Seed Talk on vegetable Gardening May 10th!

 

Hello Gardeners!

Finally a few days without rain! This has been a cold, wet spring, but I tell myself the moisture is needed. After the drought last summer and fall, the soil and all the plants need the rain.

I still haven’t planted my cool weather crops, but I hope to plant some lettuce, carrots and parsnip seeds this week. I frequently don’t get these crops planted until May and they do just fine. If you haven’t planted your cool weather crops yet, don’t despair, I think you still have time to get them seeded.

Not sure what is a ‘cool weather crop’ versus a ‘warm weather crop’? Tune in to the next Seed Talk and I’ll explain. The next Seed Talk is all about how to grow vegetables, both from direct sowing seeds and planting small plants grown earlier indoors.

The average date of last frost in zone 4 (Twin Cities area) is May 10^th, but be careful. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplants don’t like it colder than 50°F both day and night.  If you have them outside after May 10^th, watch the weather and protect them from the cold as needed.

 

                                                            Upcoming Event:

The next Seed Talk will be Tuesday May 10^th at 6:30 pm via Zoom. This gardening talk is about Growing Vegetables. You can register for this Seed Talk via the Ramsey County library web site at: May Seed Talk.

 

Grow a Row Project

All you need is a 6’ row of space in your garden and be willing to care for a row of peas or beans. Let the pods ripen and dry on the vine and then return the seeds at the end of the season. The seeds, directions and a row marker are all provided.

Seed packets designated as the ‘Grow a Row’ packets are in a box on the Seed Library table at the White Bear Lake library. There are only 25 packets of Extra Early Marvel peas and 31 packets of Maxibel Haricot Vert beans, so don’t delay.

Help the Seed Library stock up on these peas and beans.  As we continue to grow these varieties they will become more adapted to do well in our area.

 

Seeds Needed

The White Bear Lake Seed Library drawers are getting empty. Please donate open-pollinated seeds of peas, beans, lettuce, tomatoes or other vegetables or flowers to the seed library. There is a box on the seed library table.

 

Plant Sales

 

Big River Big Woods Native Plant Sale

The Big River Big Woods chapter of Wild Ones Native Plant Sale is back!

You can preorder plants with a scheduled pick up. We are offering a fantastic selection of flowers, sedges, grasses, shrubs and trees, as well a selection of pre-designed garden kits, all sourced from Minnesota Native Landscapes Nursery.

How to Order: Visit bigriverbigwoods.org. All plants and kits are pictured there. You can shop online, paying with your credit card or PayPal account.

Deadline for orders is Friday, May 6th so ORDER SOON!

Pick up dates will be Friday June 3 and Saturday June 4 in White Bear Lake (Minnesota).  Pick up details will be included in your confirmation email. 

We regret that we will not have donated plants for sale this year. We are still learning the best ways to prepare donated plants for sale without spreading invasive jumping worms.  You can get more information with this handy jumping worms handout.

Friends School Plant Sale     Thousands of vegetable, herbs, annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, bulbs, native plants and rare plants are available at the largest plant sale in the U.S. Held on the State Fair grounds on May 6-8, 2022. This is a fund-raiser for the Friends School of Minnesota. If you have shopped this sale in previous years, please read their updated shopping procedures. Visit friends-sale to get more information.   Ramsey County Master Gardeners Sale Plant Ramsey County Master Gardeners are hosting their annual plant sale in-person, May 21 from 9am – 2 pm. at Church of the Holy Childhood, 1435 Midway Pkwy, St Paul.  The sale features native plants, popular vegetables, including more than 50 varieties of tomatoes, 20 kinds of peppers, native plants, herbs, annual and perennial flowers, houseplants and excellent quality garden gloves and more. Funds raised support horticultural scholarships at the University of Minnesota and youth horticulture projects.  For more information, visit www.RamseyMasterGardeners.org/plantsale

Contact info for the Seed Library:

Email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com

Blog site: WBL Seed Library

 

Pam

 

More Seeds Added

 Hello Gardeners!

Yesterday I added:

Extra Early Marvel peas

Maxibel Haricot Vert beans

Okra

Lots of annual and perennial flowers such as: Rose Campion, Calendula, Blackberry Lily, Marshmallow, Poppy, Tithonia, and others  

Natives:

Butterfly Weed, Common Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed

Sweet Joe Pye Weed, Joe Pye Weed

Seed Library Success Flip Side

 

Hello Gardeners!

 

Seed Library Success!

 

That was the headline of my last email, but with that success there also came a concern--the seed library is woefully short on seeds.

I reported over 700 packets of seeds found new homes, but what I didn’t convey is there were only 276 packets of seeds left in the Seed Library at the end of March. I have added a few more packets since then and more packets found new homes too, so the seed library is still getting low.

What is needed are non-hybrid, open-pollinated varieties of peas, beans, lettuce and herbs. Tomatoes and peppers are also needed, but the window to start them indoors is quickly coming to an end. So if you are buying seeds please consider buying a commercial packet of heirloom or open-pollinated seeds to donate to the Seed Library.

So maybe you have some questions about why I am so picky about what seeds I accept for the seed library. Perhaps you even donated some seeds and didn’t see them offered at the seed library.

 

Why does the Seed Library only want non-hybrid and open pollinated or heirloom seeds?

 

In short, it has to do with biology and laws.

Biology:

Open pollinated or heirloom plants  come true to the parent plant. Hybrid varieties require pollen from one variety of plant to pollinate a different variety of the same species of plant. This specific pollination is usually done by human whereas open-pollinated varieties the pollination is done by bees, wind or other natural ways. Sometimes seeds from a hybrid plant revert back to one of the two original plants or sometimes the seeds are not viable at all or the plant does not make any seeds. This does not mean hybrid plants are less desirable than heirloom plants. Both have pros and cons. It is up to you as a gardener to make that decision.

 Also, the Seed Library prefers seeds from non-cross pollinated plants. Some plants such as those from the Brassica family easily cross pollinate. Some plants are pollinated by the wind or bees which also increase its chance of cross pollination. The easy to save seeds are tomatoes, peas, beans, lettuce and native plants because they seldom are cross pollinated. If you give me seeds from a plant that was cross-pollinated, I cannot with good faith describe the characteristics of the plant that will grow from the seeds.

 

Laws:

 The other reason has to do with plant patent laws. It is illegal to sell or give away seeds from plants that have a plant patent. In most cases these are hybrid plants. Many times it is very difficult to determine if a particular variety of plant is under a plant patent, so if I cannot find out that information through sleuthing on the internet, then I will not offer it in the library.

So if you give me seeds you saved from a hybrid plant or plant that has a plant patent I will throw away the seeds. This is true for vegetable, herb or flower seeds. If the description of the plant says something like ‘new’ or ‘improved’ or ‘recent variety’ that is a clue that it may be a hybrid. If the seed packet has an OP or the word ‘heirloom’ by the name that means it is an open-pollinated variety and is OK to donate to the Seed Library. If the seed packet has the word ‘hybrid’ or F1 by the name then it is a hybrid variety and it is best you only grow them in your own garden. (GMO is an entirely different thing and GMO seeds are not offered to the general public.)

There is a lot of controversy about plant patents and you can find some information ‘against’ here and ‘for’ here.  The Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance also has information about plant patents and seeds.

 

The White Bear Lake Seed Library has stated:

The seeds being distributed may not meet germination or varietal purity standards prescribed by the state seed law. Patented seed or varieties protected by the Plant Variety Protection Act will not be accepted or distributed without permission of the certificate holder.

This is in accordance with the RUSSL Non-commercial Seed Sharing Amendment Overview.

 

Another reason the seeds you donated may not have been offered at the Seed Library.

Seeds do age. There are guidelines for how long seeds remain viable and much of that has to do with the condition under which the seeds are stored. Seeds stored in cool, dry locations last longer than seeds stored where it is warm or humid.  Seeds Savers Exchange has a handy chart you can download.

At the end of each year I cull out seeds packets that are older than general guidelines.

 

So in summary, please remember the White Bear Lake Seed Library when buying commercial packets of seeds and if you are able, donate a packet of an open-pollinated variety to the seed library.

The seed library welcomes any seed donations of non-hybrid, non-cross-pollinated seeds. Place dry seeds in a paper envelope with the name of seed, year and location on the envelope. Drop off in the bin on the seed library table in the library during open hours.

 

 

Contact info for the Seed Library:

Email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com

Blog site: WBL Seed Library

 

Pam

 

More Seeds in the Seed Library!

Hello Gardeners!

Seed Starting

Most of us in the Twin Cities area live in zone 4 which has an average date of last frost of May 10th.  So if your seeds say start indoors 4 weeks before last date of frost (such as tomatoes), you would count backwards 4 weeks from May 10th, which is April 12th. You can start the seeds even earlier but you risk your plants becoming leggy or outgrowing their pot. Artificial lights are a must to grow sturdy plants when growing seeds indoors for extended periods of time. Even south facing windows seldom receive at least 12 hours of direct sun a day (we have many cloudy or partial cloudy days).

 

Update on Seeds

Almost every week I add more vegetable, herb and flower seeds.

This week I added more tomatoes, peppers and other vegetable seeds that gardeners start early. I do have more seeds that are usually directly sowed and as I get them packaged I’ll place them in the seed library.

 

 If you are interested in helping to package seeds, please send me an email. I have a group of veteran seed packagers, but I am always interested in getting more people involved. It is easy to do and all directions and supplies are provided.

 

See the links to all the available seeds on the blogsite. Look on the right hand side.

 

A BIG THANK YOU to all who have donated seeds! It’s wonderful to have such a big selection of seeds in the seed library.

 

How to Get Free Seeds

 

You can access the seed packets during regular library hours. The Seed Library table is to the right as you come through the double doors. (White Bear Lake library, 2150 2^nd St, White Bear Lake; M: 10-8, T, W: 1-8, Th, F, Sa: 10-5)

You can find the current list of available seeds on the Seed Library website at Seed Library site. Or a less than current paper list on the Seed Library table in the library.

If you can’t find the seeds you’re looking for please let me know via email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com and I’ll get you the seeds if they are available.

 

 Seeds Needed

 

The seed library welcomes any seed donations of non-hybrid, non-cross-pollinated seeds. Place dry seeds in a paper envelope with the name of seed, year and location on the envelope. Drop off in the bin on the seed library table in the library during open hours.

 

Volunteer Opportunity

 

Help package seeds for the seed library. If interested, send me an email and I’ll get you seeds, supplies and instructions. You package the seeds and return them to the seed library table.

 

Contact info for the Seed Library:

Email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com

Blog site: WBL Seed Library

 

Pam

 

 

How to Start Seeds

 

Hello Gardeners!

 Just a quick reminder of the next Seed Talk on March 8^th at 6:30 pm via Zoom. This Seed Talk will be all about starting seeds—vegetable, herb and flowers. I’ll cover when to start various types of seeds as well as how to grow them and how to safely transplant them to your garden. To register for this event go to Mar 8th Seed Talk

This seed talk is via Zoom and you need to register at least 3 hours prior to the start of the talk so the Ramsey county library can send you the link. It is open to anyone, beginners to seasoned gardeners. Seed Talks are community get togethers where people can share their questions and experiences on gardening.

 

 

Contact info for the Seed Library:

Email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com

Blog site: WBL Seed Library

Pam, who would like spring to come, but is also looking forward to more snow to play in!