Hello
Gardeners
A
BIG thank you to all the gardeners who helped package seeds last Saturday!
I
add over 1000 packets of seeds to the seed library drawers this month. This includes more native plant
seeds, vegetables, herbs and some annuals. I concentrated on seed varieties
that need an early start time, but also added many direct sow seeds too. Some
varieties may only have 1 or 2 packets, so check out the drawers soon. I’ll be
adding more annuals at a later time.
As
a bonus, if you read to the end of this email, you’ll get a funny for the day.
Did you know there are seeds lists of the available
seeds online?
To
be sure, these are not updated daily, not even weekly, I’m afraid as it is a
time-consuming process. I usually update them once a month during the height of
the growing season.
Here
are the links:
Native
plant seeds: Native
Plant List
Vegetable
and Herb List: Vegetable
and Herb List
Flower
seeds: Flowers
There’s
still plenty of time left to start native plant seeds!
Many
native plant seeds need a period of stratification before they will germinate.
Stratification is a period of a cold, moist environment (i.e. winter) before
the seed will germinate. This is nature’s way of preventing seeds from
germinating in the fall when there may only be a few weeks for the seedling to
grow.
Stratification
can be done many ways.
1.
Direct
sow seeds in the ground this fall. They will germinate next spring.
2.
Use
the winter sowing method using plastic jugs or containers. In this method you
use empty milk/water jugs or empty plastic container with a clear cover, such
as take out chicken containers or large yogurt containers. Start by punching
holes all over the bottom, sides and top of the containers. If you are using a
plastic jug, cut along the equator of the jug leaving a small bit uncut by the
handle. Place about 3” of potting soil (not garden soil) in the bottom of the
container. Plant the seeds. Put the cover on the container and place outside in
a sheltered area that will receive sun and rain/snow for the winter. Early next
spring check the container and water if necessary. Soon you will have seedling
emerging. Later in the spring or early summer you can plant these seedlings
directly in your garden as they will not need to be hardened off.
3.
You
can also do winter sowing using damp fine sand or damp coffee filters and a
Ziploc bag. Place the seed in the sand or on the coffee filter. Place in a
ziplock bag and store in your refrigerator for the number of days needed to
stratify. (All the seed library packets specify the stratification time.) After the stratification time has elapsed
plant the seeds in trays or small containers to germinate inside your home.
These seedlings will need to be hardened off before planting in your garden
late spring.
SEED DONATIONS NEEDED!
Though
I received a big bag of commercial seeds, I am missing locally grown seeds of
tomatoes, beans, peas, lettuce and annuals. These are actually better than
commercial seeds as locally harvested seeds have grown in our environment and
will likely produce a better crop than seeds grown in other locations across
the United States.
If
you saved any open pollinated (not hybrid) varieties of tomato, bean, peas,
lettuce, annuals or native plant seeds, please drop them off at the seed
library table in the plastic bin.
As
a reward for reading this entire email I’ll leave you with two ‘Dad Jokes’
provided to me by one of the gardeners that came last Saturday.
What
do you get of you cross a bike and a flower?
- Bicycle petals
What
did the fan wildflower say to the famous actor flower?
-
I’m
wild about you.
Pam
Contact
info for the Seed Library:
Email:
wblseedlibrary@gmail.com
Blog
site: WBL Seed Library
