French marigolds can come in an awesome variety if you really get to looking. Single, semidouble, fully double, with or without pompom centers, spots and stripes and splashes in the full range of marigold colors, from deep mahogany to lemon yellow. Maybe also cream and toasted salmon now.

I can't tell if they are tagetes erecta or tagetes patula

I think tagetes patula = all French marigolds. Here's what I've collected so far. I have seeds for one that's like the solid gold, but in yellow-orange. Plus some others that are weird.

I ended up accidentally giving away all the ones that are yellow with red edges, so I'm on the lookout for more of those. They were from Heidi. Think she called them Yellow Fire.

Those are really stunning, Lizzie! I hope some of my flowers turn out that pretty! (I'm just getting into flowers this year.)

I have a problem, though... y'know how two days ago I was so happy because I'd gotten caught up on planting? Well, I'm behind again, thanks to Val and her Newbie Seed Project generosity... way behind. I suppose it's a good problem to have, but when am I ever going to find time to start all these seeds?!

On the plus side, I got the bottom tier of the planter (above) sown tonight... lettuce, arugula, one cilantro sprout (from a germination test), spinach, and a borage, just for Kelli. Oh, and two broccoli rabe, just to test the "they don't do well in cold weather/they love cold weather" debate.

Hehe Oladin. It sounds like you're right on track for zone 5. Don't worry if you can't start them all this year, they'll still be good for next year...is what I keep telling myself. Is the borage easy to germinate?

I don't know... never grown it before.

But thyme sure was — planted 3/18 and had tons of little sprouts this morning! So it got to join its dilly friends under the light. :)

Aren't they cute?!

I now find it most interesting that Burpee says (of Thyme) that "germination is slow taking from 14 to 28 days".

Borage is easy too!

Adam-

Your post with the concrete bed you created didn't show up for me until today (weird). Wow! With the large stones, it has an organic look that you wouldn't get with straight concrete. Very nice!

Lizzie

Same here! The post didn't come up until just now! The concrete bed looks great! Great tip on the free mulch too!

Your zinnia post didn't show up for me until today too!

Okay, really glad I wasn't the only one those didn't show for... I was over here thinking "How could I have missed those posts? They're not one-liners..."

Guess I missed them because they weren't there!

This board can't handle all of our gardening excitement at once!

This forum is making me so happy .... just to read the adventures from everyone....

I have a question on morning glories.... when should they be provided with the vine support .... my plantings are about 4 in tall and have started bending (not enough light ... i corrected that problem) ....

As soon as possible. They'll keep swinging around until they find something to grab. Its kinda funny to watch! They won't stand on their own, the need to grab something or else they'll just stretch along the ground or out of a basket or whatever.

Oh my oh my !!!! Your zinnia post just showed up .... that is fantastic ..... You make me long for such a lovely set up. Lizzie .... that is extraordinary !!!!!

Kelli can I put in some stakes ? I dont think there are any vines yet .... but I am afraid I might lose them if they bend and break and die :(

Guess what, guess what!

I came home from work to this:

And this:

Tarragon, Brussels sprouts, and an okra — four day germinations!! Also jalapeños, which were planted on the 13th.

There's something strange, though... can anyone tell me what's going on here?

It's like a seedling graveyard or something! There was definitely nothing like that when I planted.

The plant is the vine! It will just start to wrap itself around stuff. Stick in a chopstick or skewer or something lol. You can unwrap it later and introduce it to something else just be gentle! Put something next to it and you can probably sit there and watch it do it lol. They move a lot for plants!

Take a picture!

Oladon, cute seedlings! What is that graveyard?! Lol

I was just out in the garden and saw some dead snapdragons and I realized I've never collected flower seeds before. So I did it! Super easy (a paper bag and a lot of shaking) but I always forget to do it. I got a couple tablespoons of seeds! And the most exciting part:

Snapdragon seed pods look like dragon skulls?! I thought they were called dragon because of the flower heads but apparently their skulls are dragons too. Makes sense. Had no idea.

Speaking of graveyards...

Kelli, no idea what it is! It's on a whole bunch of the popsicle stick labels!

Haha Kaylee, that totally looks like a mass grave! Want to trade a few of your "dragon skulls" for a mysterious fiber-covered popsicle stick? :P

Wow they do look like dragon skulls lol. What kind of snapdragons are they??

They are so cool looking I wish they weren't so fragile, I'd send them to everybody! It's funny to be humming to yourself separating seeds all dainty like and suddenly you're looking down into a bowl of skulls :D

Not sure what kind they were Kelli, I got them from a nursery when I bought some herbs, they just said "rust resistant" and they're peachy coral. Do you want some?

Oladon, are the popsicle sticks unraveling from the humidity do you think?

PEACHY CORAL YES PLEASE! :)

Found a picture!

I forgot how pretty they were now I'm excited for them to pop back up! They range in height up to about 3 feet and the flowers are every color between yellow and pink. If I remember they start out pink and fade through coral and orange and yellow if that makes sense.

I just got the tomatoes I ordered today too so I'll send them all along tomorrow for you!

Gorgeous!!

Wow, those really are gorgeous!

Maybe that's it, Kaylee... I've never seen anything quite like it, and the little fibers seemed to just disappear when I moved the one okra out of there. So weird.

Lizzie if you want some seeds just message me! :D

Lizzie and Kelli, thank you for the kind words. So long as my new herb bed doesn't break apart with freeze/thaw cycles or the ground shifting, I'll be happy. Kelli, I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty jealous of your climate. You've already got stuff in the ground. Mine hasn't even made it out of the greenhouse aka laundry room yet. Despite having a mild winter, I still ended up with a moderate case of cabin fever. Seems that every January I start itching to get outside and revel in nature.

Edit: Lizzie, your marigold post below my previous one took a few days to show up as well.

Actually if anybody wants some seeds let me know. Just clarifying, they're not exclusive or anything! But they are gorgeous and they should be in as many yards as possible :D

Kaylee: Yes, please!! PayPal/squarecash for shipping?

Adam, totally know what you mean on the spring itch to get outside. It hit me really bad a few weeks ago... sitting at my desk at work, and suddenly can't focus gotta get outside gardengardengardenOUTSIDENOWGO!!! :P As far as climate, you're still ahead of us zone 5ers if you're even thinking about putting stuff outside so "early"! :)

I'm mesmerized by the colors in those snapdragons lol.

Much like I'm mesmerized by the forsythia and sakura starting to bloom as I ride passenger around the town. I'm to scared to put anything outside yet, everything seems so safe in my house even though I know it wants to go outside. I just sprouted some snow peas, I think ill start putting them out tomorrow during the day!

Yay, snow peas! I'm planning to start some of those soon... can't decide whether to start them inside or not.

My hyacinths and daffodils are blooming out front, which makes me really happy... I think hyacinths are probably my "most favoritest" flower of all. (I'll try to get you all a picture tomorrow.)

Wow Kaylee those some really remarkable flowers .....

Kelli I got your seeds and I am so excited to see that one Butterfly Pea you sent. Thanks so much.

Oladon , well your planter is a winner. It looks awesome.

Lizzie , Marigolds ..... superb ..... I just cant take my eyes off.

(I am catching up on the conversations , and I know I am late commenting here) Hehehe Never Mind. I just jump in here , read all the wonderful things you all write , feel great , and then go back to whatever I was doing :(

Oladon, I wonder if it's that.. Microrrhizal? stuff

Maybe we should ask Val to start a Part 2 Newbie thread for us if this one is getting a little too big. That's what they do with the zinnia thread.

Oladon, the mild winter and early spring in my area makes it tempting to start putting stuff in the ground but I know I'll regret it when it inevitably freezes again. I'll play it safe for another month before I transplant anything outside. My tomatoes and peppers are just starting to pop up and the herbs should be happy enough inside a little while longer.

I did, however, plant some grape vines and a blueberry bush in my yard a few days ago. I've got an old disused clothes line in my back yard and I'd rather try my hand at training grape vines along it rather than tear it down.

Now I have to figure out what to do about all the critters who will no doubt be eating my garden if they aren't dealt with. I live adjacent to 200,000 acres of national forest so all the animals end up in my yard. For the deer, I bought a few hundred feet of tall netting that I'll string up around my garden, so that takes care of them. As for the rabbits and squirrels, it's looking more and more likely that I'll have to thin their numbers. I've given them a pass so far, but they aren't relocating of their own volition. Something nipped off my redbud and lilac transplants last year and I have a pretty good idea of the suspects. Anyone have any easy remedies for squirrel and rabbit control? I'd rather not kill any critters if there's a viable alternative. Aren't marigolds known to keep garden-eaters at bay, or am I thinking of something else?

Ooh, interesting theory, Lizzie... that'd be pretty cool if so! I haven't added any to the seedlings yet, but it could be naturally occurring. I wonder if there's any way for me to find out for sure!

Adam, I know what you mean — being able to transplant in April sounds nice, though. Last year I transplanted everything outside around Mother's Day, only for a massive hailstorm (8–10" of accumulated hail in about an hour) to come along a few days later and destroy pretty much everything.

I've heard that planting radishes around the perimeter of your garden will help keep rabbits out, but haven't tried it myself. If you find anything that works on squirrels, please let me know. I ended up with lettuce growing in four different pots last year where I never planted it, and I'm pretty convinced those little rascals were responsible...

I can't even imagine that much hail. It must be devastating to lose an entire garden to a freak natural event. And I do have some radishes I hadn't planned on planting this year but they don't take up much room so maybe I will try to squeeze them in around the perimeter of my garden. I have had success catching rabbits in live traps and releasing them elsewhere before, but I've never heard of anyone successfully trapping squirrels. The only method I know for dealing with them involves a quick trip to squirrel heaven. It would probably help if I didn't have half a dozen walnut trees attracting them to my yard but I'm reluctant to cut them down. I feel that my options are limited. Maybe I could at least give the meat to a neighbor so it isn't wasted. I'm not a fan of wild game but many people around here are.

Found the Lantana Bandana Cherry I'd been looking for. It's not QUITE the color I imagined from the photos, but still pretty. I was hoping there'd be more of a red-violet hue on the outer edges.

A couple firsts in the garden today.

First morning glories coming up. I randomly sowed blue, pink, and white. I've been told they can be invasive, so hopefully growing them in a container on a concrete patio will prevent it from going nuts.

Also first melons coming up. These are some form of cantaloupe that's supposed to have a flavor like toasted brown sugar.

First tomato plant is looking really good. I'm super proud of this one.

Lizzie

I love that tomato planter Lizzie! The marigolds make it so pretty. I've got a couple small varieties of tomato I'm trying that with this year. What kind of tomato is it?

It's a Black Vernissage. I got it as a freebie when I ordered other seeds from Baker Creek.

Squashes and borage and basil, oh my!

(Basil not pictured. But those are just a few of the five day germinations I got today! In case you can't tell, the squash seedlings are over an inch high... and weren't even peeking out before today!)

Nice tomato, Lizzie!

Wow, I guess I dont check in often enough. Things are kind of crazy for me right now due to a number of things, but I sure do love coming on and reading everyone's posts!

Oladin. I think your "geranium looking" plant might be a hollyhock --?

Adam, love that concrete herb garden you made!

LOVE seeing everyone's seedlings and flowers allike!

There comes a time when the thread gets too long and a new one has to be started. There is a max. # of posts GW will allow in a thread.

It looks like Christina has done that under "Newbies Chapter 2", so head on over there.....

Hi

I am from Tunisia (North of Africa) and I'm wondering is this the right place for me to exchange seed. I am wiling to provide any kind of seed for here.

Rafi Ben, Unfortunately, some people will not want to trade seed with you just due to the increased postage cost overseas. However, You should post in the Seed Exchange, not here (in response to an old post) or no one will see it. Post the seeds you have and those you're looking for, and be sure to mention where you live. Some countries dont allow seed exchanges, and will be taken by customs, so the trader would have do their research

I moved to Preston, Idaho 6 years ago. I saw so many beautiful Lilacs in the area, so decided that would be my first project. I planted two the first year (Miss Kim). They seemed to do well at first, but by year 6 they were struggling to stay alive. We have sandy soil and found out it was "dead soil" so we dug huge ( 5 ') holes, filled them with chicken manure, compost, and nitrogen and planted them. Is it possible that sandy soil is the problem. Each year they look worse. We also planted Idaho fescue for the lawn and what a mistake. The grass just lays down (like it is too heavy) and you can't mow it. It also "clumps" into mounds. Then the summer heat destroys it. But by October, it is looking pretty good. Is Idaho fescue a winter grass? I want to go back to Michigan where everything grows with no issues.

Prophylaxis, this is an older thread, and probably not the best place to post because it is/was for newbie updates that participated in the newbie seed project. You should post your question/info as a seperate post ...and maybe under the Garden Forums "Shrub" topic as those who are familiar with lilacs, etc will be more likely to see your post and respond. I dont have much experience with lilac problems, I think your move to good soil with compost was a good one, as i suspect the sandy soil wasnt ideal. Hope they rally and improve greatly for you!

I am just starting my gardens here in Santa Fe, NM and don't have any seeds to trade but live on 15 acres with tons of dead Cane Cholla Cylindropuntia imbricate, which are cactus skeletons. They are highly sought after for craft projects and such. You can used them for napkin rings, candle holders, bracelets, cross wallhangings, handles for cabinets, etc etc etc. Google c

holla cactus art for ideas. Anyways, any way to trade these for common garden seeds like alyssum, cosmos, cleome, bachelor buttons, ? By the way, these cactus are already dead.. I DON"T kill them.