Gone missing from the seed racks ????

interesting Bob.
Now I want to go back and see what I can find

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

You are quite right.
The selection this year is very poor.
And I mean all the different companies!

Looking for squash, pumpkins, and a whole lot of stuff and nada interesting!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

I have had trouble finding a lot of seeds on the racks,especially when it comes to color.Ordering from the seed companies is not always cost affective.So I always make sure to collect my own seed each Fall.I wanted to add “red” wave petunias to my list of colors that I grow,so i just bought one plant and have saved seed from these ever since.Pansies and Petunias are easy to collect from,the Lobellia a bit trickier.
It is just amazing some of the prices of plants,but people always buy them.I may be poor,but I refuse to be flowerless.LOL

-- Southwestern Ontario Canada Zone5b

I agree!
I never buy full price for plants: the end of the “selling season” is end of May /beg. of June in a lot of places and if you wait, you can get them at 75% off or better if you are really lucky.
I do not mind the ones that look almost dead, they are usually easy to revive.
2 years ago, when at HD, they were “cleaning” their dying ones. They do not give them away, but I managed to
get 3 Dogwoods (reg 7.49 ea.) and 4 others at reg $10.00 ea. for a grand total of $10.00. And they are all doing quite well!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

I any of you grow banana potatoes, I found some here but they are really long in the eyes suggesting they want to get planted very soon.
I would suggest you grab your as the selection is limited even in a good year.
p.s banana potatoes are a lete summer delicacy rather than a staple.
Great thin sliced pan and fried with fresh onions.
I usually keep mine over but I goofed this year.

Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth

never heard of banana potatoes before.

good tips everyone!! keep them coming

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Hi Bob,
That sounds great!
What do they look like and where do you get them?

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

had to go look for it:
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/potpom/var/banana/bananae.shtml

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Thanks MsD.

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Eklectic
They look like bananas (sort of). <g> They are a waxy potoato and so stay together well for salads and for new potoato recipies.
I like them fried in butter and onions and laid down next to a good piece of Bar B Que.
I usually slather them with sour cream and chives.
Great flavour and texture.

Bob

Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth

you’re making my mouth water!!!

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Thanks Bob!
They look familiar, but….???
If I find some here, I will try them!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Eklectic:
Phone around to the garden centers.
Don’t go in person unless you want advice from a 16 year old. <g>

B0b

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth

Keep in mind that the southern US had a bad killing frost late in the season which may have affected this as well. It devastated fruit production and all but wiped out the peaches for the year. So if some of the seeds were farmed in that region it’s possible that’s why.

-- Planting Daylilies in Kentucky, zone 6b

Hi Scott:
That shouldn’t be the case up here at least.
We are up in zone 3A or 3B and seeds grown down south would not be very good for us due to the hardiness factor.
That’s not saying that there may have been similar failures in our growing zones too.

I am just wondering if the retailers are holding back seeds to increase bedding plant sales?
I’m thinking you can’t have abundance at one level and none at the other.

Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth

both good points

Interesting Bob.. with more and more people attempting to “grow their own” there will be less plants sold due to the cost.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

I guess we will have to keep our seeds and do exchanges!!!
We are ahead here!!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

yah!! We’re good – thanks to XO for arranging it :)

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Let’s try to make a “want list” so everybody gets an idea of which seeds are important to the group.

I suppose annuals are the best place to start.

Any other ideas?

Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth

Maybe start a forum for Wanted Seeds!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Just did! So come and have some fun!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

good idea

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

I like to mix my garden of perrenials with large patches of annuals. The nice thing about annuals is that they bloom all summer long. I like large patches so I will buy a flat of one kind. The few annuals I grow from seed are morning glories and daisy’s. Both of which can be a nemesis as the seeds from last years crop falll…....and fall,..........and now when I change the garden I have flowers I dont want there.

Bob…...........where is “nose bleed” country?. I think your right, that they hold the seeds back to increase profits on the flats. With the rising cost of heat, I can hardly blame the greenhouses from doing it.

With all the names of flowers, hundreds, thousands…....I never give much thought to the name rather choosing my plants by the little discription and picture and chose my flowers by colour, width, hieght and light requirements. Wave petunias where I dont spend a lot of time watering, ........like that?

-- Central northish Ontario

GT, When I first got interested in gardining a pack of seed was five cents.
It had about 100 seeds inside and most germinated ( about 80%)
Today I am looking at $2.50 a pack and often only 8-10 seeds.
If I look at the nursery busineses here it’s definitely a growth industry and the retail operations are gigantic and built like palaces.
I am sure there is money to be made with our lazy “let Joe do it for me” society.
I’m O.K. with that but it’s not produciing the kind of results I was expecting. Rather than embellishing the market they are restricting it to only the most profitable products .
That would seem to endanger more and more plant species. (The perfect tasteless tomato comes to mind)
Generally in the free market arena restricting your product line would be quite acceptable but we are talking genetics here and literally thousands of years of human cultivation all going under the scrutiny of big business.

That just plain wrong!

I guess that’s why we owe it to ourselves to start up a seed bank to help keep things in check.

Besides , I have never been the guy to kneel down and kiss the king sword. <g>

Cheers

Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth

Well, Bob, come and visit the “SEED WANTED” and plan it together, add your ideas on how we can go about it!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

The GT Seed Bank.
Interesting concept

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

I can not see the Multi million dollar plant nursery business being threatened by seed companies.These companies ,mail order and seed racks have been in business for years.Sure,lots of us grow from seed,but have you ever been to the garden centers at the height of planting season???Crazy!!!
What about all the “new” hybrid varieties,the ones that people line up for and pay large prices willingly.I remember the year Echinacea “Razzmatazz” first came out.They were selling in the $80.00 a pot range,and they were sold out within hours.This frenzy went on for 3 years.You can not buy seeds for most of these well sought after plants.They are grown from “tissue culture”and most folks would be stumped with this procedure.They are also growing hybrid plants now that the seeds are inferile,so collecting your own is useless.
Even though I grow all my own plants,I love Dahlias,save the tubers each year,but still have to buy more sometimes to keep up with all the “new ones”that come on the market.
We are called a throw away society,and this practice is huge in the plant world.It is the “in thing”to have all the new varieties one year,just to rip them out and start with the “hot new plants” the next year.
Gardening is enjoyed by most,but on so many different levels.

-- Southwestern Ontario Canada Zone5b

Countrygal:

I’m O.K. with that.
People should have choices.
I’m not O.K. with trashing the heritage seeds for these new”hybrids” or tissue cultured pretty plants.
I foresee a time in the future where a killer disease will erupt in our synthetic plant world that will set the industry and ourselves back a notch.
It will no doubt be the result of breeding out or “modifying out” some disease resistant gene that our heritage seeds carrried.
So why not go all plastic plants now and avoid the rush? <vbg>

Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth

Seed bank.Great idea.I too like to grow a lot of annual flowers mixed with a few perennials.If we all collect extra seeds from our gardens this year and list them for others to choose from we could all have really great variety in our gardens for just the cost of sending S.A.E. Also this gives us an idea of what kind of seeds to send out in the seed exchange.What about a November seed swap?One where we all send maybe 3 or 4 little packets instead of just one?Just a thought.
I have never exchanged new shoots of perennials.Is this easy to do in the fall?
Anyway love the new idea.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

Bob
Its all about money.Sure I agree fully with you,but this is the way of the world.We can’t prevent this from happening in the marketplace.Society on a whole has to change these practices,but you know,in this fast paced society,most people want to live for today.This is true with most things.
My post above is the way things are,unfortunately.It is in no way the way I think.I agree that the heritage seeds need to be preserved,and they are by some.The problem is these are only grown by people “who get it” which are dwindling in numbers.
My point is,there are people who have gardens,and there are Gardeners and there is a big difference.
Sure things are going to happen,they are now.Look at our food supply.

-- Southwestern Ontario Canada Zone5b

my brother (who works in the fertilizer business) said that we are something about us having just 3 months of corn supply left at harvest time. That’s cutting it pretty close. And two months of something else, but I was in such shock at the first statistic that I didn’t get the rest of the details straight.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Countrygal:
I think your summary of events is pretty much the way it is for the planet.
It is not that way for me.
With a population of 6 billion heading to 10 billion a lot of individual preferences are going to get abandonded. That being said it will all amount to little more than a fine line in the geographic history of the world.
Look at stratified rock and you will see the lines left by each ebb and flow of the life on this planet.
Ours will be no larger a line than the rest.
We live very much in the world of Id so my mission is to comfort myself as much as possible before the big sleep.
No doubt the world is unfolding as it should. <g>

Cheers
Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth

We each make our own choices, based on our own pasts and “truths” that we develop from our experiences.

My personal motto is “Love Life; Live Life; Live With No Regrets”—and so I knowingly make the choices that I do and the consequences that come along with them. I hope that my contribution to this world and to humanity is overall a positive one.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Bob
I agree and its not that way for me either.I absolutely refuse to buy Tomatos in the off months,I will not eat those styrofoam,tasteless,chemical ladden objects that they have the nerve to label as fresh tomatos.I preserve my own home grown,and incorporate them into dishes all winter.At the grocery store you see folks buying them up.Yikes!!!
Yes I do my own thing and work very closely with nature,as simply as possible in this world the way it is.

-- Southwestern Ontario Canada Zone5b

Countrgal, you forgot to mention that it is very satisfiying and quite empowering too. <g>

I have a mental picture of myself sometimes in a Zoo somewhere on the planet being shown as the last known specimen of indpendant thinking. <big>

Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth

I find morning glories seeds hard to find here, both last year and this

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=7529

Info on seed bank above. There was an article in the paper a month or two ago regarding this projcect.

Bunting, If you are in need of MG seeds i could post you a few as i have extra. However, I

would require your mailing address.

-- blooz 5b - You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt. ~author unkown

Hi Blooz:
Wealthy men tha turn their interests in to making the planet a better place are to be priased.
Billy Gates has done some nasty things in the name of business and some stunning things in the name of humanity.
Proof that we all all human.

Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth