to receive, send or swap seeds with fellow on-line gardeners as I have done recently.
A couple of weeks ago I sent Twitter friend Shelagh various flower and vegetable seeds and in return she sent me some flower seeds. They were Gaillardia aristata Arizona Apricot, Heliopsis hehianthoides Summer Nights and Scabiosa caucasica Clive Greaves all of which I’d asked for along with some Cosmos suphureus Diablo. The first three are perennials and I will start some off at home on the windowsill as well as sowing direct. One bonus is that they’re all attractive to bees and butterflies.
I found Janet/Plantalicious’s recent blog post In praise of Oca really interesting. I like the look of the foliage and flowers, and the tubers sound like something I would be happy to eat so I took her up on her kind offer to send me a few. I received a handful, along with growing instructions and a nice card. They won’t get planted out until May because unlike potato foliage it doesn’t regrow if it gets frosted. I look forward to seeing how they do, and what they taste like.
I’m not the only person who has been delighted with the generosity of fellow on-line gardeners. Annabelle, a keen new allotment gardener, did this Thank you… post over on her blog Life on No.27 recently.
Happy gardening, and have a good weekend!
Flighty's plot 
From seeds and seedlings grow…many heartwarming associations. xx
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Menhir they certainly have over the years. xx
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Any time you want any chilli or tomato seeds, just let me know – I have millions!
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Mark thanks I’ll bear that in mind.
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I’ve always found that bloggers are so generous, and swapping seeds is a fun thing to do. I’ve seen oca pop up on a few blogs over the last year or two, it’s something I’ve never tried growing or eating so I shall be interested to hear how you get on growing it and what you think of it once you have.
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Jo me too, and it sure is. It seems to be very popular all of a sudden. I’ll certainly mention how I do with it in future posts.
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Hy Flighty……I, too, am growing Oca for the first time this year. It’s great to have something we know nothing about to learn and experiment. x
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Cath good for you. Let’s hope that we both do well with it. xx
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It is true that gardeners are some of the nicest, most generous people. I am not a blogger, but enjoy reading posts. You, Mike, not only invited to me share my tree on your blog, but I also received some cosmos and some calendula seeds from you in the mail this week. Thank you! And, good luck with the oca.
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Liz I definitely agree. Your tree posts make you a blogger! You’re most welcome on both counts. Thanks. xx
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I think it is great that gardening bloggers get to share with others – it’s what makes the blogging world go round isn’t it. I have no idea what oca tastes like or how it grows, so it will be interesting to read your future posts.
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Elaine me too, and it certainly does. Nor me yet, but looks rather interesting. xx
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Awesome post i got kindly sent some seed if you watch the video keyboard playing up hence not typing much blessing to you all
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Linda thanks. Lucky you. How annoying, I hope it gets sorted out soon. And to you too. xx
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I’ve found gardeners to be generous people — and it seems blogging gardeners are especially so 😉 I’ve never even heard of oca, but it sounds really interesting. Looking forward to tracking its progress on your plot.
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Nikki me too, on both counts. Nor me until recently. Thanks. xx
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A wonderful thing to do, I also love giving and receiving my collections!
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Gill it sure is, and good for you. xx
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It’s always good to share plants and seeds with other gardeners! Enjoy.
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Janet I agree. Thanks, I’m sure I will. xx
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Lovely – I’ll be interested to see how the Oca does.
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Matt I will be as well. Cheers.
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I have heard lots of great things about growing Oca, good luck and make sure you share its progress 😊 Thank you very much for the mention!! x
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Belle that’s good to know. Thanks, I will. You’re most welcome. xx
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Blog connections are great aren’t they. I’ll be interested to see how the oca get on, and what you think of them. CJ xx
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CJ they sure are. Me too, on both counts. xx
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I have never hear of Oca either, so I found this info on Oca … it was introduced to England, the United States and France as a novelty during the 1830s. Known as “South American wood sorrel” (it’s a cousin of the common wood sorrel), it caused such a stir that enthusiasts held oca parties where entire meals were constructed around these fascinating tubers. source: http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/how-to-grow-oca-zmaz07aszgoe.aspx
Glad to hear things are going well in the seed swapping season 🙂 Perhaps you will let us know when we can come to your Oca party 😉
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Glo many thanks for this interesting comment and the useful link.
I certainly will. xx
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I tasted my first oca last year in salad, then I bought some and made curry. I think I quite like them.
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Alison I hope I like them. xx
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Got some to try this year
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Sowgrowrow good for you. It’ll be interesting to see how we do. xx
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