OK I am going to jump in here. I am not using 5 gallon buckets but 18 gallon Rubbermaid containers for some of my potatoes. Some of my potatoes are in the ground in a 12 inch deep bed with leaves on top. The Rubbermaid containers are about the same height as the 5 gallon buckets. I set the seed potatoes out until they got some sprouts. I used a sodder pencil to burn holes in the bottom of the containers and on the inside I put some fiberglass window screen in the bottom so the potting mix will not drain out. I put 6 inches of soiless potting mix in the bottom. I mixed HollyTone fertilizer (4 tablespoons) in the potting mix and also 2 cups of worm castings. I put 3 seed potatoes on top of the potting mix and then covered the entire thing with dry leaves from my yard. Approx 12 inches of leaves. The potting mix I used is Miracle Grow. As long as you put about 4-6 inches of a good quality potting mix in the bottom of your 5 gallon bucket and maybe 2 seed potatoes per bucket you should be OK. Straw sounds OK to me. If you want really small potatoes use 3 seed potatoes. I want huge potatoes that is why I only used three in the 18 gallon Rubbermaid. I like Ronninger's Potato Farm for seed potatoes. I planted Maris Piper, Bintje, Yukon Gold and All Blue. The Maris Piper and Bintje are for frying. Yukon Gold is all purpose and All Blue is for my grandson. Cheers, DL

I have mixed Straw Flower seeds I can send you, but I should point out that you have "Helichrysum- Straw Flower- Mix Color (C)" on your trade list. So you might have all you need? If you still want to make a trade, email me, I can always use more Forget-me-nots.

Hi I know what you mean...the HD that I go to the cactus and succulent sit in a trays of water and I have told the girl that works there they don't like that they will rot...it doesn't matter, she was told to fill the tray with water.... and yes I agree about the labels, but when I worked at a garden center I was told the labels are written as perennials,(because all plants are perennials in their natural growing area), but at the garden center here (MN) they are sold as tropicals or patio plants, which should tell people they are not cold hardy...but I always told people that they would not survive a winter here...I agree with you about this....but most sales people don't know or don't volunteer any info.....linda

I have seeds of the following: * Straw foxglove, Digitalis Lutea L. * Echinacea purpurea * Spotted Joe pye weed * Geranium maculatum ( wild woodland) * Ohio Blue spiderwort * Asclepias Syriaca * Blue eyed grass * Lupinus perennia ( wild purple) * Pink obediant plant * Trollius ~~~~~~~I am looking for the following:~~~~~~~ * Asclepias Hirtella, tall green milk weed * Astrantia 'Ruby wedding' * Anise Hyssop, Agastache Foeniculum * Bears Breaches * Bishops Cap * Blephilia Ciliata, downy wood mint * Bunch Flower, Melanthium Virginicum * Campanula Americana * Corydalis leucanthema 'Silver specture' * Clematis- 'Florida sieboldii' & 'Florida Plena' * Clustered poppy mallow, Callirhoe Triangulata * Cranesbill, Hardy geranium 'Birchs Double' * Crocosmia 'Emily Makenzie' * Delphinium 'Deft Blue' * Desmodium Glutinosom, painted-leaved tick trefoil * Dicentra spectabilis alba (wht. bleeding heart) * Digitalis, make an offer of the unusual (perennial hardy) * Dracunculus vulgaris * Echinacea PPAF 'Sundown' * Echinacea 'Jade' * Eremurus AKA. Fox tail lily * Fireweed, Epilobium Angustifolium * Geum Triflorum, prairie smoke * Ground plum, Astragaulus Crassicarpus * Joe pye, Blue * Kniphofia 'Shining Sceptre' * lilium nepalense Aka. Lily of nepal * lilium superbum (turks cap)...true wild variety. * nodding Onion, Allium Cernuum * Oregano, 'Kent Beauty' * Oregano, 'Lavigatum Herrenhausen' * Penstemon Barbatus 'Navigator mix', & 'bashful' * Penstemon Glaber * penstemon Grandiflorus * Royal catchfly, Silene Regia * Scufry Pea, Psoralea Tenuiflora * Side-oats Grama ( grass) Bouteloua Curtipendula * Swamp Candles, Lysimachia Terrestris * Thalictrum Aquilegiflilium & Dioicum * Tricytris (toad lily) 'Matsukaze', 'Amethystina', and 'blue wonder'. * Viola Koriana 'Sylettas' * Viola sororia, 'Rubra' * Viola Conspersa ( dog violet) * Viola 'Charles W M Groves' * Viola 'Elizabeth Bailes' * Viola 'MME Armadine Pages' * Viola 'Double rose' * Viola 'King of the Doubles' * Viola Riviniana Variegata * Viola Sororia 'Alice Whitter' * Viola Odorata 'Rosina' * Viola, dog toothed * Viola Sastrata * Viola Rotundifolia Thx~ missa