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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 13 Jan 2016 11:02
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Bopped into the Dollar Tree today to pick up some cleaning supplies and the seed packets were out already! At four packs for $1, they go FAST and once their initial supply is gone, that's it. I was glad I stumbled upon them. Wow, so early!
I bought seeds for zucchini, peas, spinach, tomatoes, beans, spring onions, and herbs. Things that should grow well in the big raised beds and greenhouse that I have planned. It will be a learning experience and fun to see what and how things grow in Oregon! Besides potatoes!
What will you be planting this year?
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 13 Jan 2016 12:25
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Julie, get some heirloom or legacy seeds (google search, got a bunch on amazon). All those seeds you buy, the plants are engineered to not produce more seeds to keep you coming back to buy more next spring. With heirloom seeds, you get seeds from items you planted.
But at the price you bought, cant go wrong. 
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hattie
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# Posted: 13 Jan 2016 12:41
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With the prices of fruits and vegetables going through the roof (at least here in Canada) I think more people will be trying to grow their own. These next couple of months our greenhouse doesn't produce because it is too cold. I can't wait to get some lettuce and tomatoes growing so I don't have to pay those ridiculous prices for produce!!!
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 13 Jan 2016 14:21
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toyota_mdt_tech
Some of the seeds I bought there are heirloom! I didn't realize that legacy meant the same thing because they had those, too! They were already picked over and I got the last two packs of spinach.
Yeah, the price is incredible. I've used seeds from the Dollar Tree before and the plants do great. 
Thanks for the tip! Had no idea about "legacy!"
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 13 Jan 2016 14:23
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hattie
So, so true! And it's wonderful to eat what you've grown, too! The tomatoes taste so much better than the supermarket's, especially!
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 13 Jan 2016 15:58 - Edited by: silverwaterlady
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My cousin whom is an avid gardener started a seed exchange at her local library. Free seeds that will grow in your area.
There are libraries throughout the States and Canada doing this. I posted a link but it was not taking me to the libraries.
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rockies
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# Posted: 13 Jan 2016 20:59
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More so than being concerned about pricing, buying heirloom seeds allows a plant variety to continue on that may be lost. Everyone mourns an animal that becomes extinct, but few people consider the numbers of plants that disappear each year because it's cheaper to buy non heirloom seed.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 14 Jan 2016 02:14
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silverwaterlady
That's a great idea and service! I'll have to see if there's such a thing in my community in Oregon and, if not, whether there are people interested in helping me to start one!
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 14 Jan 2016 02:26
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Quoting: rockies More so than being concerned about pricing, buying heirloom seeds allows a plant variety to continue on that may be lost. Everyone mourns an animal that becomes extinct, but few people consider the numbers of plants that disappear each year because it's cheaper to buy non heirloom seed.
Very true, rockies!
In the case of food crops, though, botanists are always researching and improving plants that are more hardy, weather- and pest-tolerant, and produce a higher yield. So, sometimes it may not be tragic to lose some much older varieties of plants when better, hardier plants are available and being cultivated. As Toyota pointed out, it's important to have plants that produce seeds.
Wild, native plants and their health provide a glimpse of the health of the ecosystem.
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Don_P
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# Posted: 14 Jan 2016 06:09
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An heirloom is an open pollinated plant that has been bred for desirable traits. There is nothing wrong with a hybrid, the controlled crossing of plants to capture desirable traits within the seeds of the next generation, their seeds will not be "true" though so they aren't worth saving. Sort of like trying to plant apple seeds, you'll get broad variation in that next generation.
Both of those methods allow breeding for traits like drought tolerance, flavor, higher yield... things that happen on more than one gene and require the plant to listen and respond to it's genetic coding... something a genetically modified organism cannot do... those are the seeds I would avoid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfTQergr29M
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LoonWhisperer
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# Posted: 14 Jan 2016 12:52
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Quoting: hattie With the prices of fruits and vegetables going through the roof (at least here in Canada) I think more people will be trying to grow their own.
Spot on Hattie! The prices here are crazy and only going higher with our crappy dollar. That is what motivated me to take matters into my own hands. I am starting with an AeroGarden that I picked up cheap on Kijiji.
Currently growing tomatoes and jalapenos but the real purpose I bought this was to use the seed starter kit. This lets me get things started during winter and transplant come spring.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 14 Jan 2016 18:33
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Don_P
Thanks for the info! Very interesting! That will be my next project after my cabin is built -- plant and gardening research. I love to learn about things.
I Googled the varieties of veggie seeds I bought and it turns out that they're all heirloom. I'm very excited about the Little Marvel peas and Bloomsdale spinach as it seems they'll be well-suited for my area and I can get yields late in my greenhouse. It will be interesting to see what the Delicious tomato does. I didn't realize that it was the predecessor to the Beefsteak, which happens to be my favorite tomato.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 14 Jan 2016 18:35
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LoonWhisperer
What a good idea! Does the AeroGarden use a lot of electricity? If not, I'd love to pick one up. I don't think that they're terribly expensive new even and it would pay for itself over time!
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Don_P
Member
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# Posted: 15 Jan 2016 08:14
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My wife practices selection with our peppers. We have a short season so she saves seed from the first good peppers each year trying to shorten the days to maturity while preserving the good traits of the parent.
Rainy day reading;
A quick thread where a gardener is discussing dehybridizing a hybrid Beefmaster tomato line.
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=15664
Going a bit deeper at the layman level, a short course;
http://b4fa.org/bioscience-in-brief/introduction-genes-crops/
We interact a bit with a gentleman I've seen breeding since I was a youngster. He works on 2 traits in nut trees per generation to keep it from getting too wild, waits for them to bear, and then moves forward with the next selections but there is constant planting and selection going on. Going on about 45 years now, I've got about 35 pounds of nuts downstairs with great variety still, but he is making good progress. It is really a constant process, one is never "done".
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LoonWhisperer
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# Posted: 15 Jan 2016 15:48
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Quoting: Julie2Oregon What a good idea! Does the AeroGarden use a lot of electricity?
I wondered the same Julie but a number of people reported there is only a marginal draw. It uses a small pump and energy efficient bulbs.
In the few months we've had it, I have not noticed much if any difference on our bill.
One tip if you get one... there are bulb adapters on ebay that let use commonly found bulbs instead of the ridiculously expensive AeroGarden ones.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2016 16:56
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Don_P
This is great info, Don! Thank you! I would be interested in experimenting with this, especially in shortening the maturation time and making plants more cold tolerant. My area of Oregon is interesting in that there is a lot of sunshine and the summers/fall get very warm but the temperature drops a LOT at night, even in the summer. Personally, I love cool nights. Veggies? Not so much, lol. Hence, greenhouse.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2016 16:57
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LoonWhisperer
Thanks for the tip! I will be checking Ebay and Craigs List for the AeroGarden and supplies!!!
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Don_P
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2016 22:49
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Every location is different, as is every season... but here it is Jan 17th and we'll probably finally lose the greens in the unheated high tunnel tonite, quite a season extension.
I was instructed to bring the impact and drill home to reassemble the second plant starting stand so the next round will go in as soon as the season breaks inside the tunnel. The first batch of spring greens is already under lights and coming along.
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Don_P
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# Posted: 19 Jan 2016 09:30 - Edited by: Don_P
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This is a good company with lots of info on their website and in the catalog...which is a staple in the "reading room".
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/
BTW, we've built a few "hoop houses" using metal fence top rail tubing and both the johnny's bending jig and a homemade jig,~$1200 for a 12x80'. They are smaller than a high tunnel but a smallish tractor, people and tillers can still move around inside.
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smilie59
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2016 22:56 - Edited by: smilie59
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Re: cost of vegetables and fruit in Canada and challenge with temperatures.....
I am looking into building a Walipini (pit greenhouse). Temperatures are much better if you 8 ft below ground level. Plan to grow year round.
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