Buying Seeds

AlittleSalt · February 22, 2017

Today we started buying garden seeds for the 2017 garden. I want to look up information on them. Just wondering what seed varieties you all already have or are buying to grow this year? So far, we bought:

Mustard - Florida Broad Leaf
Okra - Emerald
Spinach - Bloomsdale

KC.Sun · February 22, 2017

Kale-Dwarf Siberian Kale
Watermelon-Orangelo Watermelon
Squash-Red Kuri Squash
Squash-Chirimen
Squash-kikuza
Eggplant-Thai purple ribbed eggplant
Eggplant-Rosita
Eggplant-Halap Kirisi
Mustard-mizuna
Mustard-Osaka Purple Mustard
Melon-bitter melon (Chinese type)
Eggplant-ao daimaru
Fava Bean-Aquadulce

roper2008 · February 22, 2017

Excluding tomato and peppers.

Baker Creek Seeds:
Radish Pink Beauty
Lettuce Rocky Top Mix
Melon Green Skin
Swiss Chard Rainbow
Purple Teepee Bean
Dragon Tongue Bean
Holy Basil
Hale's Best 45 melon
Sugar Baby

From Johnny's:
Machiaw Eggplant
Diva Cucumber

Cilantro
Older Kale seed

Going to get bulk mustard greens from a feed and seed this spring, but will
not plant it until fall.

AlittleSalt · February 22, 2017

Sounds really good. If I were to add tomato and pepper seeds, I would still be typing for the next hour

KC.Sun · February 22, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Sounds really good. If I were to add tomato and pepper seeds, I would still be typing for the next hour

I'd have to agree with you there. I don't know how I ended up with so many varieties

Father'sDaughter · February 22, 2017

I recently bought Early Jersey Cabbage, Rainbow Lacinato Kale, and Boltardy and Crosby Egyptian Beets from Hudson Valley.

The cabbage and beets are new crops for me and I'm mainly growing them for my husband. They will be fall crops which will go in after my garlic is harvested.

bower · February 22, 2017

I'm going to buy some Magda kousa F1 squash this year, because they're so good and I want to share them with a friend.
Except for some impulse purchases last summer when I had cash on hand in the store, I haven't bought a seed for years. Between the MMM bonuses and Nicky's swap I had many things to grow, and I grew and saved seed to swap from many more things which kept me going.
Saving and swapping seed has been a huge experience for me. Every kind of seed has it's own requirement and shucking techniques... very time intensive but totally worth it for the learning and also of course, any time you have more time than money.
I can't believe how expensive seed has become! Holy cow.

Seed saving is a must know for hard times.

KarenO · February 22, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by bower

I'm going to buy some Magda kousa F1 squash this year, because they're so good and I want to share them with a friend.
Except for some impulse purchases last summer when I had cash on hand in the store, I haven't bought a seed for years. Between the MMM bonuses and Nicky's swap I had many things to grow, and I grew and saved seed to swap from many more things which kept me going.
Saving and swapping seed has been a huge experience for me. Every kind of seed has it's own requirement and shucking techniques... very time intensive but totally worth it for the learning and also of course, any time you have more time than money.
I can't believe how expensive seed has become! Holy cow.

Seed saving is a must know for hard times.

I agree and seed saving was becoming a lost art but I am seeing a revival and that is wonderful. I save some seed, trade some seed, buy some seeds and enjoy the local seedy Saturday events too.
I remember very well tables and tables of drying seeds in my grandmother's basement every winter. She saved most of her own seed from year to year from OP vegetables and she didn't do it Fancy. Just cleaned and spread out to dry on newspaper or seed heads placed into paper bags until they were dry like dill or lettuce and then shaken to release the seeds but catch them in the bag at the same time.
My grandma never fermented tomato seeds. She just squeezed seeds into newsprint, spread them out and let them dry stuck irrevocably to that paper. Then she would just cut that up with scissors and plant those seeds paper and all.
What I wouldn't give for a piece of my grandmas newspaper stuck with dried tomato seeds....
Long gone I'm afraid but I like to think I have some of her green thumb. She was an amazing gardener all 4 foot 10 of her.
KarenO

Nattybo! · February 23, 2017

Red Russian kale
White Russian kale
Hot Portugal pepper
Parsley
Basil
Pink wave petunia
Irish poet tassel flower
Rugosa Friulana Squash
Dixie queen watermelon
Peanut pumpkin
Meraviglia Di Venezia Bean
Landreth Stringless Bush Bean

Waiting for southern states to get their pea seeds in stock.

I am forgetting something...hmmm.

Lastfling · March 4, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nattybo!

Landreth Stringless Bush Bean

.

I have planted those the past two years and really like them.

AlittleSalt · February 22, 2017

I started saving seeds back in 2011. The first were black eyed peas and top crop bush beans. I joined Tomatoville in 2014 and have saved all kinds of seeds since. Until late 2015, I had never heard of a runner bean. Now I have several different varieties saved from last year's plants. Of course, countless tomato and pepper seeds too.

My wife saves flower seeds. She has enough morning glory seeds to plant out a square mile.

AND THEN ... I saved some emerald velvet okra seeds that were accidentally crossed with Clemson spineless that grew out some okra not fit for the compost pile

It was that bad.

Buying seeds for me is like window shopping is for others. I try to stick with buying Ferry~Morse ($1.44 per pack), American Seed (5 packs for a dollar), and from the local feed and seed stores. I have gone-in with our two adult children/men and purchased from Baker Creek and Kitazawa.

rdback · February 24, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

... Until late 2015, I had never heard of a runner bean. Now I have several different varieties saved from last year's plants...

Another tidbit regarding runner beans - arguably, they are one of the most promiscuous. They cross easily and readily, so you should only grow one variety if you're going to save seed. That is unless you own acres and acres and can spread them out.

AlittleSalt · February 24, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdback

Another tidbit regarding runner beans - arguably, they are one of the most promiscuous. They cross easily and readily, so you should only grow one variety if you're going to save seed. That is unless you own acres and acres and can spread them out.

Hmm, promiscuous. The two that produced best for us were Insuk's Wang Kong (IWK) and Painted Lady. The IWK produced twice as much, and had pretty red flowers. The Painted Lady had red and white flowers. I could plant them 100' apart. I wonder if that would be far enough to keep them from crossing?

If I need to just plant one variety, it would be the IWK.

rdback · February 28, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

... I could plant them 100' apart. I wonder if that would be far enough to keep them from crossing?

That would certainly help. I've read the recommended distance for the home grower is 75' - 150' apart. To insure purity, 1/8 - 1/4 mile is recommended.

I also think it has to do with what else the bees have available to "wipe" their feet on. If you've got beans planted, then 25 feet of yummy flowers, then more beans, I think the chances of crossing between the two go way down.

Just my 2c. Hope you have a great season!

AlittleSalt · February 24, 2017

We added some more seeds to the pile yesterday:

Cilantro
Radish - Early Scarlet Globe
Radish - Sparkler White Tip
Squash - Yellow Summer Crookneck
Squash - Black Beauty (Zucchini)

It was too late to go to the feed store. That's where we will buy pole beans in bulk. I want to find some with the round stringless pods.

February 22, 2017	#1
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	Buying Seeds Today we started buying garden seeds for the 2017 garden. I want to look up information on them. Just wondering what seed varieties you all already have or are buying to grow this year? So far, we bought: Mustard - Florida Broad Leaf Okra - Emerald Spinach - Bloomsdale

February 22, 2017	#2
KC.Sun Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: 6a Posts: 322	Kale-Dwarf Siberian Kale Watermelon-Orangelo Watermelon Squash-Red Kuri Squash Squash-Chirimen Squash-kikuza Eggplant-Thai purple ribbed eggplant Eggplant-Rosita Eggplant-Halap Kirisi Mustard-mizuna Mustard-Osaka Purple Mustard Melon-bitter melon (Chinese type) Eggplant-ao daimaru Fava Bean-Aquadulce

February 22, 2017	#3
roper2008 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Virginia Bch, VA (7b) Posts: 1,337	Excluding tomato and peppers. Baker Creek Seeds: Radish Pink Beauty Lettuce Rocky Top Mix Melon Green Skin Swiss Chard Rainbow Purple Teepee Bean Dragon Tongue Bean Holy Basil Hale's Best 45 melon Sugar Baby From Johnny's: Machiaw Eggplant Diva Cucumber Cilantro Older Kale seed Going to get bulk mustard greens from a feed and seed this spring, but will not plant it until fall.

February 22, 2017	#6
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	I recently bought Early Jersey Cabbage, Rainbow Lacinato Kale, and Boltardy and Crosby Egyptian Beets from Hudson Valley. The cabbage and beets are new crops for me and I'm mainly growing them for my husband. They will be fall crops which will go in after my garlic is harvested.

February 22, 2017	#7
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	I'm going to buy some Magda kousa F1 squash this year, because they're so good and I want to share them with a friend. Except for some impulse purchases last summer when I had cash on hand in the store, I haven't bought a seed for years. Between the MMM bonuses and Nicky's swap I had many things to grow, and I grew and saved seed to swap from many more things which kept me going. Saving and swapping seed has been a huge experience for me. Every kind of seed has it's own requirement and shucking techniques... very time intensive but totally worth it for the learning and also of course, any time you have more time than money. I can't believe how expensive seed has become! Holy cow. Seed saving is a must know for hard times.

February 23, 2017	#9
Nattybo! Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Maryland Posts: 272	Red Russian kale White Russian kale Hot Portugal pepper Parsley Basil Pink wave petunia Irish poet tassel flower Rugosa Friulana Squash Dixie queen watermelon Peanut pumpkin Meraviglia Di Venezia Bean Landreth Stringless Bush Bean Waiting for southern states to get their pea seeds in stock. I am forgetting something...hmmm.

February 24, 2017	#15
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	We added some more seeds to the pile yesterday: Cilantro Radish - Early Scarlet Globe Radish - Sparkler White Tip Squash - Yellow Summer Crookneck Squash - Black Beauty (Zucchini) It was too late to go to the feed store. That's where we will buy pole beans in bulk. I want to find some with the round stringless pods.