Welcome to General Chat - GAW Community Area
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For those who like to garden, where do you get your seeds? I don't want to go the Amazon route, but would rather not drive around looking. We've had a bit of luck with Dollar Tree marigold seeds. I put them near our tomatoes. We're trying new things out and hope to expand the garden even more next year. I love watching the homesteading videos on YT and we learn a lot! I keep telling my husband, and I know I've likely said it many times on here, that when the market gets better, and we get our millions, we'll sell our house in the city and move to the country. I can dream. I'd really enjoy clearing the land. I love yardwork. It's preferable to being stuck in front of my tv or working in an office all day.
In the past, we've had mints and basils, but rarely used them. Now I am getting into infusing them to add for cleaning and other ways (will make liquid laundry soap with it when I run out of my dry). I'd love to have natural bergamot, and saw that there's a flower that bees love and a citrus tree native to Italy. I would love to try to grow one, but I doubt it would in this clime. If nothing else, perhaps I can use the flowers next season. Our key lime tree has done nothing this year, so I can't use its leaves and there's no fruit to be had.
Thank you so much!!
https://hosstools.com/
https://www.southernexposure.com/
https://victoryseeds.com/
Oooh!! Thanks!! I'll check them out!
Links below are a few I'm familiar with and know they are legit. You can pick up seeds at your local hardware store or even Walmart. Those seeds and plants sold at Walmart & hardware stores are not heirloom. If you want to keep getting seeds from your plants you need heirloom varieties. You can get seeds from any plant and it will probably be a good plant. The difference with heirloom plants/seeds you will get the exact plant every year. Opposed to non heirloom you might get a tomato (for example) but it's going to be different than the previous year. Read about the difference it's a little confusing at first. Look for seed companies that are certified. I've ordered from Strictly Medicinal and Bakers Creek and recommend both companies. Strictly is more focused on medicinal plants. I tried growing seeds this year and it beat me. Research seed starting and I highly recommend a plant light instead of growing in sunlight.
Strictly Medicinal Seeds
Bakers Creek also known as rare seeds
Territorial Seeds
Johnnyseeds
Hudson Valley Seed
Thank you so much!!!
You're welcome fren. Look for online an ag university in your area. NC State University (NCSU) is my state has good information on gardening and farming. It's not everything you need but a good start. Some home extension agencies (each county) has great information. I think it depends on each county and the money they get. I believe some have classes. YouTube is a great source you just have to weed through to find good accounts. Learn your plant zone this will you determine if the plant is hardy enough for hot/cold conditions in your area. Unfortunately there's not a standard map. I go by my local university and Farmers Almanac.
Some plant varieties do better for direct sow in the ground and others should be started indoors. I know carrots are direct sow and some lettuces. I'm at the place where I've learned what not to do🤣 Plus with my health problems in the spring the veggies were not my top priority.
I will see if that is available. Thanks!
Bakers creek seeds...they have a beautiful yearly catalog thats nice for a coffee table display
Trying my hand at collecting my own seeds this year. I figure a couple tomatoes would give me hundred of seeds right?
I have a garden thats experimental and a garden thats more mature that I plant the regular rotation in. The experimental garden had tons of flowers but has recently been taken over by about 50 white pumpkins/gourds. Usually I turn my compost area into a garden after a year or two and then just keep expanding out.
I have loaded up my cart! There are so many I've never heard of! I can't wait to get them.
Enjoy! Hope you got the catalog! I have my seeds still in their packaging they are too beautiful to use haha
They know how to market, that's for sure!
Oh!! I will look up that catalog! Thanks so much!!
I have used a company called Johnnys Seeds for years, and I have used Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Botanical Interest, and Seed Savers Exchange. Gardening is the reason I too moved and worked my backside off to own some land so that I could grow. I have moved away from some foods and instead have been growing medicinal herbs, and just food to put up, potatos, onions, garlic and winter squashes. It is just me and my son and our dependent man whom we are caregivers for, so even a small plot of lettuce or spinach is more trouble than its worth, and there are plenty of farmers around to buy those things from. Like many old ladies, my gardens are full of more flowers than other plants, perrenials, I am an Iris addict, and slowly becoming a day lilly addict. We raise chickens and have goats for landscaping needs, so there is always a LOT of compost, I give it away to anyone with buckets and a truck. God meant for us to live in a garden, and over the years, I can understand why. It is the peaceful place.
"God meant for us to live in a garden." That is poetic and beautiful! It would make for a great book title too.
I keep daydreaming about what I want to turn our backyard into. I'll get there. Just need the money for some of it.
I just found Johnny's Select after looking earlier. I really love what they have.
If you're looking for general herbs, lots of places have organic and heirloom seeds, Lowe's, Home Depot, even Walmart at times, and you can usually check their stock before you go. We have several farmers markets around where we've been regular enough that we know who to go to; of you have a nursery around you might check there for help identifying what grows best in your climate (esp if low-maintenance!).
If you're looking for health plants, like chamomile and dandelion etc, check out some tcm sites for lists by symptom and cross match to your growing zone. I've found some Facebook (I know, I made an avatar a long time ago just for this kind of research) groups that are seriously into native plants, or health plants, and how to use health plants, and the fact that they share photos and links is very useful. I tend to prefer herbs in containers close to the house for ease in care and harvesting, but we've tried to let some go wild out in parts of the yard just to see...
Even Dollar Tree seeds are non-GMO and that's nice! And I will look around on Fb to see if anyone has anything. We're going to plan our garden a bit better for next year and will likely try new varieties. The heat has slowed growth and blooms down a bit, but I keep the soil wet enough so the plants don't die of thirst.
I want to attract bees and hummingbirds.
There's so much I want to do, but if I do it myself, I end up with a migraine from my stupid neck and shoulder and that sucks!
Oh yeah, I forgot about Dollar Tree, confirmed! So sorry for the migraines, they really put a damper on too much in people's lives, will add you to our health prayer list!
My MIL is a plant genius and has butterfly patches everywhere (zone 7) with the big "butterfly bush" and tons of native wildflowers, planted in rows or circles. Suddenly they're not weeds, but self-sustaining (low maintenance!) areas of attraction. We're trying to identify all native but adding in herbs and medicinal plants so that the areas have a chance at keeping themselves re-seeding and low maintenance. She's a seasoned citizen and can only do stuff in the hot season a little bit at a time; her kids help by setting up sprinklers etc so she can manage those parts without straining herself too much. A lot must be done in bits, early mornings.
We're learning from frens about this non-native invader, purpura something, member of the mint family and big deal in TCM, so now we're trying to steer it into it's own area, where we were pulling it up as a weed before.