Seed Packaging Wednesday Nov 8th!

 

Hello Gardeners

 

Wait! I wasn’t done working in my gardens yet!

Yes, that snow was not appreciated. I’m sure it will melt this coming week, but still, way too early.

But it’s not too early to start thinking of your gardens for next year and what do gardens start with? Seeds!

Come help package seeds for the White Bear Lake Seed Library! It will take your mind off the inevitable winter weather.

 

Seed Packaging at the White Bear Lake library, Wednesday, November 8 from 6-8 pm.

No experience necessary. Very easy to do and fun. Come join your fellow gardeners and help the Seed Library. No need to register for this event. Come anytime between 6-8 pm. Note that the library closes at 8pm.

If you can’t make it and still want to help package seeds, I can make up a bag of seeds and supplies for you to do at home that you can pick up and drop off at the library. Just send me an email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com

 

 

Those of you who grew beans for the Grow-a-Row project, I’m guessing your bean pods are dry or getting there soon. When the pods are dry, remove the beans and place in a paper envelope. Label the envelope Grow-A-Row and drop it in the plastic bin on the seed library table. Thank you!

 

The seed library is taking seeds from peas, beans, lettuce, tomatoes and native plants. Now is a great time to donate seeds, especially ripe native plant seeds. Most native plants germinate better if allowed to over winter, so donating seeds now will allow the seed library to have plenty for gardeners to sow this late fall season. See info about winter sowing below. Most of the native plants offered by the seed library are beneficial to pollinators!

 

Upcoming Events:

                   

Winter Market – Farmer’s Saturday Nov 11, 10-1pm, Normandy Park Education Center

2482 County Road F East, White Bear Lake MN 55110

 

The White Bear Lake Seed Library will be at this market!

Twenty+ local food vendors will be sharing locally grown and crafted items including meats, cheese, eggs, micro greens, and maple syrup. Many locally preserved options, like jams, jellies, sauces, sauerkraut, and kombucha will be available. Great gifting options such as soaps, and specialty hand crafted goods as well.

This year they are back partially inside, as our community has requested! The majority of vendors will be inside, along with our community booths and the Senior Center Craft Corner. They’ll be offering monthly classes as well!

 

See Winter FM for more information.

 

Seed Talk – Tuesday Nov 14, 6:30 pm via Zoom

How to Easily Start Native Plant Seeds

An easy and successful way to start native plant seeds is using the winter sowing method. Many native plant seeds need a period of stratification (a cold, moist period aka 'winter') to break dormancy. You can help this process using a simple gallon jug at home. Learn how to use the winter sowing method and have an abundance of hardy seedlings come spring for your garden.

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

Registration is required and will close 3 hours prior to the event.

 

 University of MN 2024 ProHort Core Course

 

The ProHort Core Course offers comprehensive horticulture knowledge that homeowners, hobbyists, and professionals can use to transform their gardens. Now conveniently offered online, the ProHort Core Course unlocks the same trusted training that Master Gardener Volunteers receive. The ProHort Core Course is developed and created by University of Minnesota Extension, and offered through the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.
 

14 Horticulture modules
ProHort Core Course modules can be completed online, and at-your-own-pace. There is a knowledge quiz at the end of each module:

• Botany & Horticulture
• Soils, Composting & Fertilizers
• Herbaceous Plants
• Woody Plants
• Lawn Care
• Weeds
• Growing Vegetables
• Growing Fruit
• Indoor Plants
• Integrated Pest Management
• Plant Pathology
• Plant Diagnostics
• Entomology
• Living with Wildlife

 

Course opens Jan. 11, 2024
Registered participants will receive an email with the Course login instructions and details from the Course Coordinator on January 10, 2024. If you have questions or challenges with accessing or navigating the online course on or after January 11, the Coordinator is available to assist you!

How it works
Complete each module and quiz at-your-own-pace. Earn a Certificate of Completion by passing each of the 14 online knowledge quizzes that are available after each module. You may also choose to attend optional live sessions including a Meet-and-Greet with the Coordinator and Q&A sessions with guest experts (included in the course fee).

Busy schedule?
No problem, the online course is self-paced, and you will have access to complete all the online information, modules, and quizzes through December 2024. Expect an average of 40 to 60 hours to complete all the course material and quizzes.

For more information.

Registration Deadline: January 9, 2024

 

 

Pam

 

Contact info for the Seed Library:

Email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com

Blog site: WBL Seed Library

 

Upcoming Events

 

Hello Gardeners

Finally, we got some rain! My trees are very happy and are looking forward to rain later this week too. Drought stress impacts your trees more than you think.  They may not survive the winter or become more susceptible to insects and disease. The best thing you can do is make sure they are adequately watered until the ground freezes. Place a hose with a small trickle of water at the drip line of your tree and water about an hour. Then move in a circle around the tree to get all the roots. In general, you want at least an inch per week of water to all the roots, but the ground is still lacking moisture, so a little more would be great.

 Those of you who grew beans for the Grow-a-Row project, I’m guessing your bean pods are dry or getting there soon. When the pods are dry, remove the beans and place in a paper envelope. Label the envelope Grow-A-Row and drop it in the plastic bin on the seed library table. Thank you!

 Future Seed Packaging – I hope to have another seed packaging event later this month after more of the native plants have gone to seed. I’ll send out an email when it becomes scheduled.

 The seed library is taking seeds from peas, beans, lettuce, tomatoes and native plants. Now is a great time to donate seeds, especially ripe native plant seeds. Most native plants germinate better ifa allowed to over winter, so donating seeds now will allow the seed library to have plenty for gardeners to sow this late fall season. Most of the native plants offered by the seed library are beneficial to pollinators!

 

Upcoming Events:

                   

Winter Market – Farmer’s Saturday Nov 11, 10-1pm, Normandy Park Education Center

2482 County Road F East, White Bear Lake MN 55110

 The White Bear Lake Seed Library will be at this market!

Twenty+ local food vendors will be sharing locally grown and crafted items including meats, cheese, eggs, micro greens, and maple syrup. Many locally preserved options, like jams, jellies, sauces, sauerkraut, and kombucha will be available. Great gifting options such as soaps, and specialty hand crafted goods as well.

This year they are back partially inside, as our community has requested! The majority of vendors will be inside, along with our community booths and the Senior Center Craft Corner. They’ll be offering monthly classes as well!

 See Winter FM for more information.

 

Seed Talk – Tuesday Nov 14, 6:30 pm via Zoom

How to Easily Start Native Plant Seeds

An easy and successful way to start native plant seeds is using the winter sowing method. Many native plant seeds need a period of stratification (a cold, moist period aka 'winter') to break dormancy. You can help this process using a simple gallon jug at home. Learn how to use the winter sowing method and have an abundance of hardy seedlings come spring for your garden.

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

Registration is required and will close 3 hours prior to the event.

 

Pam

 

Contact info for the Seed Library:

Email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com

Blog site: WBL Seed Library

 

Seed Talk Sept 12 and Seed Packaging Sept 18

 

Hello Gardeners

 

This is prime time to save seeds for next season!

 

Come to the next Seed Talk to learn how to save vegetable, flower and native plant seeds!

The Seed Talk is on Tuesday September 12, 6:30 pm at the White Bear Lake library. This is an in-person event that is free and open to anyone. I’ll be talking about saving vegetable and native plant seeds. Bring your questions and experiences! This is a time to share. More information here.

Remember the WBL Seed Library depends on seed donations from gardeners like you!

 

Also, another opportunity about seeds:

Volunteers Needed!

Seed Packaging Event

Monday, September 18, 6-8pm at the White Bear Lake library in the Lion’s Den room. Help package native plant seeds for the White Bear Lake Seed Library! No experience needed. Everyone is welcome. This is an easy and fun activity. All supplies are provided.

 

This is also a great opportunity to donate any seeds you have harvested already, but if you can’t make it, you can always donate seeds whenever the library is open. There is a plastic bin on the seed library table for donations.

 

If you can’t come to the seed packaging event, but would like to help package seeds, let me know. I can make up a bag with seeds and supplies you can pick up at the library and do at home and bring back to the seed library table when completed. Send me an email if interested in packaging seeds at home.

  

Pam

 

Contact info for the Seed Library:

Email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com

Blog site: WBL Seed Library

 

Time to Think About Seeds!

 

Hello Gardeners

 

It’s time to start thinking of seeds!

 

Maybe you have some lettuce starting to bolt (sending up a stalk) or some tough beans still left on the vine or even an onslaught of cherry tomatoes.

You may think these vegetables are destined for the compost, but they may still have some usefulness left if they are open-pollinated plants (not hybrids).

No, I’m not talking about a great recipe to use up your extra and past prime produce. I’m talking about seeds.

 

Here’s some quick basic information on how to save vegetable seeds:

1. Select open-pollinated (not hybrid/ F1) varieties of plants.

2. Start with the easiest seeds to save: Peas, Beans, Tomatoes and  Lettuce

3. Grow your plants making sure they are not cross-pollinated with other varieties. Select the healthiest plants to harvest seeds. If growing vegetables, also select good tasting fruit with high yields. Don’t choose wonky looking plants and select fruits from more than one plant if possible.

4. Gather fruits or seed pods at the correct time. See details below.

 

 Peas and Beans

Allow pods to ripen on the plants until they are dry and start turning brown. Peas and beans must be completely ripe or they won’t germinate. This will take about a month after harvesting the other peas/beans for eating. You can either strip the pods from the plants or pull up the entire plants whole and spread them to dry inside or other sheltered well-ventilated area for a couple of weeks. Shell pods and store in paper envelopes or jars. Pea and bean seeds remain viable for 3 years.

Tomatoes

Allow fruit to ripen fully and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Put the seeds and pulp in a glass jar with some water. Let sit at room temperature for 2-4 days, stirring once a day. Each day pour off the pulp and seeds that float to the top. Viable seeds will sink to the bottom. After 4 days, remove the seeds at the bottom, rinse thoroughly, drain and spread on newspaper or paper towels to dry. Package in paper envelopes or jars. Tomato seeds remain viable for 4 years.

Lettuce

You must allow the lettuce plant to bolt or grow a stalk which will make a flower head with small yellow flowers. They eventually change to feathery white tufts which contain black or white seeds. Lettuce seeds don’t ripen all at once, so monitor the plants for a month or two. Each time you see some seeds turning dark, shake the plant over a paper bag to catch the seeds. Dry indoors for a week before storing. Lettuce seeds remain viable for 5 years.

 

Seed Savers Exchange has a good resource.

 

Which brings me to the topic of the next Seed Talk—Saving Seeds. The Seed Talk is on Tuesday September 12, 6:30 pm at the White Bear Lake library. This is an in-person event that is free and open to anyone. I’ll be talking about saving vegetable and native plant seeds. Bring your questions and experiences! This is a time to share. More information here.

Remember the WBL Seed Library depends on seed donations from gardeners like you!

 

Pam

 

 

Contact info for the Seed Library:

Email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com

Blog site: WBL Seed Library