Southern Seed Exchange

Information

A group for members of the Southern Seed Exchange, a seed saving group based in Christchurch, New Zealand dedicated to saving locally adapted open pollinated varieties of vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

Website: http://www.southernseed.org.nz
Location: Christchurch and environs
Members: 57
Latest Activity: Aug 17, 2017

Discussion Forum

seedlist pdf online

HI I edited the seedlist just keeping the names of the cultivars and growing notes and put some photos in as an appendix to the main seedlist, mainly for my own interest, I will update it shortly…Continue

Started by Kali Mar 20, 2013.

Tetragonia 3 Replies

I have been growing tetragonia for a few years now - lush green NZ spinach that resists drought and - unless I am too tidy - self seeds everywhere. This year I got a bag of pine needles from South…Continue

Started by Margaret Hadley. Last reply by Kali Jun 2, 2012.

Broad Beans 6 Replies

Hi. I have been saving seeds from my broad beans for five years now; red seeded, originally from Koanga Gardens. This year for the first time a number of the beans are normal green - there is no…Continue

Started by Margaret Hadley. Last reply by Richard Watson Dec 29, 2011.

Workshop: URBAN SELF-SUFFICIENCY- Eating and Living the Sustainable Way 1 Reply

This Workshop will be presented by Jules Dervaes. Since 2001, Jules Dervaes and his family have been living a protest—Path to Freedom—against corporate control of the food supply. They now grow over…Continue

Tags: sufficiency, self, urban, workshop

Started by bec may. Last reply by Steven Kung Jul 21, 2010.

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Comment Wall

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Comment by Sealander on November 12, 2009 at 9:07pm: Correction, got two achoecha seedlings up now.....must have been too cold when I started them earlier.

Comment by Sealander on October 31, 2009 at 9:44am: I grew them last summer and found they were nice stir fried.......haven't had any of the seeds germinate yet this spring though. There's also a variety of this species known as the exploding cucumber, which apparently can cause eye injuries if you happen to be within range when it goes off ;)

Comment by Kali on October 30, 2009 at 8:47pm: this is acoecoa, aka achocha, caihua, etc.etc.
It is a very unusual cucurbit which I have grown from exchange seed for two years now, you have to pick them little before the seeds form inside and they are like little crunchy cucumbery mouthfuls. Has anyone else grown them and found a use for them? apparently they are good at lowering cholesterol...bees love the little cream coloured flowers and once they get going they will keep producing hundreds of fruit until frost

Comment by Sealander on September 18, 2009 at 8:34am: A perennial chili sounds intriguing......I've found that if you grow them in pots and bring them inside for the winter they will often live for several years. Is this a variety that can survive winter outside?

Comment by Robyn Wolfe on September 18, 2009 at 12:03am: Hello! I have some peruvian chili seeds - a perennial, if any one would like to try it.

Comment by Sealander on September 3, 2009 at 10:03am: Japanese Raspberry. I got a cutting of this lovely golden raspberry at a Seed Exchange seedswap. It fruits after my regular raspberries. The fruit goes through several colour changes as it ripens, from red to a sort of apricot stage. The flavour is quite delicate, very good for eating raw. Might be a bit mild for jam.

Comment by Sealander on September 3, 2009 at 9:57am: I'm going to add a few pictures of varieties from the seed exchange. Here's the Crimson Flowered Broadbean. A fairly short broadbean, doesn't really need staking. Supposedly very resistant to blackfly. I think they're so pretty I've put a few in my front garden. I can't comment on flavour yet, I was bulking up seed last year, but they should be ready in a couple of months.