Unusual Seed Swap 08 Announcement

Im sorry Danita and BirdieBlue.

Danita Did you pick seeds from the last list that Theresa posted? the ones she purchased to go with the swap. That list is where the surprise came from. Recheck and it may just be hiding. I got Black Peony poppys. I have wanted those forever, what a great surprise.

No need to apologize, You did an amazing job!

I was just curious what the surprise seed was. ...Oh, I just thought the about fact that not everyone has their seed packs yet so you wouldn't want to ruin the surprise for them by saying right now.

Hi dylancgc,

Thanks for the info. For some reason, I had the impression that there was another surprise seed besides the valueseeds selections. I didn't get those or the yellow MG's but it really is not a big deal especially since I traded for some of, what I believe, are the same yellow MG's about a month ago. The trader didn't know the whole name but was pretty sure that's what they were. If they don't turn out to be the same, then I'll know a bunch of people that will have seed to trade next fall! :)

Believe me, I'm thrilled with this seed trade!

My seeds arrived and I am thrilled by the selection of seeds I received. Now, I need to go and look up each seed at the PF so I can see pictures of what I got.

Thank you Theresa for hosting this fun seed swap and keeping us informed along the way. This is my first swap and you made it a great experience for a newbie.

For those who received the Sleepy Hibiscus (mexican turk's cap) seeds from me, I don't believe I removed the red fleshy meaty part from each seed to expose the hard seed shell. Sowing: Nick the side of outer shell; soak 24 hrs; plant letting each seed touch soil or barely cover with soil; keep evenly moist; place in warm area with bright light. My seeds germinated in 3 - 5 days using the above method. Note: I damaged the seed when I used nail clippers to nick the seed; so I used an Xacto knife to take a thin slice from the hard outer shell (you could also use a single edge razor to accomplish the task too.)

I appologize to everyone for not knowing this info before sending in those seeds. I have only grown this particular plant from nursery stock and was clueless about how to sow these seeds until I started experimenting.

Karen O

Got my seeds. Thanks so much to all and especially Theresa for hosting it.

rebecca30

Got my seeds a few days ago, for some reason I have not been able to access this thread until today. It just kept giving me the message, not found may have been moved or had name changed. I thought maybe it was because of the large number of replies, but today it is back. COMPUTERS (*&*&^^^%%^^%%%%$%%&$$$}}) LOL.
Thanks Theresa for all your hard work.

I am overwhelmingly ecstatic with all of the amazing and wonderful seeds that I received .
So many people packaging up all those little packages to share with us! Wow. .. What special people plant buddies are. AND- Theresa....my goodness you are so kind (and organized!), to have coordinated all of this for us .....and only for the joy of pleasing others.
My thanks, and I hope that you received as many hoped for treasures as we all did!!

Just to let you know that I got back home from the US last night and my seed packet was awaiting me on the dining room table. There was a packet of Minnesota Midget Melon seeds from cando1 and some most excellent Bonus Seeds. Unfortunately, I only received 2 of the seeds on my "Want List" and LOTS of vegetable seeds that I had asked not to get. Still, I also have received separately some special seeds from other participants and it has been a lot of fun to participate in this swap: picking seeds; preparing the packets; anticipating; and, most of all, getting to know those who have been part of it.
Theresa, I add my appreciation to those all the others for your hard work on this! You must have been going crazy with packets of seeds and with lists!
Cheers, Potagere

It's here!

Haven't had a chance to open it yet (still in the office) but can't wait to get home to get to know all my goodies!

Theresa, you did a splendid job! Many thanks to all of you for sending such nice seeds!

One of my pkts is labled simply "Knautia". I tried to find it on the list to see who it came from but I didn't see it. Can someone tell me which variety (color) it is? I already have tons of knautia growing all around so I'm not going to plant any unless it is a different color than what I already have.

its burgundy pam.

Like this one?
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/209149/
This is like what I have.

Today my seed package arrived!!
I'm busy to find out. Thanks to all who made this swap a succes. Special thanks Theresa.

I got in late on this thread but have enjoyed watching it evolve. I am pretty new to gardening and do not yet know the names of everything I have growing in my garden. I am also just learning to collect seeds. I would love to join in the next seed swap as it looks like loads of fun. I am going to go out and start clearing out space for new beds!
Bonnie

Have you tried doing "lasagna beds"? Made my first 2 last fall & that's the only way to go in my opinion. No more spending weeks spading up soil. Not for me! Planted them this spring & they grew beautifully. Still had to fight some crab grass but nothing like I have in times past in the beds I tilled &/or spaded.

OK, Pam, I'll bite (pun intended). What are "lasagna beds"?

Heres a good article on lasagna gardening Jim. http://ourgardengang.tripod.com/lasagna_gardening.htm

That's interesting, but can it be done without the peat moss? Expensive stuff!!! Especially because it is now available only in limited quantities here because the nursery trade has nearly obliterated the ancient peat beds in much of Europe. So, could you just use a really thick layer of other organic material? Or is the "lasagna" effect required? What about the chemicals used to make newsprint? Don't those get passed along in the veggies?

Doesn't need any particular ingredient. The secret is thin layers of brown & green organic materials. Whatever you would put into your compost pile but in layers. I used leaves, grass clippings, vegetable scraps, shredded paper & cardboard, wood ashes, lots of coffee grounds, pine needles, bark mulch, etc. Whatever I had available. The total depth of the layers needs to be 3 times the height you want your final bed to be, because it will shrink down at least that much.

Well, I admit, I am not to clear on the "brown" vs "green" organics.
But O notice peat moss is not on your list, so maybe I could do this as well.
Tell me more about your "shredded paper & cardboard".
If you can't yet tell, I am real concerned about putting the toxic chemicals used in paper making into my garden.

Well, so far I have only used lasagna beds for flowers, so I wasn't as concerned about the newspapers, junk mail etc. that I used. I was told that the black newsprint is soybean based & safe to use. I admit I used most any white paper as long as it was not glossy. Maybe I'm showing my ignorance because I didn't realize paper had toxic chemicals.
BTW I did use peat moss in one of my lasagna beds but not in the other. As I said -whatever is on hand. And as far as the brown/green balance goes it will break down even if you don't have the perfect mix, it may just take a little longer. One writer suggested using a 50/50 mix of brown to green BY WEIGHT. Since the greens are denser, you will have to use more browns by volume to achieve the 30:1 C:N ratio. BUT I seriously don't think it makes a lot of difference with lasagna beds as long as you have layers of both greens & browns it will "cook" pretty quickly. As I said mine were made in fall & planted in the spring.
Here's a link that gives examples of browns & greens with their C:N ratios. Click on #3 & #4 in the table of contents.
http://www.alabamaaitc.org/spring00/compostbin.html

Thanks, Pam. Good info!

Potagere
Fill me in on what you mean by toxic chemicals. I do sometimes lay corrugated cardboard on the ground between the rows in my veggie garden to smother the weeds. And the cardboard usually has some writing on it. I didn't think that would be a problem from what others have written about composting & lasagna beds, etc.

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, paper (including newsprint, and cardboard) "is made using literally hundreds of highly corrosive and hazardous chemicals, including chlorine". Among these they mention: "dioxin, furan, chlorinated phenolics, and other chlorinated organics". None of these sound like things I really want to chance entering into my food chain!

I'm not saying it will "hurt" the plants, and maybe these chemicals don't get "taken up" by the veggies and/or passed along to me, but without solid evidence that this is "safe", I'm not to keen to try it.

Attention participants! Im hosting another seed swap if anyone is interested.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/928041/

When are you doing another Rare seed swap?

i wont be having one until next fall.
If your interested in my spring bulb swap, please email me at gardenbabe@comcast.net

Ok..I'll have to wait till fall then..........thanks!