marti! I was just reading that you were going to let your membership expire. Glad to see you're still around! :)
You know you're a seed saver when ...
Marti-That is a beautiful part of S CA.
My kids are both in advanced science classes I truly believe it has to do with my interest in living things both flora and fauna. It doesn't hurt when you get extra credit for bring in pond water. LOL My kids have picked up so much information (practical) that they can apply in the classroom. I thought they weren't paying any attention. Well, having a baby guinea bird living in the kitchen with a rabbit helps too.
OK Carey I let the bird out of the bag after I swore you to secrecy. : )
Quote from MaypopLaurel :
When your house smells like a barn in haying season.
When you pray for self control over prime plant candidates at the botanical garden (and look furtively about for cameras).
When your prayers are not answered.
When you turn your friends, SOs and children to enabling your habit (pathetic).
When a tree goes through your roof in the middle of a major storm and both the insurance company and the emergency tree cutting company guys give you looks about all those dried and tied up plants in the attic.
When you're more concerned about salvaging the dried and tied up plants than the rest of the possessions in your home despite water pouring in everywhere.
When you tell your children they can't come home again (not because they're grown but because you've got newspaper and dried plants all over their beds). Of course the floor is not an option either.
When you give up on thinking green and turn on heat or air 'cause the house is a tad too humid for optimal drying.
Laurel
Umm,. you talkin bout me ? ...........Roflmol.......................
Didn't make one word of that up. Then when I posted I remembered more...
When the smell of fermenting tomato seeds cannot be tamed with Febreze and late summer entertaining becomes impossible.
When you're blind for days after seeding hot peppers, you've got some not to be discussed "hot spots" (lol) and your arthritis has abated.
When you've brought an equal number of spiders into the house as are in the garden.
When you seek organic insect spray options for your interiors 'cause you've got plenty of spiders but no ladybugs, mantids or beneficial wasps to deal with the whitefly, worms and sundry beetles.
When guests sit at your dinner table and wonder why the flower arrangement has no water and looks dead.
When you go to Trash to Treasure forum to seek creative Thanksgiving decoration to temporarily deal with the dried stash.
"When you're blind for days after seeding hot peppers, you've got some not to be discussed "hot spots" (lol) and your arthritis has abated."
Can't get the aches and pains to go away but I can TOTALLY relate to the other 2. Just a few days ago I was getting the seeds out of Chiltepin pods for the exchange. I kept telling myself "remember to wash your hands". Then a rubbed my eyes. DUMB, DUMB, DUMB
In my case I washed my hands after adding Guajillo chili pepper powder to a soup. And I wiped the measuring spoon with a napkin so that no onme would get a painful surprise.
Then cleverly I put the paper napkin back on the table, dried my hands with it, and rubbed my eye.
That's one way to grade the hotness of peppers without burning out your taste buds.
Corey
Holy bumble bottoms, I didn't realize I was a seedhead. I've done the baggies in the purse/pocket/car, searching at a nursery/garden center (yelled at for it too), and ok pretty much all of them.
I'm also guilty of buying lunch bags despite the fact no one in my house takes a lunch. I also buy coffee filters despite the fact my coffee maker doesn't use them lol.
These are probably just me but ... You know you're a seed saver when ...
Your son's Halloween pencils have tiny bugs all over the erasers and they didn't have them when you bought them. (He's me official bug squisher when I go through seed pods)
You have a stack of paper sacks and coffee filters on your desk.
Your linen closet can't fit any towels because seeds inhabit all 4 shelves.
You've taken over other family members dresser drawers because you've run out of space.
Your dad pulls over every 10 to 15 minutes, while driving 6 hours to Oregon, because you are desperate for Hardhack seeds.
Lisa - LOL! I didn't even tell DH! ;) They got extra credit for pond water?! I can give them some deceased mosquito larvae if they want something gross! lol!
The only fruit/vegetables I have are a random tomato plant (because DH mowed down our volunteer corn stalk) and some strawberries. Both should be ready about the same time. :)
Well peeps, I did a new one for me this evening ..... when visiting my daughter's school I noticed some nice seed pods .... my daughter instantly realized what I was up to .... the beds were fairly well groomed .... when I was collecting seeds from one plant, my daughter requested its ID ..... I had to confess that I had no idea .... her response was ...so you have advanced to the stage of collecting MYSTERY SEEDS.
I responded ..... I have a feeling it will be an impressive performer.
MARY
"Out of the mouths of babes"
Tonight my son was going to a Halloween party. I refused to buy/make him a costume because he ends up taking it off before he gets to the event. So I wrote "shirt" on his arms in permanent marker and "pants" on his legs (he was wearing shorts) then I realized I had written "plants" on his legs. He just looked at me and shock his head :(
Maybe we would be going too far if we collected small round objects like grit "just in case it turns out to be a seed".
I've heard that chickens will peck at sand or gravel "just in case it's a bug".
Corey
A few more:
You collect seeds from store bought produce and then giggle with joy when you find they've germinated.
You attempt to germinate store bought seeds from the spice section, despite the fact you already have the plant and people have told you it isn't possible.
You think your friends are nuts for not saving seeds and offer to take in their homeless seeds.
>> You collect seeds from store bought produce and then giggle with joy when you find they've germinated.
Right now I'm trying to sprout two kinds of chili pepper seeds from mostly-dried peppers from a fruit stand. But my house is around 50-55 degrees, and the seeds ant 75-90 degrees to sprout! DUHH.
>> take in their homeless seeds.
Now I realize where I caught the seedhead virus from! I operate a shelter for homeless kitchen knives, abandonned and neglected in the old-knife-shelf at Good Will.
I take them home, give them a hot meal and clean them up, sharpen them and oil and wax the handles. Make glossy paper sheaves for the blades, to protect the edges, and keep myself from needing a transfusion when I fondle them. Label them. Sort and re-sort them into a series of cardboard boxes.
Then, as with seeds, I go forth into the world with a gleam in my eyes, trying to give them away. Why do people back away from me nervously, making calming motions with their hands?
Corey
For me it's store bought heirloom tomatoes. I bought around 10 when they were in the produce section and I'm not a fan of seeds in the slices I eat so I just removed them. These were just a germination test. I just stuck 60 in between two damp towels, put it in a bag, and tossed it onto the fridge. I'm still in shock that only 5 seeds failed to germinate.
Last winter I bought a table top greenhouse for my pepper seeds. I was so worried it was too cold to germinate and this one keeps the temp at 70.
>> table top greenhouse for my pepper seeds.
drool drool drool
I am saving my budget for seeds and manure and bulbs and peat and sand and ...
I would look into building my own heated seed bed, but I am reminded of the British Columbian policeman who explained why they didn't put many resources into tracking down indoor pot growers.
"Oh, we catch them when they burn their house down.":
Corey
This message was edited Oct 30, 2010 3:57 PM
About the hot peppers:
A friend from Brasil advised me to ware gloves. Don't know the right word in english, but I mean the ones surgeons use.
That would probably have been smart! There are latex gloves, nitrile gloves and very cheap gloves such as cafeteria workers or painters use.
However, it was easy to wash my hands. What was not easy was keeping the dry powder contained when I ground it with a coffee grinder, or poured it into a jar.
Or (duhh) wiped things off with a napkin and then used the napkin a little before realizing what I was doing.
Now my kitchen is like a mini-minefield with hot spots here and there, that I haven't found yet. I just know they must be somewhere, because I keep discovering I must have touched something hot with my fingers recently, when my lips or eyes start to burn.
At least I know that I am not being TOO unkind to the squirrels. It's bearable even indoors, and it is being rained on constantly outdoors. And squirrels would have to gnaw through or poke through chicken wire to get at it.
****************************************************************************
*** No squirrels were harmed during the testing of this repellent. ***
************************* Only the dumb gardener. ***********************
Actually, surgeons wear sterile gloves. Any latex or nitrile exam glove will do but you don't need sterile gloves. Do not try to reuse the gloves by washing and drying. They will still be coated in capsican and if they make contact with your skin it will burn.
Jonna, I wish my Dutch, German or French could match your English!
I'm shaking my head and laughing at myself. I've worked with toxic chemicals, radioactive chemicals and even done sterile tissue culture with cancer cells. I do know what NOT to do when I need to wear gloves.
Then I wiped the Thai chili powder off onto a napkin and used the napkin!
DUHH! I'm out of practice, that's my excuse.
Oh well, I get a big laugh at myself every time I say:
"What IS that burning sensation?? Oh yeah, that's what stupidity feels like!"
Corey
Corey- You may want to put a seed warming mat on your Christmas list. The prices vary. I can't remember where I got mine but some of the gift/gardening places price them higher. How do live in a house that is so cold?
Tiki-I'm surprised they germinated in the refridge. I wonder if they will "come true"
I wouldn't wnat to go any further "pre-made" than buying a soil-warming cable or maybe pipe-don't-freeze heating tape.
My real dream is to use 4x8 sheets of clear corrugated plastic to put a big solar cold frame along the South wall, or enclose my porch about waist-high with clear plastic. If I can keep my seedlings warm and give them light, who cares if the house is cold!
When I lived in New Haven and was between jobs, I had a roomate from Maine. His theory was that we would have fewer colds, and find the outside less cold, if we kept the apartment cold. And he was a college-stricken poverty person. So we did.
Now I could afford to keep it warmer, but my habit is to first put on a cap and a sweatshirt and drink hot tea.
It also makes it feel SO good when you slip into a bed pre-warmed with a heating pad or an electric blanket.
Corey
... when you finally go through all your seeds and cull out the ones you really don't want or will never grow, then spend 4 days cataloging the ones you kept and create a database then notice that you are on line 259 of your database and still have seeds to add, then during a break, put in an order to JL Hudson for more seeds.
Actually .. I'm bordering on the pathological here.
Inquiring seed savers want to know...what are you doing with the culls? Do I need to stand in line? Need a number? Have I seen you on that program about hoarders? Are you the one with the dead cats and petrified spinach artichoke dip buried under years of dried seed?
RickyCorey oh how I sympathize with you. I've felt the burn despite being careful. I made garlic chili spray for my plants with habaneros and jalapenos. I made up the mix while wearing gloves, being very careful not to contaminate anything, and when I tested it .. I sprayed it into the wind. My eyes, lungs and skin burned for days.
Quote from 1lisac :
Tiki-I'm surprised they germinated in the refridge. I wonder if they will "come true"
I put them on top of the fridge. It's probably the warmest place in the whole house with the exception of underneath my cats. I'd put the seeds there but my cats would eat the plastic rather that leave it underneath them.
They were listed as organic heirloom tomatoes so I assume they will. If they don't the company has some explaining to do.
I don't think Organic Heirloom tomatoes means they might not have hybridized, since they aren't sold for the seeds? There will be no way to tell until they set fruit you may get something even better. ON the refridge not IN the refridge.
I traded the "culls" last month .. I think the final count came to about 150 different kinds. It occurs to me that the recipient of the seeds may need some intervention since my first count was off by 50 and wasn't expecting the other 50 or so. If she wasn't a seed addict before then most likely is now.
INTO the wind?
Habaneros??
>> My eyes, lungs and skin burned for days.
I'm picturing The Human Torch. Ouch!
Uh oh, I started a database last week. Only up to line 75 so I have a long way to go it seems! Thankfully some of my plants don't set seed so I'm safe there!
(Cough) I'm the one who wiped my eyes after working with Chiltepin pods.
Lisa
Quote from RickCorey_WA :
INTO the wind?
Habaneros??
>> My eyes, lungs and skin burned for days.
I'm picturing The Human Torch. Ouch!
I got the recipe from the internet and read that the hotter the pepper the better. They need to add a few disclaimers though 'Do not spray into wind', 'Wear gloves when spraying', etc
On the plus side it works really really well on bugs ... and cats, although it technically wasn't intended for them.
I have a question for all of you seed savers, since I'm fairly new to this. I figure that since you are obsessive about saving seeds, you must be obsessive about organizing your seeds! How do you all organize your seeds. I currently have them in a box, but it is getting messy. I thought about getting one of those plastic hardware nuts and bolts organizers with the little drawers. I'd like to know what other people are doing. Thanks.
I keep them in several plastic jars (each held 4 pounds of peanuts, so the lids are wide enough to reach into).
The jars MOSTLY follow a theme like "commerical flower seeds", "my saved seeds", "vegetables etc", but also, to soem extent, seeds go whereever they fit, or in the jar that's open when I want to put them away.
Each jar has multiple big zip-lock baggies (3x4?) in aplhabetical order by common name.
Each big baggie contains 2-5 smaller baggies (2x3"), usually just 2 species per big baggie.
The big baggies mean that 80% of the seeds are protected from humidity changes when I open just one baggie.
I like plastic jars because i worry about humidity, since it rains 3/4 s of the year here. I have two kinds of dessicant per jar. Hopfully I'm not drying my seeds to death!
I keep them at cool room temperature in a cupboard, since I didn't like all the condensation on the outside of the jars every time I took them out of the kitchen, or waiting for them to warm up and dry off before I opened them. And how good is it for seeds to keep verying their temperature?
Corey
i have mine in mason jars, labeled and stacked by size of jar. also have plastic bins with dividers to hold the commerical seeds i have purchased but have not planted yet( so much more fun to plant the seeds i have gotten in trade). the ones in the jars are the natives seeds i have collected. i am not organized enough.
I keep my seeds in baby wipe boxes.
A box for each type of seed filled to over flowing.
I have many boxes sitting on a self in my room.
20 to 30 of them so far and adding a box every month or so in harvest time.
I use to keep them in one of the nuts and bolts keeper with little compartments.
But then i got to trading and harvesting so much i had to go to something different .
Robbie
I keep mine in little brown envies I got at Office Depot. Than I put them in a box. Have got to find a better way to keep them in some sort of order.
I just bought some coffee filters for drying seeds. I've been putting them in plastic containers without lids, but read somewhere on DG that using coffee filters works really good.
I have them everywhere. Surprise surprise
Lol how pedantic do you want to be?
I use those little boxes of drawers you can buy at the dollar store to store packets in. I store the actual seeds in small plastic baggies or lidded portion cups.
I've also created a database in excel. The seeds are stored in Latin alphabetical order so if I don't have the database handy I can put my hands on something I want pretty quickly but the database is sorted to common. You can go here to see an example (6mgs dial-ups beware):
http://www.nerii.org/SeedCat.jpg
