Does anyone know where I can buy small packets of rice seeds? I have tried brown rice from the grocery stores without success. I have a small marshy place near my fence that won't really grow anything, it is too wet, and rice is the only thing I can think of to put there

-- terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), November 10, 2001

Answers

Sunflowers need extreme amounts of water

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), November 10, 2001.

Um- will they survive being under 6" of water? That area is usually under water for a couple of weeks in the spring, with no guarentee that it will dry out before June. It would make a great pond site, if it wasn't against the property line.

-- terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), November 10, 2001.

Millet or cattails might be another option.

-- Susan (smtroxel@socket.net), November 10, 2001.

What you would want is unhulled wild or Indian rice. The Native American Indians would use a canoe with two people to harvest it. One would steer and the other used two poles to knock the rice into the bottom of the canoe. I doubt what the wild rice you purchase in the supermarket would work as it has been hulled. Bear in mind, Asians don't plant directly from seed, but have seed beds which are then transferred into the paddies. There is a chapter on "Rice Culture in the Orient" in Farmers of Fourty Centuries by F. H. King. Your library might be able to borrow of copy for you.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), November 11, 2001.

How about water chestnuts? Since this in a land locked area (not on a creek or stream) there is no worry that seeds will sprout somewhere else. And it can be eaten cooked or raw.

animalfarms

-- animalfarms (jawjlewis@netzero.net), November 11, 2001.

cattails would probably thrive there, they're edible too.

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), November 11, 2001.

What about water iris? They grow in my fishpond and they are beautiful!

-- Debbie T in N.C. (rdtyner@mindspring.com), November 11, 2001.

Maybe a nice cranberry bog? heeheehee! :~)!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), November 11, 2001.

Cattails do take over...but then so do willow trees, which would grow well there too. Or a river birch near the wet area would take in the water. Hmmm, maybe you might fill it in a bit over time with leaves and other debris as it rots away. That is what we have done with one small section of our property. Oh, I have also seen mint grow in inches of water. We called it the 'mint water' and the dogs loved it.

-- Anne (HealthyTouch101@wildmail.com), November 11, 2001.

Think about mosquitos if you are going to put in any sort of taller plants growing thickly over water and wet ground. I agree that water chestnuts are nice - just another type of reed with big bulbs.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), November 12, 2001.

Is it wet enough to raise crawdads?

-- cowgirlone (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), November 12, 2001.

Thanks for the info, I am going to try a little of everything to see what survives----By the way, you DON'T need shade to raise mosquitos, trust me on this, which is another reason for me to want to plant it and suck up all of the water-------!

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), November 12, 2001.

I know that wild rice is harvested along the river banks in Minnesota. A friend of mine is from there and her family does it. You might try the universities in that state to see if they can refer you to a place to get seed. Also, you might try Asian markets for raw rice. I have seen bags of it at the markets in our area. I suspect you can plant that kind. But, rice does require continuous water to grow properly, hence why you see rice paddies in Asian countries. It needs to grow in standing water.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), November 13, 2001.

I forgot to mention that Carla Emory's Encyclopedia tells how to grow rice. That was the only place I was able to find info on growing it.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), November 13, 2001.