WBL Seed Library: Patience is a Virtue

Hello Gardeners

I’m sure you heard the saying: ‘Patience is a Virtue’, especially when you were a child waiting for some special holiday or forced to wait to get your parents’ attention. Of course, we encounter ‘patience is a virtue’ every day even as an adult from waiting in line to check out purchases or even waiting for our kids to get their shoes on.

Gardening is a study in patience as well. We wait for spring weather to arrive so we can dig in the dirt or anxiously wait for rain and then wait again until it’s dry enough to go back to our gardens. So I should have plenty of practice in patience, but I had forgotten my lessons in patience the last few weeks as I anxiously examined my winter sowing jugs for signs of new seedlings. In fact, just last Monday during the seed packaging, I expressing my disappointment in that only three out of my seven winter sowing jugs were showing signs of life. Other people were experiencing similar problems with their winter sowing jugs as well.

My patience (or lack thereof) has paid off. All seven of my winter sowing jugs have seedlings sprouting! Hurray! So my words to you if you also have jugs looking bare—“Patience is a Virtue’.

The seed library drawers of peas, beans and annual/perennial flowers are overflowing! I’ve added 100’s of new seed packages this month. But I still have many more seeds to package, so there’s another seed packaging event. The vegetable drawer is looking bare and I have more lettuce seeds as well.

Wednesday, May 8, 2024 from 5:30-8 pm in the Lion’s Den conference room in the White Bear Lake library.

Come join fellow gardeners to package seeds. It’s fun and a great way to meet some of the local seed library users. No experience is necessary! No need to register in advance. Come anytime during the event.

Note: I added a new plant sale, Landscape Revival. Details below.

Three Ring Binders on Seed Table

In case you haven’t looked at the two three-ring binders on the seed library table, I’d like to bring them to your attention. One binder has flowers both annual and native plants. Each entry has a photo and growing information. The other binder has general information about saving seeds and information on how to grow common vegetables. Most of the entries in these binders were prepared by volunteers who use the seed library. Recently, April, a volunteer, has updated the native plant pages, so now all the seeds have photos and information on growing and stratifying! Thank you, April, Beth and Allison and all the others who have contributed. Your hard work in preparing these information pages is much appreciated!

Locally Harvested Seeds

Many of the seeds, especially native plant seeds, are labelled ‘locally harvested’ or ‘locally grown’. These are great seeds as these seeds are more acclimated to our environment. Commercial seeds could have come from anywhere in the United States. For example; plants grown in Texas have significantly different growing conditions than plants grown in Minnesota. So you can understand why I encourage you to save seeds from the plants you grow. There is a caveat though. I only want seeds that are ‘easy to save’. What does that mean?

It doesn’t mean the seeds are easy to remove from the fruit or seed head of the plant. It dose means seeds from the plant are less likely to have been cross-pollinated and therefore the seeds from the plant will likely have the same traits (color of flower, hardiness, height, etc.) as the original plant. Easy to save seeds are those that are either self-pollinating or do not cross-pollinate easily. This includes; tomatoes, beans, peas, lettuce and native plants. As long as the original plant of these types was not a hybrid variety, the seeds from them will be great to save.

Bring any seeds (open-pollinated) you harvested to donate to the seed library! I’d love to get some tomatoes, lettuce, beans and peas you grew in your garden!

When should I start seeds?

Some seeds need to be started indoors now, such as peppers, tomatoes and eggplant. See this guide from the University of MN extension start seeds.

Some seeds like cool weather such as lettuce, peas, cabbage and onions. Other vegetables like it warm such as tomato and pepper transplants, squash and basil. Then there are tender crops such as cucumbers and pumpkins which need to be protected from late freezes. See a guide to starting vegetable seeds outdoors outdoor vegetables.

Don’t be fooled by our warm winter—the average date of last frost is still May 10^th in the Twin Cities area.

Plant Sales:

Big River, Big Woods Wild Ones Plant Sale

Native wildflowers, ferns, sedges and grasses are available as 3-packs, 1 gallon pots, 2 gallon pots and 4 inch pots. Trees and shrubs are available in 1 gallon, 2 gallon, and 5 gallon pots.

This year we also have pre-designed garden packs such as butterfly, monarch, hummingbird and bee packs that help these pollinators.

Orders taken now until May 15 online at plant sale. The pick-up location will be in Arden Hills, close to the Mounds View High School. The address will be included in the confirmation email.

Plant Sale deadlines:

Wednesday, May 15 - Order deadline: last day to place your order.
Saturday, June 8, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. - Day to pick up your plant orders.
Sunday, June 9, noon to 3 p.m. - Day to pick up your plant orders.

Additional plants will be available from the vendors on June 8 & 9.

Friends School Plant Sale – May 10, 11, 12, 2024 at the State fair grounds.

They have over 2,100 varieties of plants (vegetables, herbs, flowers, fruit, trees, perennials, etc.) all grown neonics free. Neonicotinoids are systemic insecticides that harm pollinators. See info about this here.

AFSA School Plant Sale – May 9-11, 2024 at AFSA High School

100 Vadnais Blvd, Vadnais heights, MN 55127

Plant Sale Hours: Thr: May 9th 3:30 - 6:00 p.m., Fri: May 10th 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Sat: May 11th 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

AFSA's plant sale is held in the greenhouse at the high school. The sale is the largest fundraiser the school holds each year. The profits from this sale go to support a variety of FFA activities at the school.

All the plants are grown by AFSA students in our greenhouse. We grow a wide variety of annuals, herbs, tomatoes, and peppers. We take - Cash, Check and Credit Cards.

More information here.

Anoka County Master Gardener sale – May 14, 15, 2024.

More information here.

Ramsey County Master Gardener sale – May 18, 2024

Ramsey County Master Gardeners will host their annual plant sale May 18, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Aldrich Arena, 1850 White Bear Ave N, Maplewood, MN. This new location provides more room for more plants with more free parking!

Find your favorite plants and new varieties, including:

Vegetables and herbs,
Large selection of tomatoes
More than 1,500 native perennials, pollinator-friendly plants
Annuals and houseplants
Garden accessories

Plants are responsibly sourced from local growers or grown by Master Gardeners. The plants are free of systemic insecticides (neonicotinoids) and grown in sterile potting soil to prevent the spread of jumping worms.

Master Gardeners and representatives from Ramsey County Environmental Health, the University of Minnesota Soil Testing Lab, and Tree Care Advisors will be on hand to answer questions.

Landscape Revival – Saturday June 1, 9 am – 1 pm

Rockpoint Church, 5825 Kelvin Ave N, Lake Elmo, MN 55042

Sponsored by the St. Paul Audubon Society.

Market: Purchase MN native plants from multiple growers. No cultivars or systemic insecticides. Includes native plant growers from around the Twin Cities are surrounding areas that will have native plants in all sizes for sale. Cash or check preferred. Also there will be a Food Truck.

Expo: Learn to select and grow native plants for pollinators, wildlife, and water quality. Visit with educators and experts from conservation and environmental organizations. Get your landscaping questions answered.

For more information: Landscape Revival

Local Greenhouses and Nurseries

As a request from our volunteers I am adding a list of various local greenhouses or garden centers that sell plants. Many of these establishments do not use neonicotinoids on their plants that they grow. But the buyer should beware: they may sell plants that were grown previously at a different wholesaler which did use systemic pesticides. You should ask the growers at these establishments whether neonics were used on the plants you wish to purchase.

Neonicotinoids or ‘neonics’ are a systemic pesticides used on plants to kill insects. Unfortunately, these insecticides also harm pollinators as the insecticide gets into all parts of the plant including the pollen and nectar.

The only way to be sure a plant has not been treated with neonics is to buy certified organic seed and grow it yourself, or buy a certified organically grown plant.

More information here.

Goldman’s Greenhouse – East Bethel, MN

Website: Goldman's

Outback Nursery – Hastings, MN

Seller of Minnesota native trees, shrubs and perennials.

Website: Outback

Prairie Moon Nursery – Winona, MN and order online

They have hundreds of varieties of native plant seeds, plants and bare root stock.

Website: Prairiemoon

Prairie Restorations – Scandia, MN

Seller of Minnesota native plants.

Website: Prairieresto