T Melville seed trade

I wanted to post this publicly rather than keep it in the PM's.  T Melville and I agreed to a trade, his seeds for my comfrey roots.  I just received a box with 16 varieties of seeds that weighs several pounds!  I'm certain I got the far better end of the deal, but in case there is any question in anyone's mind, you have nothing to worry about dealing with T Melville.

Thanks much for the wonderful gift.  I can't wait to get planting.  

Glad you liked it. I have to rehome some seeds evey few years. My wife's pretty cool about it; she tolerates a seed fridge and a seed dryer, but a seed room would be a bit much. Besides, I can reproduce those seeds or similar for free, but had no way to make comfrey. I kinda have a thing about ordering stuff I can't look at and don't know anything about, so I wasn't likely to pay for any until I actually saw it locally.

Still a little soon to see anything from the root cuttings, but both of the crowns you included have tips growing above ground now.





Since this is meant as a thread for rating trade(rs), I hereby say: Don't be afraid to trade or buy comfrey with Trace Oswald, especially crowns. The crowns looked healthy to me, they're clearly alive, and they started growing quickly. The root cuttings look like sticks, which I'm sure they're supposed to. I'll try to follow up when they start visibly growing. Feel free to remind me. I think the quantity was generous, and everything was packed neatly and securely, with some moist vermiculite so it didn't dry out.

T Melville wrote:

Still a little soon to see anything from the root cuttings, but both of the crowns you included have tips growing above ground now.

If you have any problem at all with the roots growing, I'll send you some more crowns.  I don't sell crowns often because they take up so much more room.  It isn't as cost effective for people, but as you saw, they are pretty much instant gratification.

T Melville wrote:I'll try to follow up when they start visibly growing. Feel free to remind me.

I poked a bit at one of the plantings today. Still nothing above ground, but I pulled two cuttings out, and they had new white roots growing from them. I probably won't disturb them again, but I bet they'll be up before too long.

T Melville wrote:

T Melville wrote:I'll try to follow up when they start visibly growing. Feel free to remind me.

I poked a bit at one of the plantings today. Still nothing above ground, but I pulled two cuttings out, and they had new white roots growing from them. I probably won't disturb them again, but I bet they'll be up before too long.

I don't have any doubt about that.  I've very rarely had a root cutting not grow.  It takes them a few weeks sometimes, but I just planted more in a new area a couple weeks ago and a few of them are up already.

Didn't have my camera with me, but I spotted growing tips emerging from some of the root cuttings today.

One month since planting. Crowns still doing great, root cuttings only slightly behind. Doing great in three of the four locations where I planted. The only ones not up are under the wisteria. That's the only place where there is only the native soil, and the only place that's only been watered once.

So glad to see they are coming up.  Don't count the others out yet, I've had a few that take a long time and suddenly appear places I had forgotten that I put them.

Trace Oswald wrote:Don't count the others out yet...

I just looked again at my post from two days ago. It seems at least the bigger one was already up, but small enough to overlook behind that grass.

I'm also growing Trace's comfrey. I received and planted a box of root cuttings mid-July. It took long enough for them to come up that I was worried I'd done something wrong (I should maybe have watered more often, it was a rough summer), but once they peaked some foliage up, they started throwing huge leaves up out of the ground and they look really healthy. I have several dozen comfrey plants from his stock growing around baby apples that I started from seed two years ago. I'd buy from him again ... except that I won't ever need to!