Winter Sowing Seed Swap

Brent, regarding Monarda seed, did you see Shirley's post on seed identification: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/651566/ ? Looks like finding a needle in a haystack might be a more productive use of ones time. But DH has a high intensity light for his craft that comes with a magnifying glass - those things do come in handy.

I have astilbe seed ripening in my garden, and it has self-sown in the past around here. Does anyone know what the seed looks like? Are the 1/16" elliptical pods developing along the stems now the pod or the seed? When they get brown and crispy later on, I'll be better able to see what's what, but if anyone has any experience, let me know.

Bluespiral, are you a writer by trade? If you have a photo of that planting, I'd love to see it. I also grow basils primarily for their color/aroma, although I use them in cooking too. My herbs give me that 'growing' smell when nothing else is in bloom. Nothing beats the rosemary for my senses (although I've yet to grow lemon grass so...)

I take it from this response, that all seeds sent must be flowers then? I had some beautiful bronze fennel that I harvested this year and I was going to place in there since they are great host plants for butterflies, but don't want to upset the seed trading cart!

So please let me know if herbs are yay or nay for the swap, thanks!

~Sunny

Gee wiz, I'd love some herb seeds! critterologist's post yesterday got my imagination going.... basil is really handsome, too. I don't think there's really any restrictions, is there? I think the idea for me anyway is to try to come up with something(s) different, but who can say what other folks want...personally, I look forward to being surprised :) I won't send a box of acorns, I promise! lol

This message was edited Sep 21, 2006 8:51 AM

I must confess..the only seeds I ever saved before were my French marigolds. I am now trying to save Summer Sun Heliopsis for the WS swap. Just practiced, as my neighbor admires them and wants some as well. GOSH, those little things are very hard to separate from the chaff. Using the tweezers, I still inadvertently remove seeds with the tiny pieces of chaff. I guess I have to have at least 50 dried heads to make sure I have enough seeds to go around. So here's my alibi, if the little seeds don't germinate because I thought the tiny pieces of chaff were seeds, I intend to send some other flower seeds as well. Just want to do the right thing in my zeal to WS this year! This has been very interesting. I think next year at least I will have a technique down pact for saving seeds....just another day in gardening paradise! ;0)

I think herbs etc are fine... I wasn't sure if basil was WSable or if I'd be able to get it all cleaned & sorted before the swap, so I was just making a side offer to Alice when I first mentioned it. If they don't make it into this swap, I should have plenty of basil seeds to offer later on.

Bluespiral's garden descriptions always get my imagination whirling! I did harvest some alpine strawberry seeds this week, hope to get more of them when I have time... whether you get them from me or from another source, I've had good luck wintersowing them since they do require cold stratification... I sow them pretty thickly and then "clump transplant" to 1 1/2 to 2 inch sheet pots and plant out when the roots have filled the little pots. The berries are tiny (you'd never pick enough for a pie), but the intense, sweet, strawberry candy flavor is out of this world!

I grow alpine strawberry also, I've had them in containers on my patio, love to watch the birds nibble on them, and just noticed yesterday how overgrown they were and really need to put in the ground. We also have a small strawberry patch we planted just for the birds. Can you tell we like birds?

bluespiral, I'd love to see a photo of that also.

I think a lot of people would love to get some herbs in the swap. I had an entire herb garden on front patio, several basil, mints, etc..., but my Boxer kept eating them so I gave them all to my daughter.

Critter, do you grow the red or yellow alpine strawberries? I've had the red for a few years and Winter Sowed the yellow last year, no berries yet.
Alice

has anybody got seeds for Jack in the Pulpit, Devil's Nip, I just saw a picture of this and I would love to try some??? cg

I tried to grow the yellow (from Pinetree, I think), but I ended up with more red ones! What a surprise when they fruited this year.... come to think of it, I never did let them know about the seed packing error... bet there were a lot of disappointed people. Supposedly the birds don't eat the yellow ones (yah, right). But the birds always seem to miss a few, so we share, and everybody's happy.

I edited the summary I posted to include comments from Criter and Alice.

Alice, I'd like to suggest you copy the summary list into the first post of this thread, so people don't have the reread the entire thread later on. Maybe just before the participant list.

I wouldn't mind receiving ornamental herbs, especially if the plant attracts butterflies. I'd love to have some of that Fennel. Here's a tidbit about Fennel. If you put Fennel seeds in with soaking beans (for bean based soups), it will significantly reduce gasiness associated with eating the beans. I started doing that a few years ago and it does work.

I can not believe I missed this!!! I will be watching this thread and taking the advice as this is my first year wintersowing, so keep the info coming.

Hi kay! I have an idea.....I really have so much on my plate for the next few months...how about taking my spot? As much as I love these things, I need to be more realistic about what I can handle. You would be doing my stress level a great favor!! What'cha say?

Rhonda

Hi Alice, didn't know if you or anybody else knew this or not, but when you edit a post you can cut all the extra edit dates out to keep it shorter. :o)
cg

cegoins, you're right, thanks...removed all the edits.
Alice

Beaker,
Did just that, thanks for the suggestion.

luv2dig2006, if you'd like to withdraw, that's fine, we have time to find a replacement.

If you are sure, I would love to!!!! I know all about biting off more than you can chew at once. Thanks Rhonda. Collect your thoughts and let me know.

I swapped out kaykay1010 in place of luv2dig2006.
Alice

Thanks, Alice. I appreciate anyone that organizes these things, just the number of packets would be mind blowing for me!

Kay, I'm glad it worked out for both of us! I truly do love these things, but I also know that with everyday life plus the holidays coming up, I will be so busy. And would rather back out than not fill a commitment!

Enjoy the swap all. I'll keep watching for when the pictures start coming in! =)

Rhonda

I must be getting old...Friday night...got my paycheck today...and I am sitting at home sorting out seeds. ;-) Not to make anybody feel like they are behind, but I now have 20 packs of seeds ready to go! I ended up with 4 different types of seed.

I don't want to give away too much and spoil the surprise, but I have attached a teaser picture.

- Brent

Ooh! I have one of those by the mailbox, but I always seem to miss my chance to collect seeds from it... is now the time?? I know it's a good wintersowing candidate, because I get volunteer seedlings around mine. But I'm not going to give away its identity! ;-)

Very pretty!

Does anyone have a preference for blue, white, pink or fragrance? I know Hineni likes blues and Heavenscent likes fragrance, so am putting their names on seed in those categories. If you'd rather be surprised, then don't say anything. It's just that I have an awful lot of seed, and since I'm not entirely sure of some things, I'm combining sure bets with iffies. Let me know in the next 5 days - Farmer Sharp has lassoed a certain geriatric couple to help out on his farm, and I will not be very active after I start.

I like both :-) cg

Geriatric..Bluespiral, come on... if you're a gardener, gardeners dont't grow old, they gracefully fade away.

And having children is called reseeding....some are more prolific than others....
Some seedlings also enjoy a symbiotic relationship with their host plant, hanging around forever...
Plastic surgery renders people into hybrids, therefore offspring often don't come true to parent plant...


~Sunny

Eggsaaccctly! I hope my reseeders travel a bit and start their own little garden. In good time though.. when the pumpkins are mature. :0)

bluespiral: I can't believe you are volunteering to customize, but since you are -- I don't have much full sun, and I love blue, and we're practically neighbors so whatever does well for you should do well here!

roflmbo at hineni

Connie - Bought them at a kitchen store at an outlet mall by Sedona AZ., but I've seen them at other kitchen stores & catalogs, (William-Sonoma type places...) I thought they were so cute & I use them alot more than I thought I would!

I will have to keep my eyes open for them, they sound like something right up my alley :-).


Alice, I have all my seeds collected and ready,
I am sending 10 different seeds of 2 packs each...

If my morning glories provide seed before I send this to you, I will include a couple packs of those too.

Connie

I like orange flowers, and unique stuff.

gardener6 - gracefully fade away "to a green thought in a green shade"? (Andrew Marvell (1621 - 1678) The Garden) http://www.bartleby.com/105/145.html - line 48

LOL, I like the "gracefully" part.

happy_macomb & kaykay - glad to do it

" Yet it creates, transcending these, 45
Far other Worlds, and other Seas;
Annihilating all that's made
To a green Thought in a green Shade. "

Bluespiral~ yes I agree, the garden has a powerful way of annihilating stress, difficulties and pains to lovely shades of green and in time we will gracefully fade away... even if our bodies don't cooperate! :0)

I am sending 20 packs of seeds, so each of the 20 participants (of which I am one) would get a pack of my seeds. I don't really want my seeds back -- can we add one more person?

Suzy

Suzy,
No need to worry, you won't be getting back your own seeds and you will be getting at least 20 in return. I've found that some people always send extra and I have a ton of extra seeds to add to the mix. The more people we add the higher the postage will be.
Now, if you and 10 other members all send in the same type, like marigolds, I can't promise you won't get some marigold back.....but not the ones you sent in.
Alice

Ok. No marigolds from me, but if I get 19 envelopes of them I won't be disappointed -- I love them! Same with the basil. And The Pink AND White AND Blue AND Fragrant -- I have fallen in love with annuals!

Suzy

Myself, I can't stand marigolds, for years thats all my dh has planted, so I have them coming out my ears :-(

Thank God for DG

cg

Illoquin, my seed are mostly hardy perennials, including seed harvested from some bulbs, biennials, a woody plant, vines - but I'll be sure to include annuals for you.

Another thing that would be helpful to me in matching my seed to what will do well for y'all is for all of us to include our zones in that box to the left of our posts with our DG moniker.

Here's the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html?

To enter my zone just now, I just clicked on:
My Info
Manage Your Preferences
Location

garden6, here's another autumnal metaphor - Ode to Autumn by John Keats http://www.bartleby.com/106/255.html
"Season of mists and mellow fruitfullness...Where are the songs of spring [line 23]?" kennedyh posted this a year or two ago on DG

This message was edited Sep 24, 2006 9:31 PM

"SEASON of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees, 5
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core; "

Bluespiral~ what lovely poems you do select. No wonder Farmer Sharp demands your company, you must be a seasoned friend of the "maturing sun" !

Getting back to the topic at hand, my seeds will be sent out this week. Please let me know when you receive them.

Thanks in advance Alice for all your hard work!