Howling Hill Seed Swap 2008-2009

This was one snapdragon plant, that bloomed from July to well after frost.

Yay! I got the envelope for the Howling Hill Seed Swap today. It starts in New Hampshire and goes out full of non-GMO seeds, circulating from person to person on a list. Each of us chooses some seeds, then replaces the seeds with new ones, and sends the evelope to the next person on the list. I am the 4th person. It will circulate to 16 addresses before it goes home to Howling Hill.

It came to me from Rebecca Cameron in Ithaca, NY, and I will send it to Melissa Thompson in Woodbridge, VA, on Monday.

I took a packette of Oregano, 10 of the Egyptian Walking Onion sets, 20 Detroit Dark Red Beet seeds, a pinch of Pink Double Poppy seeds, 10 White Cleome seeds, 5 Cabbage Buscaro, 2 Yellow Squash, and a pinch of the Mustard Greens.

Good-bye seed swap envelope! It says on the back, "Reuse this envelope until it falls apart." I wonder if it will make it back to Howling Hill?

Closed Four O'Clock flowers open in the afternoon into little yellow trumpets.

I put in seeds for yellow Four O'Clock's I collected from a neighbor, Melampodium from a swap, a packette of Roman Chamomile, Asian Tiger Melon from an organic farmer this summer, heirloom Brandywine Tomato seeds, rose-colored snapdragons from my yard, Italian basil seeds from my prolific plants this summer, and seeds from pods I let dry on my False Indigo.

The color isn't ideal in this photo, but the False Indigo (baptisia) is in the pea family and has attractive blue-green foliage that gets about 48" high, with lovely purple-blue flowers that bloom at the time of peonies and iris. The flowers turn into nice pods. Plant needs circular staking or some other prop by mid-summer.