for newbies", it seems I must have another hundred packets ready for the piggy swap, and many bowls of seed drying as well as my hooded seed pods trying to dry. Now it seems like a hundred packets is really not that many after all.

Oh my oh my I think I'm turning into a seed junkie... I don't have 100 seeds but I know I got it bad. When we went to Lowe's there was a real pretty bush with bright pink flowers on it & I spotted some seeds on it... Well I got 2 seeds off of it & they are planted now.
My husband said gee I cant even take you to Lowe's without you stilling seeds. I said this bush is planted in the parking lot & it is taken care of by mother nature & I'm not stealing I am helping mother nature & making my yard beautiful. If he would leave me alone he wouldn't have to cut grass. My yard would be all flowers & he can have the top of the back yard for the garden. Yep I got it all planed out. LOL Well it sounds nice.
Perenniallyme I saw your trade list & oh there's some things I would love to have.... All I could do is say WOW look at that & that & that..... I do have it bad don't I ?

Now I'm really turning into a piggy. This swap got me thinking about how many seeds I have access to.
I belong to a local CSA, that has veggies, cut flowers, and a very extensive herb garden (I used to be the herb gardener there). Last night when I went to pick up my veggie share, and cut flowers with my son, I found myself only cutting 6 or so flowers, but went nuts over the flower heads that are drying up and seeding. I stuffed all my pockets (luckily had snack size ziploc bags with me). My 8yr old son was obsessing over the last flurry of bees and I found myself so engrossed with getting those red blanket flower, tall purple ageratum, and yellow statice seeds that I was just mumbling "uh-huh" at him. Until he screamed when one went up his shirt. (It was just looking, no stinging).
You should see all the other flowers, this garden has at least 100+ varieties, I need a whole day to go back... And that is just the flowers. I never paid much attention until this year, and now I want EVERYTHING! I'll be able to get some cool herb seeds as well, out of my own garden and the CSA as well, as those go to seed.
This obsession should be fun!

Patricia

Hollyhocklady, your husband should definitely leave you alone. Why have grass when you can have flowers instead! I've gotten rid of all my supposed grass, which was actually crabgrass and weeds, and the bit that's left after expanding my flowerbeds is going to be patio eventually. Wish I could grow hollyhocks. They'll grow here, but always get rust and end up looking terrible, so I've given up on them.

Herbspirit, this swap will definitely turn you into a piggy, even if you don't start as one. Gee, how far is Southborough from Jamaica Plain? Do you need help seed-picking? (drool at corners of mouth).

perenniallyme-

You are about 40 mins from me, you are more than welcome to come visit and collect seeds with me.

But you are closer to the Arnold cemetery/arboretum than I am. I would LOVE to go there.
Have you been there? I can imagine the varieties they have (super drool).
Mount Hope too! All on my places to visit.

Patricia

This message was edited Sep 12, 2009 1:23 PM

Jill wrote

Aww, I'm sorry you didn't get to taste them! They are tiny but mighty in flavor. :-)

Patricia, thanks for your offer! I'll be away all next week (til the 22nd), but may take you up on it after that. I'll dmail you when I get back.
I'm only about a mile from the arboretum, and I'd be happy to do a seed-collecting trip there and give you a tour if you're not familiar with it. I love the arboretum, but it's mostly shrubs and trees. I suppose if anyone is interested in any particular variety, I can have a look for them. I was briefly trying to find seeds of azaleas/rhodos there last week, but couldn't identify any. Also lilacs, but I wonder if the spring-flowering shrubs have already dropped their seeds. Does anyone know? I know there are all kinds of berries, nuts and pods there in the fall, so we could likely find some stuff people might want.
I haven't heard of Mt. Hope, unless it has another name.

I've got a few seeds for myself still, but I hope somebody who grew them will save seeds from the Wild Cherry currant tomatoes to share around... I don't have them out there this year, and I don't know how much extra seed might be in my stash. It's such a fun cottage garden plant!

Saving the seeds from these tiny tomatoes is easy... just pick a handful of ripe tomatoes from each plant, poke a hole in each tomato with a knife, and squeeze the juice and seeds into a little cup. Let that ferment 4-5 days (gets the gel coat off the seeds, improves germination, and gets rid of possible pathogens), then rinse off seeds & spread out to dry for a week or two. See this article from Dave for more on saving tomato seeds: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/23/

hi jill!! i started some of your little wild cherry tomatoes - along with a mix you sent me for the girls.....but alas, i had to leave them in ohio when we moved.
:-( i'm happy to say though, that i still have 13 little cherry seeds to start for next year. we have all missed the fresh veggies this year. i don't even have any of the peppers from the pepper coop - but yes i still have some seeds. it is hard waiting a full year to plant. i just keep telling myself that after the piggie swap is over, it is time to start winter sowing! yay! lol.

I'm so glad you mentioned how to save the seeds for the Wild Cherry tomatoes. I have them throughout my gardens, and yes, they make a yummy snack. I will save some seeds for y'all.

Perennial-

Sounds like a plan. D-mail when you get back. Would love to go to the arboretum, and also take you to the local CSA for a seed finding frenzy.

Mt Hope is a cemetery in Mattapan, not too far from Forest Hills.
Was also thinking about Mt Auburn in Cambridge. They have a full horticulture staff, but not sure how easy it would be to sneak out seed :) I find that city cemeteries are a great place to see rare plants (and pick up seed). Particularly the larger ones near Boston, that regularly invest in horticulture preservation.

Will do, Patricia.
Sounds like you're more familiar with Boston than I am - at least in terms of plants and cemeteries!

Maybe I am ahead and shouldn't be posting this. But want to know if any one is growing the following "Rudbeckia"/

1-Tiger Eye Gold
2-Denver Daisy3
Cherokee Sunset

Won't order these seeds if some one is growing them.

Thanks, Maxine

Maxine, I'm guessing those would be hybrid seeds... so even if somebody is growing them, you probably wouldn't get quite the same plant from F2 seeds (second generation seeds -- F1 are the hybrid seeds).

I wil have some of the Denver Daisy I just bought and some of the other new seed . I just got them bagged. wont be alot of seed in ach cuz they expensive for not alot of seed but some wil have five and some wil have maybe ten seeds.

I not sur eon the othe r two, but think I may have them too.

I have Gaillarda Mesa Yellow too. : )

I have some seeds I collected from rudbeckia "maya", but not a lot. I bought 3 plants at Bluestone's half price sale, and they actually all turned out different. Only one is what maya is supposed to look like, but I don't mind. One of the others is gorgeous, like a multi-petaled sunset one, and still short like I wanted.