Think Spring! Seed Swapping Discussion for Feb. 11 swap

This thread is in relation to the "Think Spring!" seed swap party in Frederick on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012. See this thread for event details: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1237685/#new

Here is where we can chat about seeds we have, seeds we're looking for, etc. You can also arrange trades on this thread (or via D-mail).

It is not necessary to arrange a single trade in advance for the swap, but some people find it useful. It's also handy to gauge interest in a particular kind of seed so you know when you're packing seeds if you should make up 6 packets or 26.

As I've done in the past, I'll put together a tray of "goodie bags" with names on them. This makes it really easy for you to earmark seeds for a particular person and just drop them into that person's bag when you arrive.

Let's post our "have" and "want" lists on a separate thread here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1237817/ If we make just one post per person, our lists will be easy to find. Sometimes our trading thread gets pretty busy!

reserved for additional details as needed

I have yet to dig in my drawer and envelopes...I must have something....Thanks for getting us together Jill!

I did some digging over the holidays, as I took part in Starlight's "piggy swap." I saved plenty for us, though, and I suspect my piggy box (which I think will come next week) has plenty of extras for our swap, as it has in the past.

Remember, seeds don't have to be "new" either (but if you know how old, even approximately, it's nice to note that on the pack). Most seeds are just fine for 5-6 years, maybe dropping a few points in their germination percentage.

One thing I need to do is try to sort through my stash and find seeds that are around that 5-year mark that I know I won't get to in the next year or two, so somebody else can try them.

Another thing to note, if possible, is whether or not seeds were collected from a hybrid. Hybrids don't generally "come true" from second generation seed, although some ('Purple Wave' petunia for example) come pretty close. But if the seed is viable, you'll still get a plant of that type, and you may like it just fine. People who have been growing out seeds from some of the recent fancy coneflower releases report that the plants are pretty much blooming standard purple -- but they're still pretty. So, seed collected from hybrid plants isn't undesirable -- collect and share it, by all means! -- but what you'll get from it is more of a surprise.

ssgardener- I will look and see if I collected liatris seed, or if they seem to have any still clinging.

I have a baggie of mystery seeds with dried flower heads, can we play guess that seed ?LOL

I have a couple of bags like that, too, Sally!

ssgardener, does your pink muhly grass ever get little "volunteer" seedlings around it? I'm wondering if I could winter sow some for my mother... I tried WSing a bunch of grasses for her last year, but only a couple sprouted... I'm guessing the rest were from hybrids that may have simply been sterile.

I can definitely find you "a few" different basils to try... and if you come to the spring plant swap, with any luck at all Joyanna and I will have extra seedlings to share, too!

Thanks, Sally and Critterologist! I'll be dreaming of liatris and basil tonight!

Critterologist, it's my first year with this grass, so I'm not sure about volunteers. At this point, I don't know how to ID the volunteers, so I might be weeding them come spring :-)

But I'm really interested in dividing and cultivating this grass. The pink flowers are sooooo pretty, although the grass was really floppy for me this first year. I think if I had a whole mass of them, I wouldn't mind them flopping at all!

I'll go out tomorrow and harvest a bunch of seedheads.

Thanks, SS! Nothing ventured, nothing gained.. I don't sweat it if a few WS containers don't sprout; I just dump the potting mix into the nearest planter, and I know we'll end up with something to grow in it! Joyanna must think gardening is our major outdoor entertainment... any time we're outside, it's "Mommy, can we dig? Mommy, can we plant something?" We were on the back deck with my parents on a recent mild day, and she wanted to plant something... so we found a tiny snail-shaped terra cotta pot, added a handful of potting mix, and she carefully patted a scrap on Sally's miniature sedum into place. She's going to have so much fun with all the seedlings this spring!

ssgardener---

I have had this site saved forever- It is NOT complete--but you will still be able to use it to ID seedlings...
Seems it is pretty alphabetical....Take a look!

http://theseedsite.co.uk/db1.html

Gita

how cute with Joyanna!

I don't know if muhly grass has a reputation; I have two grasses that seed like crazy and another I have never seen a seedling from. If you can collect seeds, ssg, I would like to try them.....My mystery baggie, found a scrap of paper in, Cornflower.
Have added a bit to my seed list. I had bought large bags of spinach and mustard last year from Johnny's. You know, volume pricing, such a deal.

ssgardener--

I have fresh Liatris aspera seed if you are interested.

Gita, what a neat site! I hope it comes in handy this spring.

Thank you Greenthumb for the offer of Liatris. I'll take them!

Sally and Critter, as soon as I harvest the seeds tomorrow, I'll be changing my muhly status as "HAVE" on the trades page :-)

Neat site Gita, bookmarked fursur. I just hate when we are traveling and collect or buy seed never to be seen again. LOL I just gotta' find a more organized method. We bought seed for a fancy ornamental pepper at Bok Tower Gardens was just one, I know we collected quite a few at Tryon Palace gardens last fall, time will tell. :-} Ric

Ric,

Envelopes work great--filed in a low box. You have seen my box of seeds that I bring to the seed swap?

I am really trying to replenish those that are a bit empty and also make more labels to stuff in the pass-out little zip-baggies.
Many seeds I have collected have not yet been divied out--but are all in one container.

Also need to put aside the ones I plan to grow, etc...etc...

Lots of work...my DR table is wall-to-wall seed stuff...

My brain is fried. If not tonight, then tomorrow I will get into my seeds, plant some for wintersowing, and post a few haves.

need parsley- or need to get a packet and then can share with someone. I have read it needs to be fresh but I have grown it from year- old packs.

Sally--All Burpee regular seed packets at HD are $1. I believe all the seeds are already in.

Parsley is easy to buy already growing....it will have a bunch of stems in the little pot...$2 at the Farm Place...

I leave my parsley out all winter--and it comes back. Just have to cut off the bloom stem when it wants to bolt.
I usually grow just Italian Flat-Leaf parsley. same for dill and Sweet basil, etc. There are so many seedlings in one pot!

I asked my daughter, Aina, if she would like to come to the Swap with me.
She said she will think about it. Feb. 11th is her Birthday--to boot.

Gita

thx!

Oh good, lots of action here. Will now go and check out the actual haves and wants. I have to admit that I haven't yet had the time to access and get started with my seeds, but I promise to so soon. It is on my to do list today, but I have been known to not go by my list. hahaha

Anyway......growing very excited here. This will be our first seed swap, so it will definitely be interesting. I see that many of my verr favorite Dave's people are attending, so I know it will be an enjoyable day.

To add to Ric's thank you.....thank you Jill for once again getting this thing going. It is going to be lots of fun.

Ruby

I will post my "HAVES" and "WANTS"--if any--when I get done organizing my seeds.

Trying to update and delete some stuff from my Trade List. There are NO options to do this...
I know once I was doing it--and there was a separate column next to each with these options--
right to the right of the posted picture. Not there! Maybe the screen needs to slide over--but no options for that either....
Need to delete a couple entries--and add a couple too....

Any advice???? Thanks- Gita

Gita, I went to "My Tools" and then to "Tradelist" and clicked on the link for my "Haves." My Haves list has a column at the far right with options to enable/disable, edit, or delete the item. (I was delighted to hear your daughter might join us!)

My box from the Piggy Swap just arrived, so I think my "Wants" will be few indeed. And I might have a few extra goodies from it to share. I'm going to go enjoy a good wallow in seeds this evening!

I will try that route. I just clicked on my own name--and then on my "Trade List" and that option was not there....

Maybe--there are many "roads" to the same destination....I tried what you suggested--but there was no option to CHANGE
the picture of the plant. I got a better one--and wanted to do that...

NO biggie! I hope most people know what a Blue Angelonia looks like....

Thanks, Jill. Gita

This message was edited Jan 25, 2012 9:09 PM

Not sure about swapping out photos; I thought you were adding/deleting entries. I haven't been organized enough to do the trade list for a while, but it's a useful tool!

Jill--

I swapped out the photo of one plant. Easy!

Just click on "browse" and choose the new picture---then "open" and there it was.....

G.

I have had some fun the past two evenings sorting through my horde. I believe I am now ready to list my HAVES to trade, though no trade is necessary. I just want to give these to good homes. hahaha I really hope there will be some takers because never in a million years will I use all that I have currently. Please feel free to speak up folks.

HAVES:

Maroon Hollyhock
Cleome
Yellow Marigold
Orange Marigold
Red Celosia
Red Rose Campion
Dark Purple Columbine

I also have loads and loads of Zinnia seed with the chaff mixed in. I haven't yet found an easy way to separate these and plan to do as I have done in years past with them and just strew or scatter if you will the mix around. Works for me.

So, please let me know if I can fix up some packets of these for you. I am looking forward to seeing everyone soon.

Ruby

Ruby--

I have found that on the average Zinnias ONLY the lowest layer of bloom-petals has viable seeds.
You can pull these out and simply break off the seed.
You can feel the seeds by hand. they feel 'thick". If they are flat--there is no viable seed.
Where would the chaff come in?

Don't know if this would be true with the pom-pom Zinnias???

Kind of the same with marigolds....Try it next time....

You can go back up to the seedd-link I posted. Go to "Z" and see what a Zinnia Seed looks like.

I would love a packet of your Zinnia seeds and chaff, Ruby. I'm thinking the chaff is just some unfertilized seed parts.

My zinnia seed always has chaff... I just grab the whole dried flower and crumble a bunch of them together to get a mix... the chaff is useful, actually, so you can see where you've sown your seeds. I do direct sowing in spring, also. I'm planning to get a bunch of zinnias going this year in our little orchard area, so I'm interested in any colors/varieties. The butterflies and Joyanna thank you in advance!

PEPPER SEEDS!

I'm a little late for organizing a major effort with this, but I'm planning to put in an order Monday morning with HPS. Mostly I need hybrid sweet peppers, the non-bell ones that do so well for me. So anybody who wants 'Gypsy', the new 'Flamingo' (better than Gypsy? we'll see), or 'Carmen' please let me know... should work out to about 10 seeds of Flamingo or Carmen for $1, 15 seeds of Gypsy for $1. If enough people are interested, I'll bump up the size pack that I'm ordering, so please do let me know ASAP so I get enough. If you want a whole packet of anything else (you can arrange to split with somebody at the swap), I can add it to my order. We may as well take advantage of the fact that I'm already paying shipping! They have nice seeds. HPS: http://www.hpsseed.com/

Rick/Holly, do you need 'Holy Mole' hybrid pepper seeds from them?

Ric, save a spot in the garden for some nice whopper tomatoes I got from my aunt in North Carolina. They call the German something, they've been saving them for years. I menitoned these last summer. I'll see how many packets I can make of them, I think a few.

Since I had such problems last summer with my Tomatoes--all those yellowing fungus-looking leaves---
Theressa's brother suggested I plant hybrid Tomatoes this year...as Heirloom ones are susceptible to
all kinds of problems. SO! I will buy a couple Beefsteaks or early Girls--or whatevers,,,,

SO! This summer--I will just buy my Tomatoes at HD from the "Bonnie" Veggie section.
I only grow a few Tomatoes anyway--so NO biggie!

I still want to grow a couple of my Heirlooms--namely the Cherokee Purple and the larger Sun Gold ones.
I say "larger"--because last summer my Sun Golds came out in two different forms. Small--and large.

The Cherry sized ones--and the larger, plum-sized ones--which kept producing way into late fall and the
colder temps...They were Very good-tasting small tomatoes..... Don't know how all this happened...
Probably cross-pollinated ????
But--I did save seeds from these larger Sun Golds to re-sow. They were exceptional tomatoes--even if they were small.

I will wait to see how the soil in my new raised bed behaves this year.
I added a lot of organic stuff to it last fall. What I really need more of is manure.

Gita

My veggie growing area is very small and consists of large containers constructed much like "bucket" gardens. So, I am mostly interested in several seeds of any veggie that might do well in containers.

Sally, I would like to have one or two seeds of your German heirloom tomato

Gita, I would be pleased with several seeds (either size) of your sungold tomato

Critter, if you could spare an assortment of pepper and basil seeds, I'd be happy to be surprised!

Ruby, a pinch of marigold mixed would be good companions.

I can't find any of the bleeding heart seeds and have no other seeds to swap.

Would anyone be interested in a semidormant alocacia or colocasia? They are in 3 gal pots . They need to be kept from freezing til time to set outside. Let me know.

Thanks, Judy

Ooh, Judy, I'd love an alocacia or colocasia!

Coleup, do you want hot peppers, or sweet? I can check to see what's kicking around my stash, but for the most part I've gone to growing non-bell hybrids for the sweet peppers, so if you want any of the ones I mentioned above at $1/pack, please let me know (that's at cost for new seeds, and no shipping added in, so it's a good "group buy" kind of deal).

HPS does big wholesale packs at good prices, so finding something you really really want and splitting them with somebody or trading away the extras might be an option for some folks, too. I'm going to let Joyanna pick out something very pink or purple to grow & to share.

Gita, I think SunGold is a hybrid, so it probably won't grow out the same from saved seeds (might be why you had big & little ones), although I think zztopsoil had some seeds he'd grown out through several generations in an attempt to get a stable de-hybrid (that's not the right term, LOL, but hopefully you all know what I mean). I can check to see if I have a few of those seeds from him still in my stash, if you're interested.

I've got a bunch of seeds from 'San Marzano' tomatoes saved, need to add those to my list... smallish elongated tomato, think it's a paste type, nice flavor and insanely productive most years... holds some shape/texture nicely when diced into salsa or sauces.

Sally... German Queen (pink, I think)? German Red Strawberry (ox-heart shape)? German Johnson (red)? German Gizmo (OK, I made that one up)? I think all the "German" varieties I've ever grown have been whoppers.

Along the same "group buy" lines as the HPS order... I need to order another round of Atlas gloves, both the 370 nitrile garden gloves and the "thermafit" ones. (These are tough gloves and the only ones I can stand wearing, but since I have to wear them every single time I'm in the garden and also wash them often, mine wear out after a couple of years.)

So, if anybody wants either of those styles in a size "medium" (check the size chart if you're not sure), let me know. I've got a 10% off coupon and will place a big enough order for free shipping, so the Atlas 370 gloves will be about $3.25 per pair and the "thermafit" ones come to $2.65 per pair. That's less than half the price I've seen locally. If you have a color preference, let me know. If I'm just ordering for myself, I'll get a dozen purple garden gloves, but if I can unload most of the non pink/purple ones I'm willing to get a dozen mixed colors (available other colors are mango, lime green, aqua, and orange). Thermafit gloves only come in grey, but they're really nice for chilly spring weather or planting bulbs next fall.

And if you want to order these gloves in any other size, let us know... somebody may be able to split them with you, and you can take advantage of the free shipping and 10% coupon.

This message was edited Jan 27, 2012 11:39 PM

Great!
I will make some packets of Mystery German tomato.
coleup, I see your wants and can fix you up with some spinach and maybe salad greens., and cleome, and black eyed susan vine. Except, that my flower seeds will be a year or two old and if there are fresher ones around too, I sure won't be offended if you go for those. Cleome needs some cold to germ, I hope to get some planted and outside this week.

Thanks, Sally. Last year our farmers market had "Aunt Rubys German green" tomatoes and they were quite good. Do you know if yours ripen green, pink, or red? Spinach and salad greens would be great, too. I'm determined to get a lot of gardening in before any possible oppressive heat sets in like the last two years!

Didn't know that about cleome. One of my customers gave me some of the seedlings from the ones he dug out two years ago ( ! ) a deep purple tall and a white that stayed petite. They grew and bloomed for me in about five hours of morning sun but it didn't seem like the seed pods ripened well in so little sun.

Critter, I'd like to try all three of the peppers you are ordering. Thanks

ssgardener, gotcha on an alocasia/colocasia and could use some giant sunflower seeds or blackeyed susan vine.

Would also be interested in perennial ageratum seed and Tithonia

Jill--
I just learned last year at your Swap that Sun Golds are NOT heirlooms. I always though they were.

Last year (2010) i planted Sun Golds--and they were red cherries....Go figure!
I gave a man I work with some seed for these and his dad has been growing them now for 3 years.
And--they have been the same all this time.

Judy_
I started a list of others "wants". Got you covered on the Sun Golds as well as perennial (biennial) Ageratum.
I also have all 3 basil seeds. Thai, Lemon-Lime, and Italian.
I must have close to cup and a half of mixed Cleome seeds. They will be coming up in my bed on their own.
I only grew 3 of them last summer, and cut off the seed pods. Didn't want any more seeds of this plant.

Sally--
Put a few seeds of that German tomato aside for me as well.

If anyone wants--I will have an abundance of Purple Coneflower seeds. Did a lot of deadheading at the HD
last summer. No need to reserve. There will be lots of these in my BOX.

Ruby---

Did you want me to start tip cuttings of the Purple Passion plant for you?
As I said in another Post--there are 4 stems and that would be 4 more plants.
Of course, we are just a couple weeks away from the Swap--and you can do this yourself.
**It does need re-potting. I will do that. Will put it in a 5" or 6" pot for you.
I think it has gotten more purple since I bought it. Giving it bright light has helped.

Whew! I better get my "HAVES" list together so all of you can see what's what.
You all can check my Trade List. 90% of everything I have is on there--along with photos.
Just have the veggies to go yet.

Gita

Coleup, ok, giant sunflower and black eyed susan vine seeds are yours!

Coleup, I know for sure you'll love 'Gypsy' and 'Carmen', and both are fairly compact (more so than bell pepper plants) so should work out well in your containers. The description of 'Flamingo' makes it sound like an even more productive 'Gypsy' type. Pepper seeds are good for at least 5 years, too.

Have plenty of "Aunt Jewel's German"