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Post by daylilydude on Sept 10, 2017 4:11:48 GMT -5
When buying seeds for your garden, do you buy in bulk or do you buy the smaller seed packs just to grow them out and collect those seeds?
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Post by pepperhead212 on Sept 10, 2017 7:27:43 GMT -5
It all depends on the plant. I don't ever buy in bulk - don't grow enough of anything, and even the small packs of some very small seeds go bad, before I use them up. Some things I save - things I can't find again, and sometimes, when I get a particularly large, productive, or otherwise superior plant of a given variety, I wil isolate some flowers and save seeds. But most, I buy, or trade for. Fortunately, most seeds last longer than normally expected. I've had 6 year old saved pepper seeds germinate after 6 years, and the Seminole Pumpkins I grew this season were from some saved seeds I had dated as 2006! I put large number of them in a sprouter, wondering if any would sprout, and got over 90% germination (though a bit slow). And I don't store in the fridge or freezer - just paper envelopes organized in ziplocs.
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Post by spike on Sept 10, 2017 8:20:06 GMT -5
I don't buy in bulk. I actually prefer the smaller seed packets. Sometimes even the smaller seed packets are like buying in bulk lol. I really don't need 75 tomato seeds. I buy the smaller packets, if I like that "item" I will save seeds.
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Post by september on Sept 10, 2017 9:20:56 GMT -5
I buy in small packets for most everything, except for sweet corn which I over plant and thin, so buy that scooped by weight from the farm Coop. I also think the sugar snap pea packets are too small. I over plant those too, because I have trouble getting good early growth, something (slugs?) damages the sprouts every year. We used to have a really good garden store that stocked the supersized packets, but they went into partnership with a business professor from the local university, and went out of business about 2 years later! (After surviving and expanding for about 20 years!)
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Post by ladymarmalade on Sept 10, 2017 12:27:01 GMT -5
Small home gardens here, so no need to buy in bulk- especially with veggies that I save seed from.
However, I've bought bulk seeds to donate to an organization that goes into impoverished tribal areas and teaches gardening to the people there.
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Post by paulf on Sept 10, 2017 12:33:48 GMT -5
All small packets for me. Like Spike, even the small packets have more seeds than I really need. I only save seeds from tomatoes and then only if the variety is difficult to find or if it is a variety I really want to have a bunch of seeds for my inventory. I have had as many as 300 different varieties on hand, but over the last several years that has decreased to about 100. When taking part in the Dwarf Project I saved a lot of seeds to distribute and if there is a tomato that gets a lots of attention on the websites that people are having a hard time finding, that gets saved. Peppers cross too easily and require a lot of work and every other vegetable can be found in smaller packets. I have saved some flower seeds for my wife but after a few years the plants lose vigor so we just buy new every year.
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Post by daylilydude on Oct 24, 2017 4:29:44 GMT -5
paulf, I'm gonna be really interested in the dwarf tomatoes as i'm going to switch to self watering containers next gardening season, and would like to get a list of your best as far as production and taste and where I can get the seed... if you can find the time?
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Post by paulf on Oct 24, 2017 12:24:41 GMT -5
This is a list of some of the best Dwarfs I have been part of. Of the twenty or so I have grown these are my favorites in order of how good they have been for me. If you are going to grow tomatoes in containers be aware that the size of the plants and production is diminished compared to in-ground plants. That said you may find that some full sized plants will fit the bill as well as dwarfs. I would at least try a couple of your favorites. Dwarfs in my opinion have not been as productive as non-dwarfs. If you want tomatoes other than to eat, dwarfs may not be the best choice...my opinion only. The best I could get was 10-15 tomatoes per plant, but several have been in the early stages of crossing. Tasmanian Chocolate Rosella Crimson Wild Fred Brandy Fred Sweet Sue Wild Spudleaf Dwarf Purple Heart Boronia I have several favorite seed sellers and these are not everybody who now sells the dwarf seeds, but I know these folks and trust them: tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Tatiana's_TOMATObase_-_Heritage_Tomatoes www.sandhillpreservation.com. www.sampleseeds.com. knapps-fresh-vegies.netfirms.comwww.victoryseeds.comwww.tomatogrowers.comAny questions, PM me and I will do what I can. I even have some seeds saved and could send you some...no guarantee like a commercial place. Paul
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Post by pepperhead212 on Oct 24, 2017 23:13:11 GMT -5
I'm gonna be really interested in the dwarf tomatoes as i'm going to switch to self watering containers next gardening season I'm going to try some dwarfs next season, too, but not the super dwarf types - ones that are listed as growing to 4-6 feet. I am thinking of doing this with larger tomatoes in SIPs, after those large ones collapsed this season, as they just got incredibly heavy. I'll still keep the usual cherries. Here are the ones I tagged, from the www.victoryseeds.com/dwarf-tomato-project.html All of these are not too small, and are indeterminate, as I do not often grow determinate tomatoes - more for canning or commercial growers. Have you ever grown any of these, paulf? Barossa Fest Dwarf Chocolate Lightning Dwarf Coorong Pink Kelly Green Dwarf Sweet Sue Dwarf Summer Sunrise Uluru Ochre Dwarf The last one got a very good rating by a gardener on another forum, whom I trade seeds (and curry leaves) with, and she is going to have some of those, and let me know what else she saved seeds from, after the season is over.
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Post by paulf on Oct 25, 2017 7:31:19 GMT -5
I have grown Sweet Sue, Summer Sunrise and Uluru Ochre; Sweet Sue in the final stages before release, Summer Sunrise in the early stages of development and Uluru also in the later stages. Of the three, Sweet Sue did the best for me. Uluru Ochre was an interesting color and flavor but not very prolific. I think it went three more generations after my attempt although my name is attached on the Victory description. All the varieties in the Dwarf Project have been interesting. Some better than others.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Oct 25, 2017 16:17:38 GMT -5
Thanks for the info paulf. Definitely looking forward to trying some of these next season.
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