will try to be there. right now i have 28 tomato plants going and only 8 spoken for. one hybrid variety and 8 heirloom varieties. i don't want money - just someone that will appreciate heirlooms.

I could put 15 minutes together on my recently gained knowledge of bio-char if there is enough interest.

What's bio-char?

JimH
I would love to get to know more heirloom tomatoes. I'm not sure I would have much to trade though. Chicken poo, red wigglers or biochar, sound interesting?

Bio-char? The simple post is bio-char is a nutrient sponge capable of ion and cation exchange. It also acts as an anchor for many beneficial microbes. It is also a carbon sink. It can lock up carbon for 1000 years plus. Everyone should have it in their soil. That is the five second version.

Hi Jim!
I would love to claim two of your tomato plants! I am always keeping my eye out for heirlooms.
If anyone has irises or hostas they need divided this year.... I would love some.... I am even willing to come help dig em up! :-)
Thanks!

This is what I have. I included the source so folks can go to the web page and read about the variety.

Orange Blossom  JohnnyÂs  determinate. I got 16 qts of sauce from 2 plants last year besides eating them fresh and supplying the neighbors. Very meaty and lower in acid than most roma tomatoes.

Brandywine  JohnnyÂs  indeterminate. If you have not eaten a dead ripe Brandywine you have not eaten a tomato.

Stripped German  JohnnyÂs  indeterminate. Larger and sweeter than Mr Stripy.

Black Trifele  JohnnyÂs  indeterminate. I have never grown this before. My experience with blacks is that they are earlier, sweeter, but not as productive as standards.

Pink Caspian  Tomatofest  indeterminate. I am starting this for a friend. Supposed to be a Brandywine quality tomato 10 days sooner. I am not planting this myself but will be interested in feedback.

Mrs. MitchellÂs Italian  Tomatofest  indeterminate. Same as Pink Caspian but even earlier. Would like feedback.

Black Prince  Tomatofest  indeterminate. Early and very sweet. Smaller tomato.

Italian Tree  Tomatofest  indeterminate. Huge plant and tomatoes. Too big for a cage, needs to be trellised. The fruit are very large and knobby but sweet and lower in acid. Good for filling up a freezer.

I buy from JohnnyÂs because they do a good job testing their seeds and varieties are true. Because I only have a few or often I plant of a variety being true to type is critical. With the exception of the Orange Blossom they are all open pollinated so they lend themselves to seed saving but unless you bag your flowers you can never be sure. I donÂt buy from Totally Tomatoes because for 2 years in a row I got tomatoes that were not true.

I will be bringing other seeds as well as the tomato plants.

I'm pretty busy for the near future, so I may not be able to make it, but I'll try to be there.

i would like to be there, unfortunately i have to work that day, and the vacation schedule is full for that day. :(

Does anybody have red wigglers to share? (theoriginalskooby?)
Have you tried biochar in your garden? I'm planning to try it this year and would like to hear from someone who has tried it , how did it work out. I'll be there the 22nd if I can get some worms, does that count as seeds? I've got lots of vegetable seeds to share, but it's just the grocery store varieties.

I'll try to be there. I'm a little late getting things started this year, but I should have some pepper and tomato plants and I have plenty of tomato seeds if anyone wants some. Most of them are open-pollinated or heirloom varieties that I have saved myself, but I do have some commercial sources as well. I need to thin out my iris and I'll hopefully have some Canby Raspberry starts as well. By March 22nd it might be a little late to plant peppers from seed, but I've planted tomatoes the end of March and planted out mid-May. All of my saved seed has come true so far. They say that tomatoes only cross about 5% of the time, so that is pretty good odds. I haven't had any problems with Totally Tomatoes yet. I like their Goliath hybrids. My Eva's Purple Ball came true last year that I purchased from them.

I'll also bring copies of a the recipe Annie's Salsa from the Harvest forum. It is really good! I can't stand to buy store bought salsa now.

Tyffanie

glad to see i won't be alone at the event. i have posted it on KCPW's community calendar. please spread the word. this is a social event and the more the merrier. use this event to introduce your friends to this forum�"it has been downright lonely this winter.

that and REMEMBER THIS IS AN INDOOR EVENT. plants are welcome, but keep them small and if you bring something you dug out of the ground, bag it or something to keep it clean or make the exchange outside. you all know what i mean. i don't expect anybody is going to show up with a tree. just be careful with the pony packs and bring a box to transport any potted items (both if you plan to give or receive). and don't water just before you show up.

if somebody wants to take it on, i think having a plant swap in early may would be a great idea. we can hold that outdoors and be as dirty as we want.

I have enough worms for two or three starter batches. They tend to multiply fast when there are only a few of them. Does anyone have gooseberry's? They are also called ground cherries. I would like to grow some here.
This is my first year with biochar as well. From what I have read most people put some in every year and the effects are cumulative. From my own experience wood gasification is the most efficient way to make it. The charcoal kiln method is wasteful. I tried that twice. Very dirty and time consuming. If you only want to make small amounts then a stainless steel thermos makes a great gasifier. If you want more info on making it let me know. FYI biochar is a nutrient sponge but it starts out empty. Most of what I read said to either run it through compost or add a fertile solution to it. Personally I recommend covering it with urine and water for a few days. Then poor it on your beds and spade in. But commercial fertilizer will work if you have any hangups with urine.

I am planning to come. I don't have too many seeds this time but I plan to bring a lot to the second semi-annual meeting! :) Thanks for organizing this!

Hey guys, I can't make it to the exchange, but I have quite a few seeds I can give away. I've pretty much got all the seeds I want this year and don't need any seeds in return, unless someone has some annual vincas in white, purple, lavender or pink. And that dark sweet potato vine that's often used in annual plantings. I think those are the only things I don't have that I want for this year.

Anyway, I'll list my seeds to give away below, and if someone wants to bring them to the exchange, maybe you could meet me at work in downtown SLC? I work at the corner of 3rd South and Main. If you want to meet me, send a private message through the "My Page" link by my name above.

Here's my list:
Xeranthemum annuum
Iceland poppy, mixed (LOTS of these)
Penstemon 'Scarlet Bugler'
Callirhoe involucrata
Penstemon strictus (Rocky Mtn Penstemon)
Foxglove, mixed
Iberis sempervirens
Lavatera tauricensis (name is in question - may be a colder-hardy variety of Lavatera thuringiaca)
Larkspur 'Rocket'
Aquilegia caerulea (Rocky Mtn Columbine)
Shirley poppy (red -- the Flanders Field poppy)

If you want 'em, email me and arrange to meet me downtown this week, OK?

Hi Everyone!

I was planning on coming, but realize it conflicts with my Master Gardener Easter Egg Hunt @ Ogden Botanical Gardens.
I hope that everyone has a wonderful time there at the seed exchange.
Stevation... I would love to have some of your larkspur, colmbine and foxglove.
I will keep my eye out for the dark sweet potato vines for ya! :-)
Have an awesome day everyone! :-)

Songbirdmommy, I sent you a private email message -- reply to that and I'll get you those seeds you want. So, master gardeners have an Easter egg hunt, huh? My neighborhood does a huge one, and the kids have always enjoyed it. Funny thing happened the other day -- the twins, Emma and Eliza (almost 9 yrs), came to my wife and said, "We've decided the Easter Bunny isn't real." My wife said, "Well, you know, if you don't believe, you don't receive!" Then Eliza said, "Well, actually, it was just Emma who wasn't believing -- I still believed!" It was pretty darn funny. Emma then said, "Oh no, I still believe, really I do!" Funny kids.

KKeemo
Are you going to be at the swap? I live in Davis co. I would be happy to give some worms. If you live far away you may try petsmart. That is where I got my worms. Let me know if you are going to the seed swap. My arrival will be somewhat conditional as I have a large selection of seed already.

I canÂt make it after all. I just found out my son will be in town this weekend. I havenÂt seen him since September. I will save a few tomato plants for those who indicated they want them. We can make arrangements to meet in the next couple weeks.

Jim

I'll be there. I'm not sure whether I'll have much to trade, I'll have to see what I have, and need.

i may be able to make it after all. i didn't realize that this was on my day off.

Crossover
If you know when you will be there I can bring my gasifier to show you how I made it. And if you want a copy of the permaculture pack I can bring it as well.

Ahhhh, couldn't make, got called in to work today. Thanks Skoob, I'll try petsmart.

I'm going to try making biochar for the first time, is there a better place to start a new thread, or maybe the subject has been covered elsewhere on gardenweb?

There are a few threads available. Here is a short one.
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg070428251066.html

Here is a site with Terra Preta news.
http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/

There is another really long blog about it (12 or so pages) but I don't have it bookmarked. Google biochar and you should find it. The above first link has a post from me if you have questions I will answer here or there. Also look on youtube. There are a few videos on making it. The best way is with a gasifier. Google 'wood gasifier' and you will get about a half dozen ways to make one. Make a test unit first to get the concept. Chances are it won't cost you anything. I made two from stuff around the house.

The seed swap was a success. At least for me. I couldn't believe the variety everyone had. I certainly left with more than I came with. Thanks everyone! Looking forward to the next one already.