Seed Lists and mutual advice swap

[stellinacadente]

If you're in middle Tennessee, you're probably Zone 7.

Check out this Herb Society of Nashville list of herbs.

Opsa,

you're a life saver thanks bunches )

[stellinacadente]

hi there,

I have been doing some internet home work on the seeds and native plants and I have a couple of links that might be of interest:

seeds: http://www.richters.com/index.cgi?cart_id=9777314.16735
native plants: http://plants.usda.gov/

my apologies if these were known or had already been posted

( I just get sooo excited when i discover new things I can't keep them to myself!!!!)

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

Thanks, Darli! That second one looks like it'll be dead useful.

Side note: anyone have experience with citruses? I bought a new tree (a sweet Palestine lime) and I am finding nothing!

[stellinacadente]

My Valentine's gift to myself was a gorgeous Sweet Lavender plant...

last year my Provential lavender died of a non so pleasent death in this weather and there was nothing I could do... can someone give me some tips to avoid this plant the same faith???

Thanks!

[Opsa]

Ah, yes. Many lavenders suffer in our humid summers. There are a few that will do okay, though. I've been growing a kind called "Lady" in my windowboxes over the past few years and they've survived. Not exacvtly thrived, but survived.

There seems to be a little about the Palestine Lime here.
Hope that's helpful.

In the meantime, my master gardening class today was about plant propogation and we got to take clippings and cuttings and seedlings of various plants. We also were allowed to take some seed packets from a generous pile of "packed for 2008", which means that ideally they should have gone into the soil last year, but many are probably still viable. Plus, they were FREE! So I picked up

Larkspur- Imperial Blue
Sweet pea- Lilac Ripple
Alyssum- Wonderland Mixed Colors
SHISO- Perilla Red (a pretty herb)
Portulaca- Mixed
Statice- Mixed
Bachelor's Buttons- Midget Mixture
Zinnia- Dwarf Classic orange, yellow, white

Of all of these I am most thrilled about the Shiso, but I haven't a clue about it. Anyone grown Shiso?

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

Thank you. 
I was expecting the silly tree to have special needs, but other then the fact that it's going to be in the ground instead of a pot, I can treat it almost like my blood orange. Good to know.

I got jewel nasturtiums(!) yesterday at the nursery. I have trouble finding them around here and they only seem to reseed themselves for a couple years. I am very, very happy. Still need those golden girls, but I got brandywine tomatoes, too. Need to sprout those puppies, soon, come to think of it.

[Aggie]

Of all of these I am most thrilled about the Shiso, but I haven't a clue about it. Anyone grown Shiso?

Yep, am growing perilla (it's currently recovering from a major prune-back, battling spider mites ), although ours is deulkkae not shiso (and in any case I call it gaenip because I am food-oriented).  Confuzzled yet?   

Regardless, it's not a fussy plant and grows like a typical mint-family annual.  Ours seems to appreciate a bit of humidity as it's done better since we moved it indoors (south exposure, lots of sun) than when it was outside for the summer. Horribly dry here, though, so I doubt you'll have problems.

[Opsa]

Ah, thank you, Aggie. I knew I could count on you. Last year I grew purple ruffled basil and it was so beautiful. The photo on the Shiso package made me think of it. I like some dark red foliage colors in the garden to contrast with all the green. How do you use it in food?

Scrib, I love nasturtiums. Two of the plants I transplanted and took home yesterday were dark red nasturtium seedlings. I know it's too early for them here, but I couldn't resist.

I've been thinking of starting some of my early seeds on the windowsill. I guess that some of my early veg seeds can even be sown outdoors in a few weeks.

[Aggie]

Ah, thank you, Aggie. I knew I could count on you. Last year I grew purple ruffled basil and it was so beautiful. The photo on the Shiso package made me think of it. I like some dark red foliage colors in the garden to contrast with all the green. How do you use it in food?

We use it to wrap ssam for the most part, but it's good shredded and added to dishes, at the end as a garnish or in some cases as an ingredient.  Mind that the Korean variety tastes different from Shiso, but the usage should be similar. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perilla

[Opsa]

Nice linky there, Aggie!

Crazy plant, it looks like. Used in food and ...varnish?

I found this discussion about Red Shiso here which has this encouarging comment:
"On Jun 11, 2008, CurtisJones from Longmont, CO wrote:

From your friends at Botanical Interests: Do you love basil? Then, you must try this native of the Himalays and eastern India that is popular in Asian cooking, but relatively unknown in the U.S. Akashiso is the red (dark burgundy) form of the plant. Its flavor has been described as curry-like and as a combination of cumin, cilantro, and/or parsley with a hint of cinnamon. The leaves are a superb addition to mesclun salad mixes, a superb garnish served along with sushi, especially good sprinkled over cucumbers, cabbage, or fish, and the 3-6 week old sprouts can be used as a tasty garnish. You can also chop and add them to any sauce including pesto! The flowers are edible, and the leaves make a fragrant tea. Also called, Japanese basil or Japanese mint. The 18" plants will tolerate full sun or shade."

The package I have mentions a basil/curry flavor (I love those flavors!) and something about tea. The seeds are poisonous, but I guess that's so with quite a few otherwise edible plants.

[Bruder Cuzzen]

Ohhhhh  , so that's the name of them things growing like weeds around my place .

I thought it might have been from the basil family , i've  keep it around for the great contrast the foliage gives to all the green stuff that sprouts up around here .

I wish i could locate all my seeds in this disaster zone I've made of my home . I 'd like to get a nice big patch of mallow going on the boulevard .

I'm hoping to sow more seeds instead of buying ( tis hard to resist a pretty plant ) so much this year .

Besides mallow i have ,

Morning glories (all colours )
Moonflower
Tomatos
cilantro
and a half dozen others whose names i've forgotten yet again .

[Opsa]

I gotsta keep a list, or I forget, too. Then I gotsta remember to update the list. Then I gotsta rememeber to pin it back up on my bulletin board. Then I gotsta have a garden map, so I can remember where I planted what.

What?

[Aggie]

The package I have mentions a basil/curry flavor (I love those flavors!) and something about tea. The seeds are poisonous, but I guess that's so with quite a few otherwise edible plants.

Call me dead, then... I have eaten them, and the oil from the seeds goes especially well with pork. 

The Korean name translates out to "wild sesame" (as noted in the article); the seed flavor is stronger than sesame, though.

[Opsa]

I love sesame seeds!

Hey- got my Baker Seeds order today. They had run out of the Purple Beauty Sweet pepper and refunded me!    Oh well, I'll probably just get pepper plants at the Opsalette's School plant fair.

They did send some free sample seeds. They are for Baby Eggplant. I am clueless about growing eggplant. Anyone done this?

[Earthling]

I grew some eggplants back about two decades ago. I don't remember there being anything difficult or complicated about it - planted the seeds according to the instructions on the package (oops, pkt), watered, weeded as normal for anything else, then picked the ripe ones and parmesanned 'em. I do remember difficulties with some of the other stuff I was growing in that era, so I'm assuming that lack of PITA memories about the eggplant equals easy growing. Sorry I don't have anything from this century for you...