Hello Gardeners!
The White Bear Lake seed library has over 70 varieties of
native plant seeds. See the blog.
Seed list are on the right hand side.
A pair of chickadee parents needs 6,000 to 9,000
caterpillars to feed a brood of baby chickadees. See Talamy
So what do these two statements have in common?
Native plants are a food source for caterpillars!
Caterpillars are a high protein source of food for
growing baby birds. Caterpillars and their associated moths and butterflies
need native plants and trees for food. No native plants means no butterflies or
moths means no caterpillars means no food for birds. Everything is connected.
You are probably aware of one of the most well-known
plant-butterfly relationship—monarch butterflies and milkweed plants, but there
are 1000’s more. Fourteen percent of plant species support 90% of the
caterpillar species. So what are some of these super food plants?
Some trees that support caterpillars: willow, cherry,
birch, oak, poplar
Some plants that support caterpillars: goldenrods, strawberry,
sunflower, violets, lupine
Check out other top plants by visiting the Plant Finder
Since the seed library has many free native plant seeds, there’s no reason not to help out all
those parents birds feeding hungry chicks by growing some in your yard.
Pick up a couple packets, taking care to select those plants
that will grow well in your situation. The list on native plants on the
blogsite has information about growing conditions, such as sun needs, height
and a germination code or either A or C(nn).
Generally, native plants can be divided into two
categories: those that can be directly sowed in the soil in the spring or fall (germination
code of A) and those that cannot as they need to be stratified (germination
code of C(nn) where nn is the number of days they need to be in a cold, moist
environment aka ‘winter’. These are hardy Minnesota plants that relish a nice
winter nap outside before germinating. Think about it. These plants forms seeds
in the late fall and there is not enough time for them to germinate and grow
enough roots to keep them alive over winter. So, they wait around, ‘chilling
out’ until spring brings warmth and rain before setting down roots.
You can make sure these seeds have their stratification
needs met by:
1. Direct sowing in the fall, but you are a bit late for
that now.
2. Using the winter sowing
method to make little jugs of seeds and place them outside. You still have time to do this, but best done
by the beginning of February.
or 3. Stratify them inside using your fridge to create ‘winter’.
Prairie Moon Nursery has a great webpage
on how to germinate native plant seeds here. You still have time to do this method too, but
best done by the beginning of February.
New
Seeds in the WBL Seed Drawers!
Thanks to the many volunteers who helped package seeds,
there are now lots of tomato, pea, melon, herbs and some annual or perennial
flowers besides all the native plant seeds in the drawers. Check the blog on the right hand side for the
list of seeds available. I still have many other vegetable and flower seeds
left to package, so more will be coming.
Seed
Packaging
I plan to have another in-person event to package seeds,
though I don’t have a date selected yet. It will probably be a Saturday or
Sunday afternoon at the White Bear Lake library when there is NOT a snowstorm! I
will send out an email a couple days before the seed packaging date when it
seems the weather will cooperate for people to get to the library.
You can also help package seeds if you don’t want to come
to an in-person event. I can prepare a bag with seeds and supplies for you that
you can pick up at the library and bring home to package seeds. If you are
interested in helping to package seeds, please send me an email at wblseedlibrary@gmail.com. Let me know if you
want to pick up a bag or come in person.
Events
March
Seed Talk – Indoor Plants via Zoom
Tuesday
March 14, 2023, 6:30 pm via Zoom
Many vegetable, flower and herb seeds need to be
germinated in the late winter or early spring indoors. These seeds need a
longer growing season then what we have in Minnesota. Learn which seeds need to be started early
and when they need to be started. Learn the best way to start seeds indoors and
fill your house with the wonderful smell and beauty of little seedlings growing
in the soil. Equipment and supplies recommended to start seeds will be covered
as well as the best way to transplant your seedlings when the weather starts
getting warm.
Seed Talks are discussions with community members led by
Horticulturist, lifelong gardener and one of the White Bear Lake Seed Library
founders: Pam Larson Frink
This is a Zoom meeting and you need to register on the
Ramsey County library website at least 3 hours prior to the start of the Seed
Talk. Register here.
Pollinator
Habitat Webinars
Are you interested in creating pollinator habitat, but
you don’t know where to begin? Check out this upcoming webinar series to help
guide you in your pollinator plan. University of Minnesota Extension Educators
are excited to bring you this webinar series on creating your own pollinator
habitat. This three-part series will cover how to create a pollinator-friendly
garden, bee lawn and prairie planting. Join us January 31, February 1 & 2
from 1:30-2:30 pm each afternoon for this free webinar. You must pre-register
for this series at z.umn.edu/BeeSeries to
receive the webinar links.
Tuesday,
Jan. 31st: Pollinator-Friendly Garden Julie Weisenhorn, UMN
Extension Horticulture Educator
Pollinators are responsible for the diversity of plant
life & our food, & gardeners of all levels can adopt practices that
help pollinators thrive. However, engaging with these important creatures
through creating beneficial landscapes also helps to strengthen our sense of
connection with nature (biophilia) & our understanding of the natural world
while positively affecting these important insects. Join UMN Extension
horticulture educator, Julie Weisenhorn, as she tells the story of pollinators
from a landscape & plant selection standpoint & presents some practical
options to help us make this world a better place for these valuable insects in
our own gardens.
Wednesday,
Feb. 1st: Bee Lawns- James Wolfin, Conservation Specialist
Bee lawns aim to integrate low-growing flowers into
low-input turfgrass lawns to provide food for pollinators. They also help to
conserve natural resources, as they require significantly less water,
fertilizer, and mowing as compared to a traditional lawn. This presentation
will examine the role of lawns in our culture, how lawns can be modified to
protect pollinators & conserve natural resources, and the steps residents
can take to easily install a bee lawn themselves.
Thursday,
Feb. 2nd: Navigating Natives: Tools and Resources for Starting a Pocket Prairie-
Sam Talbot, UMN Extension Educator, Dakota County
Native plants provide a wide range of benefits & can
easily be incorporated into your backyard garden. Sam will draw from his
experience restoring habitat in Dakota County Parks to discuss the benefits
& challenges associated with planting natives in the landscape. He’ll
highlight some of the tools and resources available, as well as opportunities
to gain hands-on experience through volunteer opportunities in Dakota County.
Topics will include propagation methods, plantings, & species
considerations.
1:30-2:30 pm each afternoon
Seed
Library Summit
If
you are interested in seed libraries you might want to sign up for the 11th
Seed Library Summit on Saturday, February 11th. It is a virtual event, so no
need to travel! If you haven't already signed up you can do that for free at SeedLibraries.net.
They
have an amazing program scheduled this year!
Sessions:
-
How to Start a Seed Library
-
Ask a Seed Librarian
-
Seeds to Expand Climate Adaptation
-
Landrace Gardening
-
Seed Gardens
-
School Seed Libraries
-
Seed Exchanges
-
Seed Saving Basics
-
Communities Building Mobile Seed Libraries as a Response to Disaster
-
Native Seeds & Pollinators
-
Seed Stories: Our Stories of Seeds
Here
are speaker bios by session.
Note: Sessions with the same number are at the same time.
Contact
info for the Seed Library:
Email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com
Blog site: WBL Seed Library
Pam
