Plants for trade for August, 2016

August is shaping up to be a beautiful month for gardening with plenty of frequent rainfall. IFAS says that here in West Florida we should:
     - Use seeds for beans and squashes of all kinds and southern peas and okra. Onions and shallots can be planted now.
     - Transplant with care - carrots, endive/escarole, tomatoes, and peppers.
 I do have some southern pea seeds for trade, called Cowpea. These are fresh from this spring's harvest, less than 3 months old.
The rains and watering have encouraged Eat Your Sand's many edible plants to bloom and reproduce like nobody's business. Here is a little bit of what we are offering for trade this August. All plants are completely organically grown and propagated with love.

We have four New Zealand kits to trade away. These cute little fluff balls would be a great addition to any garden, make a great pet, or make some good eats. 

I still have a ton of seeds of Hibiscus Sabdariffa to trade away. They can be planted right now to make some great edible greens, possibly to make some flowers and pods before the end of the year. The greens themselves are well worth the trouble. Hibiscus sabdariffa infusion has recently been found to naturally lower blood pressure with no side effects. 

The purple-leaved cannas are growing extremely vigorously right now. I am expecting blooms any day this month.

I trimmed and mulched the lemongrass. The blades were getting too tall for the pots, making weeding completely unmanageable. Needless to say, the rabbits quite enjoyed all those trimmings.

The recent rains have refreshed the perennial sage plants, causing them to bloom again. They have been blooming all summer, except for in July when it was too dry even for them. Butterflies and bees are all over these sages. It is my first choice for an edible to attract bees and butterflies.

The red cannas have put out some strong new growth since the rains resumed. I have mulched them and moved them around to more sheltered areas with more shade now that the heat is really on us.

The 1.5 year old potted Loquats are looking great. If no one wants to adopt these Loquats, I am going to have to make an orchard in my front yard. A tasty orchard!