Very cute turtle, Terri. I will bring a plant for your turtle this spring, it will fit right in, I don't think you have it in the photo, and I don't know what the name is, but even if you do, you can prob still squeeze it in.

Just heads up I geeked out and ran a test of 5*11 seeds each of Landrace cucumber from 2017 and I already have some germination success. It's no statistic but out of 11 seeds 2 are out in one of them and that was 1% hydrogen peroxide soak for 48 hrs followed by 24 hr soak in coconut water and then it went into a ziplock sitting on top of a damp kitchen towel sprinkled with worm castings.

I started with the cucumbers because there were enough seeds to run some tests before I move on to those that only have 2 or are over a decade old 🤓

Blanche!

If you have a "Landrace" packet, that's a special one. I'm trying to remember the name of the guy who was doing this, but "landrace" is a mixture of varieties that he grew for many years, so it contains all the types (original strains and natural crosses) that proved most successful in his garden.

Jill, that's so cool. I didn't know, something about that cucumber was calling my name. Anyway, there are 4 babies of theirs now. The guy is Joseph Loft house from Utah.

I just think the whole "landrace" concept is really cool.

I just sowed basil from my "real Italian Basil from Italy" strain, some from Horseshoe (2018 but stored as a hanging bunch of seed stalks) and some from Donner (2016). Why don't I have any in my own stash?? I don't know, but so far none has turned up. But I'm hopeful that one or the other will sprout. I do know where to get the seed to start again, but I refined that strain for a number of years.

Shoe refers to it as "Critter's Crinkly Basil" when he sells plants or fresh bunches of it. He now knows it's Neopolitan Basil, but he says he prefers its nickname.

Jill, I hope your basil germinates, I'm intrigued with it as all the basil I've ever grown is too overpowering and not too inviting to me although I just love all herbs, basil is one that doesn't seem to blend well with others, perhaps it because we in the US don't have the right ones! Blanche, I'm excited to try your herb seeds as they are all ones I've never had so it is exciting to try new ones since I'm such an herb fanatic, and also Lisa's culantro as cilantro is one of my favorites but I haven't been able to find the right seeds for the last 3 years and been very disappointed in the flavor of what Americans call cilantro - it is quite disgusting.

crystal salt: try planting coriander whole seeds. Those are the real cilantro. My late mother hated them, I like them, in Thai cuisine, they like to use their roots too! ---In Indonesia we use a lot of Lemon Basil. That is also my favorite! I use them primarily with fish that is made with other ingredients whether roasted within banana leaves ---(remember to either pour boiling water on them first or after washing them, hold them quickly over fire until they are wilted and will not break apart, that I entirely FORGOT I had to do. I wasted so many banana leaves AND aluminum sheets, did not work even combined with those--- or baked in sauce (called WOKU BELANGA. https://www.google.com/search?... --SO YUMMY, but SPICY when my friend cooks a whole big fish. I just carefully take the meat that is on top and not take any of the sauce-the other Indonesians love spicy food! But when she cooks the chicken one, I cannot eat them, since all the pieces are drowning in the sauce.

Francine, I have planted coriander also (they are the cilantro seed), perhaps I never got the right coriander seeds. I'll keep trying with whatever I get my hands on until I get success eventually. Haven't ever tried lemon basil, will have to try that next time, not sure if I got those seeds.

Sheela, coriander seeds will give you the kind of cilantro most grocery stores sell. Seeds I brought to the swap will give you sawtooth coriander or culantro—it goes by several other names—which has a robust taste and sturdy leaf. I keep my plant on a kitchen windowsill and add new seeds every couple of weeks. Doesn't look like much now but it thrives in summer.

I'm thinking ahead to the spring plant swap... I only sowed a few kinds of tomatoes today. I should have room for another half tray of extras (maybe 24 plants), so I'm wondering what people might like.

Asking for requests from this list -- in the absence of feedback will grow extras of the round beefsteak types and not of the Speckled Roman or Amish Paste.

Amish Paste - really an oxheart variety, despite its name. good for eating fresh in sandwiches, meaty but juicy. Usually 12-14 oz in my garden.

German Pink - beefsteak variety, large pink tomato (usually sweeter than red varieties). new to me but gets great reviews for taste and productivity.

Moondance Special - all I know is that this is a variety "Horseshoe" developed on Moondance Farms, and it's one that's in high demand by his customers every year, both as plants and for fruit. If Shoe grows it every year, I want it in my garden!

Mr. Stripey - my very favorite bicolor! Beefsteak type, med to large size. Eat this one when the blush on the bottom streaks its way up the sides of the fruit

Potato Top - OK, I'm not actually offering plants this year, but cross your fingers that my 4 precious seeds germinate so I can offer both seeds and plants next year!

Speckled Roman - another that's new to my garden. Large roma type, red with wiggly stripes of yellow-orange. Cross between 'Banana Legs' (which I've grown & enjoyed) and 'Roman Candle'..

Wisconsin 55 - mid-sized round red OP variety developed by the University of Wisconsin. Great for canning (smooth shape means skins slip off easily), also delicious for fresh eating.

Lisa, I did not know you had Vietnamese Cilantro seeds. I used to buy the plant every year, I would buy 2 and planted them. Never collected the seeds though. I like the Vietnamese dish Hến Xúc Bánh Tráng/Đa, made with baby clams. I would buy the frozen baby clams and prepare it myself. Unfortunately my favorite Vietnamese grocery store suddenly closed---It was chockfull with groceries, and all kinds of things, and fresh meat, seafood, frozen stuff, even cooked stuff. They also sell live plants, small and large plants. They had everything. I really miss it. The last time I went to the shopping mall, before Lunar New Year, it was still empty---Since my car conked out on the 10th, I have not been there. I still have plenty of food in my fridge and freezer----also canned ones---

Lisa, finally I found the Vietnamese name that I usually buy. It is called Rau Ram and looks like this.
https://eastoahu96825.com/2019...

As you see, they translate it as Vietnamese cilantro or mint
I just love it, because it smells a little bit like the red Torch ginger.

Francine, I think the Vietnamese cilantro may be different from Lisa's culantro but yours says it can be grown through cuttings so if you can find it again, you can try growing it on a sunny windowsil.

Lisa, found the culantro seeds, I will be sowing them this weekend and looking forward to trying them out and see if it's the flavor I have been looking for, very excited.

Jill, I would love to try one tomato plant of yours of each variety you want to grow extra of, thank you!

Sheela, glad you're interested in all kinds like I am! I am thinking that if the swap is mid-May, I should plant tomatoes to share in mid to late March. By then, I may have acquired additional varieties...

Not sure if I can wait until next year to try a couple of the dwarf varieties I've been hearing so much about. The Dwarf tomato project has produced a plethora of varietiesi that are 2-5 feet tall and have flavor to supposedly rival the "normal" tomatoes they were bred from. Many are smaller, but some are in the 12-16 oz. range for size, and short internodes = high productivity.

I hope 3 of my friends are going to be there for the Spring swap. One is invited to go overseas for her grandson to graduate at the end of May, she had to leave after the 20th, I am not sure of the exact date, I think Josephine can come, and Maria I hope will come again, she came last year when I famously forgot to take my plants with me and I did not know how to use my banana leaves--I will never forget that. Maybe Josephine will come with her husband.

Guys, just wanted to update that my seeds from Nikitovka arrived and I'm over the moon about them. They are all very generous sizes, have 2023 germination test results. I got a mad amount of watermelon varieties as there arent many on the market here, Gargamel tomato, a 400 year old Czech heirloom pickling cucumber, several varieties of basil and dill, some root veggies and lisianthus. It's a great deal as they have free shipping over $20 and 20% off. It took 3 weeks to arrive.

Oh, Jill, I sprouted a Hardy hibiscus from 2006, only one seed from the pack, but it came shooting out like it was waiting to be brought to life. Out of the landrace cucumbers only one seedling made it past two sets of leaves but it looks healthy now and I really hope I'll be able to save the seeds.

Blanche!

Now I need to Google for that seed vendor, since they're new to me...

Holy cow, do they ever have a lot of cucumber varieties!!

Blanche, how did you ever choose just a few?

https://nikitovka.com/en/1165-...

Yeah cucumbers are a thing in that part of the world, especially pickling! With that go many varieties of dills and mustards, too! I chose just the one because that's the classic one from my home, there is a brand of the same name that's been making pickles commercially probably for well over a hundred years and they are in every single store in the country. I just had to, even if it would be just to share with my country pals here in states.

Their watermelon section is pretty impressive, too!

I started a chat thread for the spring swap. First thing to iron out is a date. Chime in on what works or doesn't work for you.
The thread "2023 Mid Atlantic Spring Plant Swap" in Mid Atlantic Gardening forum

Blanche_F My neighbor has Hardy Hibiscus and their seeds sprouted unwelcome seedlings which if I miss it, became plants. I hate them! My neighbor loves them. But the plants are at the fences and they are all blooming into my yard. I do not mind him planting in his yard, but I do not like them to 'share' them with me. I get all kinds of plants from my neighbors----Japanese honeysuckles, the ivy AND the bushes, English Ivy, crepe myrtles, black walnut and I also got Porcelain berries from the birds, I think, BEAUTIFUL berries, that change colors from beige into pink, then blue then beautiful purple--but they are rampant, climbed up tree branches, I spent all year cutting them----so invasive, I thought they were grape leaves that my neighbor had previously planted ---but no, they are Porcelain berries. I still have to continue taking the branches into bins for discard into trash, cannot be recycled----Please, when purchasing plants or seeds, please do not plant invasive plants--I once bought & planted one, butterfly plant--after noticing they sprouted everywhere, I got rid of them----When you purchase them, they have beautiful and fragrant flowers, make sure that they are not the invasive ones. Another mistake I made was also planting the fragrant Autumn clematis. Now they are sprouting everywhere, I got the wrong one that is invasive----I still am fighting them and pulling them out----