Weekly Gardening Thread --- Seed Swapping

Plenty Magazine ^ | April 4, 2008 | Tobin Hack

[Gabz]

Seed swapping

Q. I have a backyard vegetable/fruit/herb garden, and every year I wind up with lots of leftover seeds, more than I can possibly plant next time around, yet throwing them away seems like an awful waste. Is there any established way to share, trade, or recycle seeds? - Jacey, WY

A. Absolutely. Seed-sharing has been an officially time-honored tradition since at least 1989, when Canada and Britain founded their respective “Seedy Saturday” and “Seedy Sunday” swaps. And in the US, the last Saturday in January is “National Seed Swap Day,” so start saving your seeds up for January 31, 2009. But community seed swaps—essentially free horticultural flea markets—aren’t confined to these national seed days. Gardeners all over the place are trading "extras" year-round, in local swap groups. Oregon permaculturist Heather Coburn Flores, author of Food Not Lawns, has traded seeds with more than 2,000 people so far. “By this simple act,” she says, “I am helping to build regional food security." Coburn Flores says swapping has also been a fun way to meet neighbors, widen her culinary horizons, and save money. “Weaving together people and plants strengthens the genetic fabric in our gardens and in our bioregion," she adds.

Seed swappers like Coburn Flores are also promoting biodiversity. Our global food industries promote hyperproductive, hyperdurable varieties like your “typical tennis-ball tomato,” says National Gardening Association senior horticulturalist Charlie Nardozzi. So seed swaps are one of the best ways to preserve old heirloom varieties that would otherwise probably slip through the cracks and disappear forever.

Call up your local ecology center or garden club and find out if any seed-swaps are already scheduled. If nothing’s in place yet, get out of that garden bed and organize one yourself, using the detailed instructions in Coburn-Flores’ book as a guide. If interacting with people isn’t your thing, or if you hate all your neighbors and wouldn’t trade seeds with them if your life depended on it, just Google “seed swapping” to find dozens of websites that’ll do the trick. At GardenWeb’s Seed Exchange, for example, users post lists of seeds they have available for trade, and others respond with posts like this one:

Hi, I would be interested in your Canterbury Bells, Celosia Purple Flamingo, Joe Pye Weed Chocolate and Basil Red Rubin. I have palisandra Coleus and a heliotrope, maybe more, Please check my list and let me know. Thanks for looking! Boop

Okay, yes, we just wanted to say “Boop.”

- Anneli Rufus & Kristan Lawson

Eco-inquiries, conundrums, snafus? Write to askplenty@plentymag.com. Posted on Apr 4, 2008 at 11:20 AM

[Gabz]

I know, it appears to be a pretty greenie-weenie site, but I thought this was a good article, and I found a few other of interest as well.

[Gabz]

Howdy all.............sorry I’m so late getting this posted.

I had to run what should have been a quick errand over on Chincoteague Island. Well there is only one way on and off the island in a vehicle and unbenkownst to me a cable had broken on the drawbridge at about 9:30, I left here at 10:15.........the bridge didn’t reopen until 11:30........I’m not a happy camper!!!!

[ZGuy]

I take my leftover seeds and spread them/plant them in vacant lots that are just going to grow weeds anyway. It’s always fun to see what comes up and I think the locals get a kick out of seeing the veggies there.

[Gabz]

Hey all, Don't forget about Granny's ongoing thread:

Home gardening offers ways to trim grocery costs [Survival Today, an on going thread]

We want it up to 5,000 posts so that Granny is forced to start another one!!!!!!!!

[Gabz]

That’s a cool idea!!!!

[trisham]

Great idea!

[Red_Devil 232]

Questions about compost. I had two very nice big piles of compost one is almost gone. I mixed it in when I started and tilled the area for my new garden area and also added it to my two raised beds from last year. I used five nice sized wheel barrow loads of it when I tilled my new vegetable garden. The new garden is only 20' x 15' did I use enough compost? I can hardly tell that I tilled it in now.

Now I am worried about "Pill Bugs", "Roley Polly Bugs"! The other compost pile has them all through it along with ants. What to do?

Also can I use the compost as a mulch?

WOW! Tornado Emergency in Jackson, Ms area ... 90 miles east of me and moving this way! Damn!

[Just another Joe]

Bump from a country boy.

Gardens are GREAT for teaching a child about fortitude and delayed gratification.

[CIDKauf]

My garden shop lady may not agree, but I whack them with vinegar, but you’ll have to put the acid back in the soil unless you have a very low ph....5.5 to 6.5.

[Gabz]

YIKES on the tornados..........take care.

Hopefully when the gals get done with work they will be able to answer your compost questions, I’ve never been able to successfully get a compost pile going, but I’m going to try again..........

[Gabz]

Hey JaJ!!!!!!!! Good to see ya!

One of the first of these weekly threads I did was about kids and gardening, I was even interviewed last summer by a local paper about kids and gardening for an article about keeping summer vacation boredom at bay.

Speaking of kids, how’s that grandbaby of yours?

[Red_Devil 232]

How do you whack them with vinegar? Do you use a mixture or just the vinegar? At the moment I am not worried about the soil just my compost pile. Thing is I read that the "Pile Bugs" are good for compost.

If I whack them with vinegar in the compost pile should I worry about Ph if I use the compost as a mulch?

[Just another Joe]

Speaking of kids, how’s that grandbaby of yours?

Shhhhhh, people don't know I'm that old.

They're both doing well, lol.
We rode the motorcycle over to the daughter's house on Saturday to visit.
When we pulled up in the driveway the boy looked out the window at us with a puzzled look. When we got to the door and pulled the helmets off he say, "Gampa! What you doin?"
Had to laugh.

[patton]

What’ll you give me for a few pounds of kudzu? Makes a great salad!

[Red_Devil 232]

We have roofs blown off homes and trees down across roads in the city of Meridian and Lauderdale Co. Winds in excess of 70 mph. Kinda a calm right now but another wave of storms is right behind this one.

Damn Again! Tornado Sirens were going off!

[Red_Devil 232]

I requested the Mods remove my post #10. It was a weather radar that has no relevance now ... I thought it would just slow down down loads for those without a high speed connection.

[Gabz]

Good to here!

[Gabz]

Thanks, but no thanks.

[Gabz]

I just caught a bit on FNC about the weather down your way..........hope all is well.