Cottage Garden Seed Swap & Chat #46

Merry Christmas to all of you Piggies!
I had my Christmas on Christmas Eve. Had to work today and will work all weekend. I was so happy I wasn't driving through an ice storm this morning .... just rain.

Be carefull all of you getting that snow. I was listening this morning to the radio on the drive to work about how bad it was in a lot of places and churches closing for the Christmas sermons.

Just a nice thing I heard today ... the Detroit Metropolitan area has a large Jewish and Muslim (largest in the U.S.) population ... well, for Christmas, they take all of the homeless that the Christain Churches have been housing. They take them in so the Christain Churches can celebrate Christmas. Some of the Jewish Synagogs even put up Christmas Trees to give the the Homeless a real Christmas.
Maybe there is hope for all of us yet.

Awwwwwww how nic e of them to do that for th ehomeless. I sur e it meant alot to them.

So much for the rain and semi warm days. It a frosty winter wodnerland this mornign out there and a week of low 20's at night and barely warm during day.

Winte r is finally here. uggggg

Did hear one good piec e of new s on tv though.

Only 120 days til Spring!!!!!!!!!! Oh the anticipation of sunny skies, spring showers and nic e warm balmy winds.

Ella that sounds like a good idea to do with the Monk's Hood, if I decided to WS a jug and just keep it in here for the warmth then put it out in like Jan. or the first of Feb. I wonder if they would germinate faster or even just put them in a paper towel in a baggie until I put them in a jug for WS. OOOrr lol putting them under lights cooler than putting a top over them then WS them do you think that would help maybe that will just be an experiment for me this year but what is your opinion :) Gave you lots of options there to think about lol I'm thinking about them needing warmths before cold on this but not sure if it will be long enough for warmth then long enough for cold.

I have 13 jugs ready for WS tonite I'm finishing up the crisper today so may have a few more seeds to send in I say may not really sure what is in the black hole for extras lol But I'm going to sort them for sowing at the same time have my buckets here to pitch them in for what times to sow them I'm just hoping it will be a one day job if I don't have to do any research on planting times on them lol

Just thought I would tell you all I got the first big hug from my grandson last night and he told me he loved me! Best Christmas ever :) For the ones that know my story with him you know how that made me feel ;-) I am finally a real grandmother and for the first time this year he even called me grandmother sweetest word I have heard since my son uttered 'mom mom' when he was a baby :)

Hope everyone here had just as a wonderful Christmas as I did this year my best in a very long time hope this is the start of a best year in a long time I'm due!

H

LeBug

You brought tears to my eyes with your sweet joy from your grandson. I hope that 2010 will be a beautiful and joyous year for you both.

WS, wow it is still too early in my neck of the woods to think about getting started yet.... (Besides I'm still collecting my jugs, I still need about 75 of them and then I'll have the 225 jugs needed to start my seeds...) Now today thanks to some nice bonus money from work, I'm going out shopping for a small tool that will make my drainage hole punching and cutting in half milk jug job easier..... lol

I won't be getting my jugs planted until February and most likely close to the mid or end of Feb at that.

Janet

LeBug.... Now how sweet is that. So glad, things worked out this year for ya and your hugs is precious and priceless and so glad ya got it and calle d grandmother. : ) That such a rgeat memory and hoepfulyl that thinsg wil continue to be good and you will all get to spend mroe tiem together.

Thinkign on the Monkshood. Her e a link and down at the bottom it says to sprout in the sprign in th eNorth.

http://www.gardenology.org/wiki/Aconitum

Now T& M says to sow munks in September to October. That must be when it make s seed maybe? Sowign then would giv e the seedlign tiem to get a root system goign before the winter maybe. Since Monks is an endangered plant, it gonan be oen fo them one s that real tough to germinate and get going.

With soem directiosn i have read of starting indoors or ina cold fram, that tellign me it needs warmth to get going good and then maybe slowly indrtoduc e to colder temps so as not to shock it all at once, but then again haven't trie d to grow it yet , so just gueissing here.

Wonde r if anybody on the wild flower forum has germinate d it before.

We had a very nice day yesterday. There were just 7 of us - MIL, me, DH, 2 sons plus their girlfriends.

It was a nice low key Christmas... DH was a cooking fool in the kitchen... he wanted to do seafood, so it was all his deal.

The youngest g/f, she' 17 ... and not the greatest home life... she works hard but the mom takes her paycheck and gives her $20 a week [and from what #2 son says... she 'the mom' spends it on lottery tickets]
so me and DH really do 'feel for her'.

About 3 times yesterday, she commented that this was probably her best Christmas ever, and that it was the most gifts she's ever gotten. [and i really didnt buy her a lot of things... 4 gifts, plus DH likes to give cash]
She told me her own mother did not buy her one gift, and that all she got was a pair of boots from her sister [who is in Alabama] and that they dont even fit.

I was just happy that we could give her a nice Christmas.

This message was edited Dec 26, 2009 12:55 PM

PIGGY MAIL CALL FOR TODAY!!!!!!!!!!

New Oinkier arrivals

Garden Quilts
GuamsOrbit
LynnWeidman
Danita

Cute Danita. Ya mad e me laugh when I see yoru box and how ya did yoru oinsk to folks. Soryr folks can't tell ya what they look like. Ya just have to wait and see. : ) That wa s after I battled to get it open LOL.

Tcs.. Gla d she wa s able to spend the day with ya. : ) I cna feel for her, cuz remembe r back when I wa s that age working ha d the same thing happen to me. Mom got check and I got enough to pay for bus and rapid transit fare for each day and 1.25 a day to be abel to buy a hotfog and a coke for my lunch everyday. Gets depressign after awhile workign away and have nothign to show for it.

Not to caus e any problems , but is it possible that she coudl maybe cash he r check or brign it to you and yoru hubby instead and you cash it for he r if she need s somebody to cash it and that way mayeb she coudl squirrel some away in a bank account wher e he r mom wouldn't get it all. Even a fe w bucks a week woudl be able to add up ove r time and at least she woudl have alittle somethign to show for her work. Especially sinc e she a teen and ther e os many now adays that don't want to work at all. Soudns liek she a good kid tryign to make somethign of herself. : )

Edited to change Colchie to Danita. Sorry Danita. Forgiv e me!





This message was edited Dec 27, 2009 5:37 AM

>>but is it possible that she coudl maybe cash he r check

Ella -- I have talked with my son about his... since she is not 18 yet, can't get a bank account on her own. She baby sits for this adorable lil girl... the couple is getting off CHEAP, as they only pay her $5 an hour and she does a lot of driving... makes $700 a month... and paid cash. so her mom knows what she makes.

My son was saying that she should get a new job making more and not tell her what she makes.

The poor girl has not college money either as the mom spent all of that too, plus the 350k she got after the divorce... at least, that is what the kids say.

My son was even going to tell her to keep her Xmas $$ here so the mom doesnt take that too.

Alex [my son] and i have even talked about him [he's 19] setting up a bank account for her, then when she is 18, sign it over to her.

It really frustrates me, as a parent, that some people can treat their kids that way. I grew up in a single parent household, and poor, but my mother never took a dime from me. If i earned it, it was mine.
It's like her mother doesnt even want her around, except for the cash she takes. I've told her to move to her dads, but she will graduate in June, and has already been in 4 high schools. the dad is 50 miles away.
Her mom has told her that she and the brother, who is like 36, are moving to Alabama in April to live with [mooch off of] the sister who is in the military. So, basically, when the mom decides to move, she wasn't planning on taking the daughter with... and she wont even be 18.

very sad.

Star,

Did you get my box today?
I just got an email from the usps saying that it had been delivered today. I hope it didn't go to the wrong place!

Janet, if you are going to look for something to put holes in your jugs if you have a dollar store near by you can get a small glue gun won't cost even $5 I don't think depends on your area but someone on here would have to tell you if you can use a hot glue gun or one that doesn't get so hot can't think of the words to use for the temps. right now :) I know a lot of people use those I have an old one I stole from my x-husbands tool box lol

Thanks for the info on the MH I'll check it out a little later :) Trying to sort seeds for WS looks like tomorrow to sow them Tony and I decided to move furniture around in the living room today and just got done but still time to finish the crisper lol Thats getting to be a joke here with us!

ONLY 120 days hmmm doesn't sound like that much but it's the days of getting thru them huh Ha! snort snort

I hope you all are safe with all the snow that is happening around the country and hope the electric stays on for you so you stay warm and toasty haven't seen pamsue on for a bit hope she isn't having too much trouble with her pipes again!

Danita.... I so sorry. I got excited looking at yoru labels and the first one i pitched wa s too colchie and for soem reason that name stuck in my head. It was you that came yesterday. Forgiv e my stupidity. Sorry to have caused you to worry, but glad ya said soemthing for sure. Have changed it up above. and headign over to update folks in too. : )

Hi piggies

aint been on lately as ended up having minor surgery on my inner thigh. got infection like over night. Christmas eve my thigh was red then on christmas day it was spreading and spots were popping up.

went to doctor yesterday and said it needs to be opened and cleaned out and a drain put in for a few days. so around 1130 i was having my leg opened and cleaned and this drain thingy put in.

it hurts like the dickens. doc said it was staph. which everyone has staph on their skin including animals. it lives there and in the air. so anyone can and does have it. mine just decided to act up. well this morning i can barely walk. hubby got to come back home as doc said i needed to be taken care of so he flew in last night while still at hospital. only till new years though.

the only place it doesnt hurt is in the tub. now this piggy cant stay in the tub all day. hubby says clothes and stuff needs to be washed and stuff so cant use up water all day. so loving on a heating pad.

ive never had anything like this before and sure dont want another. sleeping on a towel at night so dont have to keep washing bedding every day. all i know is this piggy is walking funny for awhile.

Oh Star, no need to apologize! I'm just glad that they got there safely. :)

imzadi, Ouch that sounds miserable, I hope you heal quickly!

Imzadi hope you heal up quick.

Imazadi.. Oh that not good and know it hurts. Son ha d oen on sid e of his stomach pop up and fool child had let it go til it got real bad and they had to open and drain big tiem and then pack. Surpried you get to get in water, cuz they told him to keep his dry. But them he had guaze packe d in his and had to go back to hosital evryday to get repacked. I coudl take out packing, but was afraid to pack in.

Hope ya heal and get better quick and it nothign to mess with so if it loosk wors e or gets badder, get back to doc right away.

I doign a piggy danc e this morning. Big piggy dance. heheheheh

Onthe 23rd I swoed soemof the Viola Strawberry Sundae seeds and had checke d this mornign and stil nothing, and then wa s on pter and they next to me on tabkle under kitchen klight and looke dover and starte d watchign them sprout up through soil.

I tell ya it such and excitign thing to watch as ya sit for horus soemtiems and watch that little seed push out its radicle and send up the first bit of green. Ya cna just abotu hear then grunting and grumbling as they make the way through the soil and then saying FINALLY!!!!!!! sunlight. LOL So I a proud mommy this morning. : )

Doing a wiggel to the left and a wiggle to the right. Now just to keep them going LOL Freezing frost and cold and 15 degrees colder than normal and gonan be down in low 20's for next week. Think the days of Al beign a warm state are gone.

imzadi -- wow, sounds quite painful. glad to hear your DH was able to come home if only for a little while.
do get on the mend... as Star said... Spring is on the way.

Ella -- any idea how many packages you are still expecting?
I'm getting antsy. **wink wink**

tcs.. LOL.. Me too. Off hand I think we stil waitign on 12 people. So hoepfulyl they all get them in the mail this week. : )

Glad that my box got there, that was quick!

Hope everyone is enjoying their holidays. The rain washed most of the snow away, now we have mud. Better mud than ice, I guess.

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Santa's been recouperating from all the rush for my 3 kids ;-) My 6 year old is very smart this year.... Had to make things just right so that we can have "Santa" back next year too, lol!

Just checking in... If I don't catch you all for New Year's ... I have to do some major cleaning for company, ugggg!!..... Than "Happy New Year !!!!" :-)

Andrea

Garden Quilts.. When I opene dyour box I thought, cool she sent me soem cough cough drops, just what I needed. Oopene d package up and didn't find a cough drop, hehehehehehe foudn yoru piggy trough seeds. LOL Shoudl have looed at other sid eof package. Hahahahahhaha

Great Ide a for recyclign though : )

question.... is anyone here good with interior design, window treatments and the sort??

I've posted in two other web sites and so far the only response i've gotten is not what i was looking for. I'm not teh "pop" sort of gal.

could you take a peek at this.... http://www.city-data.com/forum/home-interior-design-decorating/849931-making-headboard-cornice-box.html

and give me your honest opinion.... I will also do a post in the Home Decorating Forum.

That's so cool Ella to see those little babies coming up I've never really caught any of my seeds when they were popping up, so cool!

I'm getting ready to start my table top lights to get my Lisanthus and Lantana started I'm rubbing my hands to gether with excitement to see some green it's 19 outside and snow covered yards and road, 15 mh winds so cold out! Am I forgetting any other seeds that need to be started this early? I have my begonia seeds but I'm going to wait a bit on those they crowded out in the six packs so easy toward the end before they go outside just don't want to deal with that this year they are so hard to plant that way lol Oh, I have those Rex begonia seeds that I want to try maybe I'll go ahead and try and get those started too IF they will germinate for me!

Do any of you start your Lisanthus seeds on the heat mat since I'm going to have my Lantana on there it would be so much easier to put the Rex begonia, Lisanthus and Lantana on there at the same time the heat mat is a double just fits under the table top lights, anyone see a problem with that I very seldom use my heat mat except for Lantana and annual Geraniums so I'm not sure. I know I need to take them off when they start to germinate.

I have lost two elephant ears so far :( How can they rot when there isn't that much water in them is beyond me I had 13 and now down to 11 :( I fixed another place for them in between my tv room and kitchen I have a window that divide them I put foil on the ledge and put the elephant ears there soon I'll have my table top lights there so maybe they will do better I'm hoping they may have gotten too cold in the other room it was 50 in there it's 60 in the kitchen, I do have a sheet covering the window in between the tv room and kitchen too.

Last year I completely ignored (just forgot about them really) my elephant ears in dad's room it was shut off from the rest of the house and they did fine this year I'm watching them and trying to keep them alive and they are rotting lol Go figure Ha!

Oh no! I have aphids!

Guess I'd better get those Monk's Hood seeds in there to you Ella with Terese snorting at the trough lol It's so cold and icy out I don't want to go to the Post Office snort snort

Happy New Year Andrea if we don't see you before then :)

Lebug... Oh.. Oh............... Get the dish soap. bubble them babie s up. I let my ee's go to sleep each winter. Mien have already been bit by cold and are dying back.

Can't help ya with the heat mats. I don't us e em for anything. I just us e ktichen light which give s off lot sof heat.

tcs... No decorating skills her e at all. I have to always ask somebody what looks good with what. wish i coudl help ya.

not for the faint hearted!!!!!!!

they have it packed with gauze. the lady doc told me to soak as it would draw out the infection more. it looks better but yet worse. now i am all bruised and everything there. looks like i been beat. the tube supposed to come out tommorow and gauze the next day but its coming out on its own and no i didnt try to push any back into it. its draining fine without me poking at it.
feels some what better except this morning i must of rolled wrong and like to died. pulled tape off with dead stuff and pulled gauze. now this piggy was doing some bad piggy words though tears. hubby got me to bath water. that helped some but it hurt. took me to baths to finally get up and move.

went to post office said that was enough come back home. hubby says he gonna get stuff done round house while he here. he hates to see me in pain.

this thing has me baffled 2 days its so bad i have to have surgery. Scary well we see what doc says tommorow when i call and report i took tube out. bet that will be a mess

LOL Ella. I am big on recycling. I am also careful with the post office. The local post office is less reliable here than other places I have lived. I wrap everything up in plastic bags that could be damaged by water. I didn't want the seeds to start sprouting in transit! I made lots of orgami seed envelops with duplicate/expired seed catalogs.

I have sewn lots of curtains and things if you need help. I plan to cover my headboard. I need to get more padding. To cover a headboard, just cover it with batting or something soft, then the fabric, then stable it in the back with a staple gun. Make sure that the staples are thinner than the wood. The bf found a headboard and painted it. It is a basic half circle. I want it to have the quilted buttons, so I have to drill holes in it first, then thread buttons thru the holes BEFORE stapling the fabric in the back. I can post pics when I finally get around to it.

I like Roman blinds in the winter. They are flat shades operated by a cord. I use batting to make them thicker, more insulated. The easiest curtains are simply gathered over rods. They have wide rods that look extra nice. Cornices are simply wood covered in fabric, sometimes with batting underneath. Make a three sided box and cover it in fabric. My dad made beautiful scalloped cornices for my grandmother's living room. I made a plain one and put a fluorescent light underneath for my northern bedroom window. If you don't want to bother building a cornice, you can out a rod with a valence on top. The easiest curtains would be a valance and curtains over a double rod. You just sew, hem, and slide over the rods. No need for special tapes and hardware. I usually make the curtains 2x the width of the window for enough fullness, 3x for thin fabric.

DIY.com had pictures and instructions. Stores don't carry as many curtain supplies as they used to. A mail order source with good prices is Atlanta Thread Supply.

If I ever finish painting and tiling, I am going to make new curtains. I have the fabric. (I hate painting and tiling.)

Any tips for starting lisanthus. I got some seeds from Parks, but none germinated. They are so pretty, I would love to grow them.

Hello LeBug,
Sure glad you had a wonderful Christmas with your grand that was awesome!! Don't do heat mats here either now I know why never got lantana seeds to come up.
Am trying to get my plant stand up and can't find nothing I need , asked Ella if she remenbered for me where I stuck everything. So just haveing a merry hunt day here pretty bad had to redo plant stand lol how do you end up with 2 bottoms .But got it I think after found the hammer to take apart and make my four tiers up then slapped the other bottom on top so when I battle the other stand outside to bring in have it right here.
Just wonder if I forget now that it sitting on top lol.
Hugs,
Carolyn

Tcs. sending you a dmail.

An update on open office. I entered my seeds in open office, getting ready for the swap seeds to arrive! I prefer Office (have Office 93 disk somewhere, I still use Windows XP .) The major feature I miss is the copy feature. In office, you can copy an entire column or row, you can also add columns more easily and automatically number entries. I would use open office instead of buying another software, but will use Office since I have a disk somewhere with my backup disks. As I look for it, I am archiving the disks with WhereIsIt so I can find my backups easier next time.

Carolyn was that garage that you were growing plants in before yours there it seems that you had them in there a long time ago :) You've got to find those suckers lol How long has it been since you've started seeds?

GardenQuilts, with the Lisanthus you just need lots of patience :) I don't let my soil get too wet because they come up missing a lot after they germinate guess they are dampening off they are so small when they first come up I can't see them at the bottom of the stem to see what is going on with them. At first I have a bunch to germinate then end up with one :( Usually I plant a whole pack too, I have a dome over my seeds under lights it's about 70 degrees I believe under the dome, soon as they germinate take the dome off, make sure they haven't germinated when you think they haven't they are very tiny hard to see :)

imazdi, hope that thing heals and you don't need surgery I was just cringing thinking of what you are going thru!

Thanks Ella, I took some insecticidal soap to them I should have took soap to them now I'm worried about the cats and the IS, had to mop the floor and change clothes that spray thing spit out everywhere! I was just feaking didn't even think of soap and water duh!

Lebug your right they where in garage well 8 of them anyway and looks like one coming apart but will see , think the rest is in the attic but not braving that today will have my daughter get those lol. Wouldn't want to hit the floor with my 88 pounds .
But have to get these cleaned up and next the chains
I am getting there slowly but surely. had to find spot in house for gro-light stand . have about 150 plants that need transplanting so have my hands full but Ella bragging about her babies this morning means I got to get a move on.
Nee d to try winter sowing again just cause it licked me one year shouldn't give up.
If I can't find my chains for these lights get back at you and maybe you can tell me what bag I stuck them in lol.
Carolyn

LOL you are a trip Carolyn didn't think I would remember did you that's only been about three years ago lol

GardenQ. I start mien in seed starting mix and put in baggy and put on kitchen table under kitchen light. My kitchen light runs 24/7 so usually after three days I start lookign at seed to sprout. Lisiathus and begoneia seed s ya just abotu need a magnifiing glass to see if they have germinated.

I literally have to open bag, take off glasse s and just abotu put my nose in the tray to see if they sproute d cuz ya can't barely see them liek LeBug says and if ya dotn get cover off when they sprout them they gonan croak on ya .

I usually tip the seed tray, I us e small ones side ways and look across it that way too and then ya cna se if anythign has sprouted. I always facinate d at how sometign that so miniscule cna produc e such big pretty plants LOL

Don't remmebr if it was LeBug or somebody else who gre w them this past year and had pretty plants. I forget who said they did. I know they mentione d it on oen of our CG threads.

Lebug, what do you do when you have aphids?

Patti

.....belated HOLIDAY GREETINGS to you all!!!! jist got me internet fixed, so i beez missing fer a while. Wow! a lot has beez going on since i was mia!

I mentioned them Ella because I got about 7 or 8 plants for this year and just couldn't believe it and then had seeds to boot and couldn't believe it, not sure if I'm the one you were thinking of though, I've got mine wrapped up in the garage right now because someone said they were perennials so I'm hoping mine is going to come back for me next year it's just an experiment don't expect it to work where I lived at before I came out here I saved all kinds of plants wrapping them up in a plastic bag in the garage but out here not one has come back for me for some reason but I keep trying lol It is a lot colder out here than in town not sure if that has something to do with it or not, surely it's not that much colder here like maybe ten degrees I don't know why they won't come back for me here.

Hi Patti :) I'm not really sure about aphids I've never really delt with them in the house before I just had some insecticidal soap here before Ella answered about the soap and water I didn't think about the soap and water I was feaking too much lol

jsxtiger welcome back just in time to start talking more about seed starting a few of us are chomping at the bit! Don't say those words 'computer problems' mine usually start about this time of year I've got to be real quiet while I even say it so my computer doesn't hear me lol I'm good at losing programs so I just bought me a gaget to back everything up and I even used it imagine that I'm a big procrastinator lol

I have been off-line for a few days . . . . Best wishes for the holidays and for a wonderful New Year for everyone. ^_^

I hate aphids! They go after my roses outside. I spray them with neems oil/baking soda/soap biweekly and after rain storms. Some people have luck with systemic Bayer 3 in 1. Don't forget to spray (or change) the dirt/pot also. People say that oil suffocates them by covering their bodies, preventing respiration. I have washed plants off with soap and water (wearing gloves, with a cloth) eeewwwww.

I have a couple flying tiny bugs inside. I wash the plants and pots and replant in sterilize soil before bringing anything in and with any new plant. Still, I have these tiny flying bugs. I tried neems on the plants and ground. I put each plant in plastic to see if it was any particular plant. I broke down and dusted a couple plants/dirt with sevin and resealed the bags. Very annoying.

tcs, took a look at your bedroom. I do minimal sewing and I have to tell you, sewing a Roman Blind is hard unless you are good with a sewing machine. It has to be perfectly staight. I really like the idea of the Cornice on your windows. My bedroom has blinds with shears .... so easy and breezy, but you seem to want something more substantial. Show us when you are done.

Thanks Toofew.... I have blinds on the windows already.... spent a small fortune on them... but got to say, not the happiest with them but they are staying.

I certainly will take photos when i'm done... and its funny... DH saw me playing with an image i created in photoshop, and he was like What's that? so i told him... and he was like... is that before or after you finish the bathroom ?

not pleased that i still have 'stuff' laying about for doing ceilings.... but i'm dreading the master bath... but should get to it on Wed. Busy in the city tomorrow with my dad & family.

BUT -- Robynsnest helped with a great idea... hope i pull it off.

-- Well, i just finished updating my spreadsheet for seeds.... I currently have 181 packs of seeds, and this is BEFORE the seeds from this swap.

some i may just toss out in the field and hope for the best... if they germinate, YAY, if not, no biggie.