Friday is STILL about books

Nina Mueller says:

I didn’t realize how many seeds my garden could produce if I stopped deadheading!  It’s been so much fun.  I’m just now stating to germinate them.

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 6:11 am.

Lynn S says:

While walking the trails at Torry pines several years, I snagged a pinecone that was in my path.  Illegal?  Probably.  Anyway, I noticed when I got it home that there appeared to be viable seed in the cone - 4 to be exact - so I planted them.  Two germinated and one survived and now there’s a very healthy 8 foot Torry Pine growing in Bonsall.

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 6:19 am.

Claire Splan says:

I love working with seeds. When I took a propagation class it opened up a whole new world and I learned to appreciate how many ingenious ways nature has cooked up to secure its progeny.

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 6:37 am.

Diane says:

Planted plenty of tomatoes, Little Prince Eggplant , Corno de Toro Mix peppers and herbs….. personal favorite is lemon basil…all in containers.  All are doing great.  Next year we will add on to that list.

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 6:39 am.

Kathy Matthews says:

I have a shoe box of seeds.  I gather, dry, label.  When someone asks about plants from the yards, I can go to my seed bank and share.  I keep photos and directions for planting with most.  Each month I find myself scattering seeds in my own yard.  There is always a tiny surprise popping up.

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 6:45 am.

Connie Beck says:

I am a hopelessly addicted gardener, so much so that I teach weekly classes at a senior center to 80 avid organic gardeners who want to know more no matter what their age.  I’ve been snatching seeds off plants for years and years now! There is always more to learn.

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 6:47 am.

Bonnie Wagner says:

I had good luck this year with Green Envy Zinnia seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.  However, they soon became more yellow than green in the hot sun all day.

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 6:59 am.

Lynn says:

I love seeds and all their different shapes/textures/sizes, but what I love most is the potential they hold in that teeny tiny pod.

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 7:00 am.

Janet C. says:

I usually forget where I plant seeds. Sweet Peas are my favorite!

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 7:01 am.

Cheri H says:

Seed saving is such fun!  My tween daughter and I find so much enjoyment doing this together.

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 7:04 am.

Sharon M. says:

I had a great time planting organic seeds this year, but lost so many plants to the seemingly endless southern heat this summer.  Many shading loving plants survived.  Looking forward to trying again, next year!

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 7:04 am.

Sandy W says:

My grandmother was the green thumb and could grow anything from seeds to snippets of plants. My mother also liked to garden and would give me zinnia seeds. So far, I have a brown thumb. I either forget to water or my dog remembers before I can get the seedlings to grow very substantially. I bought “fire seeds” from Alaska in 2004 (very beautiful bright orange/pink flowers) and gave them to my brother. I noticed he still has them in his car trunk (it’s now 2011). I’d like to try again though-maybe there is hope for me yet…

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 7:05 am.

Ellen B. says:

I save too many tomato seeds!

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 7:21 am.

tj says:

...Oh I am a total whimp when it comes to starting seeds or even saving them.  I would like to start tho’ and I’ve read that you have to save seeds from heirloom’s for them to be considered true.  Anyone else heard of that? :o\

...Thanks for the chance to win!

...Blessings :o)

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 7:41 am.

Glenys says:

Seeds are the most amazing things. I love looking around at all plants and studying the way the seeds are created in the plant. The seed delivery mechanism is another marvel.

Sounds like a great book - Hope to win it.

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 8:04 am.

Guida Quon says:

The BEST tomatoes from our garden this year were the volunteers from the seeds of last year’s tomatoes. so I guess that was the best way to save those seeds. My seed saving problem is that I save them without marking them, then I forget what kind of seeds they are…....I better get more orgnized about my seeds don’t you think?....

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 8:04 am.

Jeanne Rubin says:

Total wimp!  All I’ve ever been able to grow from seeds are nasturtiums - - however, I get super excited every year when I spot the shoots emerging from the soil.

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 8:14 am.

Linda Genis says:

My best basil plant is not the one I grew from a seed from a store-bought packet, but the one that sprouted on its own from the the seeds I pinched back from last year’s basil. 

This year I’m saving seeds from an heirloom tomato - watermelon beefsteak.  They’re so yummy I want more next year.  Some of my best producing tomatoes have been volunteers that sprouted by my compost heap.

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 8:17 am.

Sandy Denny says:

On a recent trip to Lotusland in Santa Barbara, I purchased 2 lotus seed pods. Of the 8 seeds I started, I now have 7 thriving lotus plants!

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 8:18 am.

Jeannette says:

I would love this book because I’m actually writing a memoir and would enjoy reading another one.  Plus, I have been interested in going to seeds and not buying little plants for my garden.

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 8:20 am.

Lorna S. says:

I’m always a little apprehensive about seeds:  start out with best intentions and then forget them and they expire.  I have best luck starting seeds in egg cartons:  allows me to ‘mist’ them easily and I can write on the other side in case I split the carton across more than one seed packet.  Always put all the seeds in a big jar and highlight exp. date.

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 8:21 am.

Marge says:

I have no experience with see saving but I would really like to learn and start to save my seeds.

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 8:26 am.

melissa says:

I belong to the American Begonia Society which has a tremendous seed fund. When propagated, the tiny seeds grow into some of the most fabulous plants. The seeds are donated from all parts of the world and make for some interesting projects.

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 8:56 am.

Karen C says:

I wanted to grow hollyhocks (single blossom) like my grandmother had in her garden when I was a little girl.  (I would make “ballerinas” out of the blossoms!) However,I could only find seed packets with double hollyhocks.  While in New Hampshire, I met a lovely woman—owner of the Old Print Barn gallery in Meredith—which has been on that site since 1790—who shared her hollyhock seeds with me.  I not only had a lovely tour of her amazing heirloom garden but came home with seeds which I have grown in my garden in No.Tustin.  Now I save my hollyhock seeds to share and plant everywhere I go!

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 9:14 am.

Sharon Katsis says:

I love standing at my potting bench whispering to those little seeds asking that they start me some new plants

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 10:19 am.

Karen E says:

Planting zinnias from seed is a “must do” for me each Spring.  I plant saved seed from the prior year in addition to the purchased seed of some new and different variety.  I get the best results by planting the seed in six packs and transplanting later as opposed to direct seed planting.  That way I can protect the seedlings from voracious slugs and snails!

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 10:21 am.

Catherine Stern says:

Last year, the last summer I was to own my wonderful garden, I had an amazing poppy garden. I had poppies in every size and color from white to tall almost black purple. Almost every day I gather the seed pods and shook them out into bowls, then jars. I packed them up and gave them away at real estate open houses and then the city tree guy and I scattered them in the median strips here in Albany, Ca. I have more to give away, more to scatter in my own tiny new garden. Those tiny packages are magical…

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 10:33 am.

Susan says:

Yes, the tomato seedlings from the compost pile are the most fun popping up all over the place even around the church roses!  Allowing your basil, cilantro, and veggies to go to seed is a bonanza for the birds and the bees. I love sprouting my seeds on a damp paper towel before planting. It’s just nice to watch the process begin and has been quite successful

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 10:51 am.

nantuckettiechic says:

Oh, Seed Savers! I have a wall of her Grandpa Ott morning glories all around my Three Sisters Garden. We carefully dried out all the zinnia heads this year but forgot to color label the seeds. Oops. Nasturtiums and beans are favorites to save. We’re trying lettuce this year, didn’t know they had blue flowers…Seed’s not expensive so I don’t mind to much if my saved ones don’t germinate. We’re about 50/50—better with flowers.

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 10:54 am.

Jill Patterson says:

I’ve done lots of planting by seeds with great success.  I’ve never saved seeds, though I’ve wanted to—lack of time.  And I’ve been lucky to have self-sowing sweet basil.

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 11:21 am.

Kim says:

We’ve successfully saved and germinated seeds from runners, limas, nasturtiums, hollyhocks and sweet peas. Right now we have all the brassicas in the starters, getting ready for fall planting. The most fun though are the compost-pile squash, because we never know what we’ll get what with promiscuous bees and resulting cross-pollination!

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 11:34 am.

Nina Strnad says:

I collected some tiny Rosa Galapagos tomatoes from a public garden while my friend (a gardener there) was doing fall clean up. This was my first shot at fermenting and saving tomato seeds. When sown, the first group did not germinate well, and I heavily seeded a second time with much greater success. The plant is an amazon vine that refuses to be pinched to a single leader! The tiny “currant” tomatoes are adorable in an insalata caprese with pearl sized bufela mozzarella. Now I am temped to try to save other seeds… but what to do about all the hybrids I grow? I will get unexpected children! As tempting as it is to save my own seed, my garden is too small and life is too short to start my own experiments at this point!

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 11:35 am.

Judy Sundermann says:

I’m interested in learning more about seed starting .  I’ve had luck with easy seeds, like Zinnias and Sweetpeas.

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 1:32 pm.

Garden Goddess says:

Saving seeds is a great idea!  These days it makes a lot of sense to save as much money as you can too…  You can make it even easier on yourself, and tell the neighbors that you aren’t actually LAZY, you aren’t deadheading the garden because you are trying to reseed it! <grin>

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 2:46 pm.

Marilyn Seminara says:

Your garden is not really yours if you don’t save seeds and replant each year. We have had many good experiences with heirloom tomatoes which we have shared with other gardeners.

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 4:53 pm.

Annie M. says:

I planted “Yamamato Cucumbers” one year, I don’t remember the company, but instead of cucumbers got small, very sweet pumpkins!  My “cucumbers” made several wonderful pies!

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 5:16 pm.

Lee Ann says:

I was always afraid of starting seeds—too many failures in the past.  However, in the last few years, something clicked and I have had amazing luck with everything.  Keeping my fingers crossed that this will last!

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 6:58 pm.

Gayle Ackerman says:

I started two giant pumpkin seeds in two 33 gal. trash cans so we could move them to my sons house when he closed escrow and was ready to move in a month after planting them.
They were unbelievably heavy even though we put straw in the bottom.  After all that work they never really got very large!

Posted on September 9, 2011 at 8:29 pm.

Jess says:

Suffice to say, I need to get a lot better at hardening off seedlings. I have wasted so many adorable, sturdy little plants. Also, this book looks great!

Posted on September 10, 2011 at 11:56 pm.

Donna Lei says:

I cherish the memories of walking with my 3 year old grandson and picking up seeds and seed pods.  My comment to him was always, “I wonder what’s inside.”  When we got back to the house he never failed to remind me, “Let’s cut it open, Grandma.”  Today at age 7 he still brings treasures to me to “see what’s inside.”

Posted on September 11, 2011 at 4:38 pm.

hb says:

My DH picked out a couple of dried pods of seeds out of a clean-up pile at the Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma from our trip last year.  They are Italian red beans, and grew beautifully this summer.  Fun souvenir!

Posted on September 11, 2011 at 4:49 pm.

Janna says:

Good for you Connie Beck- while in Santa Rosa I came across a senior apt. building with the Luther Burbank Experimental Gardens. and i thought it was a fabulous idea!  What better thing to get seniors out of bed in the morning, than gardening!

My experiance with seeds is random, always want to know more, and who doesn’t love a gardening friend that is good at it and shares!  Would love a book
!
By the way, our UCCE Orange County Master Gardeners Thank You to Cindy McNatt for your support at the Chili Cookoff/Plant Auction!!!  (Hope you got all your new plants in the ground- good luck with the wedding!)

Posted on September 12, 2011 at 12:46 pm.