Seed Exchange with Members

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Seed Exchange with Members

Postby paulbee » Mon Aug 27, 2012 10:27 am

Anyone here interested in doing seed exchanges?

Looking for all sorts of plant varieties folks have had under their cultivation ideally for a few years. Not quite heirloom, but seeds heading that way.
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Re: Seed Exchange with Members

Postby pa_friendly_guy » Mon Aug 27, 2012 2:14 pm

I have been growing several heiloom varietys of tomatos from seed for the last 2 or 3 years since I retired. The one is called Potato Top and the leaves look like a potato leaf instead of a tomato leaf. There are several other tomatos with leaves like that, some people here locally grow one they call Old German. I got it from the guy who writes the gardening section of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. I heard him speak at a Tomato festival here locally a few years ago. He had gotten a call from an old guy who said he had the best tasting tomato, Doug said " If you know how many times every year someone calls me and tells me that " The old gentalman said he didn't really care, he didn't even Like tomatos, he grew the plants that his Grandfather and Father had grown just to keep the seeds alive. Well Doug went to the old fellows home, and he did have the best tomato he had ever tasted. Doug got some seeds and grew a bunch of the plants. He said you would never see these tomatos in a store because the tops are all narly. He got the idea to offer free tomato seeds to anyone who would send him a self addressed stamped envolope, with the proviso that they grow the tomatos and send him back seeds that he could give out next year. His Boss at the Paper told him it would never work, and he said, you don't know gardeners. :D He was up to about 5000 requests a year when Organic Gardening Magizine got wind of the deal and published an article about him. He now sends out about 10,000 seed pack a year. I will look for his full name and address and pass it on. I can save some seeds to share, but I only grew 2 Potato Tops this year. They are a Beef Steak type, 1 to 2 lb, mid to late season tomato. Very tasty, :D
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Re: Seed Exchange with Members

Postby matt walker » Mon Aug 27, 2012 5:50 pm

I'd be interested. I don't have a lot of stuff that I've cultivated myself, but I do have some interesting potatoes, known as Ozette. If we can tap George's knowledge of stratification and germination I have a wonderful plum tree that has been here for a long time. I think it's a Mirabella, but I'm not entirely sure. It does breed true.

I would be interested in some of those tomatoes Guy.
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Re: Seed Exchange with Members

Postby pa_friendly_guy » Mon Aug 27, 2012 7:16 pm

The guys name is Doug Oster from the Pittsbugh Post-Gazette here is a link about the seeds and how to get them
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sec ... ds-235456/

You just need to send a self addressed stamped envolope to them and they will send you some Potato Top seeds. I got about 8 seeds when I sent in, my neighbor got about 20 seeds. I guess it depends a bit on who is packing the seeds. They now have a Garden Club that comes and has a Pot Luck Dinner and they fill all 10,000 orderes in one night. It is a fun night of commerodery with the Gardening crowd. They say they will ship them all over the world.
Last edited by pa_friendly_guy on Wed Oct 31, 2012 5:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Seed Exchange with Members

Postby pa_friendly_guy » Mon Aug 27, 2012 7:20 pm

I have a Baxter Bush tomato that breeds true. It is grown for container gardens and does well on a deck or patio in a Pot. I just grow mine in the garden. They produce well, smallish red tomatoes pretty good flavor. About twice the size of a good size cherry tomato. Good fresh or canned in sauce or juice.
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Re: Seed Exchange with Members

Postby pa_friendly_guy » Mon Feb 04, 2013 2:53 am

Matt, did you try and request the potato top seeds from Doug this year? They should be mailing them out shortly so if you are interested I send in my self addressed stamped envelope pretty soon. I have given some of those plants to friends of mine up north above Rt 80 here in Pa. Their season is several weeks shorter than mine and the plants did not produce as well. You may need to grow them under one of your plastic covers to get many tomatoes from them. They are a mid to late season tomato.
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Re: Seed Exchange with Members

Postby matt walker » Fri Feb 08, 2013 1:43 am

I did not Guy. I decided to hold off on seed ordering this year as I still have a lot from last year to use up. It's about time to start my early greens in the greenhouse already!
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Re: Seed Exchange with Members

Postby pa_friendly_guy » Fri Feb 08, 2013 2:09 am

That sounds like a wise thing to do Matt. I was wondering if the Potato Top Tomatoes would do any good in your climate. They mature fairly late and You said you have a pretty short warm season. Its way too early for me to start any seeds yet. I normally plant tomato seeds in doors in March. St Patty's Day sounds about right for me, even with Phil predicting an early spring, :lol:
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Re: Seed Exchange with Members

Postby DevilsBrew » Wed Sep 18, 2013 9:46 am

Is anyone still interested in receiving seeds? I can compile a list later on today.
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Re: Seed Exchange with Members

Postby DevilsBrew » Wed Sep 18, 2013 9:49 am

Off topic, I have read that the potato leaf is a better blight resistant variety because of the leaf structure. In my garden, the potato leaf was the last one to get it.
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