Japanese Indigo Persicaria tinctoria - (90 days) This annual herb is a relative of buckwheat, sorrel and yellow dock and has long been used for creating a delicious deep blue fiber dye from the leaves.  There are numerous recipes for creating dye from the leaves-- either fresh or an elaborate fermentation processes.  Pictured below are a few images from our 2019 dye batch experiments. It is very easy to grow and can yield multiple harvests of leaves over the season.  Plant is frost sensitive. Space plants 12" apart.  Plant produces clusters of pretty white & pink flowers. WE RECOMMEND STARTING THIS SEED VIA COLD STRATIFICATION:  Cold Stratification 1. Dampen a paper towel  2. Place seeds on damp paper towel and fold over  3. Place the packet into a ziplock bag and store in the door of the fridge for 3-4 weeks - periodically check the towel to make sure the seeds are still damp but not very wet to ensure that the seeds do not mold  4. After 3-4 weeks, plant as usual Packet: (0.3g = ~120 seeds) Here is a nice tutorial about the fresh leaf dye process:   http://www.thedogwooddyer.com/blog/2014/9/27/fresh-leaf-indigo-dyeing podcast all about the history of Indigo  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stuff-you-should-know/id278981407?i=1000466611270...

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Managu, Black Nightshade (75 days) Solanum nigrum - While most gardeners in the USA would not think of growing black nightshade (Solanum nigra) which is a Eurasia weed that typically grows to 12-24” tall with purplish black fruits, this is a different species (Solanum nigrum) which grows wild throughout Eastern Africa and has been widely domesticated as a nutritious green vegetable. It is typically parboiled and then the water discarded as the leaves contain also contain high levels of vitamin A, B, and C, and phenolics and alkaloids. Unbeknownst to most people, all members of the Solanacea (nightshade) family including peppers and tomatoes contain trace amounts of nicotine! What we found amazing about growing this species is its tall growth habit to over 4’ and its larger clusters of deep purple fruit that would likely make an incredible natural dye. Luther burbank bred a hybrid form called Wonder Berry with sweet palatable fruits (Solanum burbankii). Packet: 1/4g...

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