Hello Gardeners!
Scattered showers or not!
My yard is mostly the ‘not’. I’ve received barely a trace a rain the last few weeks. This must be the earliest I have had to water my gardens in years. I hope this isn’t a hint of what is to come.
That brings me to the first part of this email’s subject line: ‘A Request for help’.
The White Bear Lake library has a native pollinator garden that is located between the parking lot and the sidewalk. I have been taking care of it almost since its start by weeding, watering and replacing plants as needed. The last two summers it has been difficult to keep it watered sufficiently and several plants died. There has been a lack of rain and several nearby trees suck up water. There is not an outdoor water spigot, so water needs to be carried in. I have 5 one-gallon jugs I fill at my house and drive to the library to water the garden. Needless to say, 5 gallons of water doesn’t go far for thirsty plants! As I don’t live real close to the library, this is a significant chunk of time.
What would be great is if there are several people who could share the task of watering the garden. Perhaps each of us could water a few times a month (unless we get rain) during June through October, but I am open to any schedule or amount of help you could provide. Please email me at wblseedlibrary@gmail.com if you can help with the watering.
Now onto the ‘Surprise’ portion of the subject line of this email.
At the end of each month I count the number of seed packets left in the seed drawers. I also know how many seed packets I added, so I can determine how many were taken of each type. My surprise came when I saw over 100 packets of native plant seeds found new homes in May! Now, at first glance that is wonderful! The more naïve plants growing, the better it is for the pollinators, birds and our environment. But my concern came when I thought about what is needed to grow these seeds.
Most native plant seeds need a period of stratification before they will germinate. Stratification is a cold, moist period that will break dormancy. Think ‘winter’, though your fridge makes a good substitute. Stratification periods usually range from 30-90 days. Even if you placed the seeds in moist sand in your fridge at the beginning of May, there really isn’t enough time to germinate the seeds and grow them large enough to survive over the winter.
So, if you did take some native plant seeds this spring, please be aware of the stratification time written on each packet. You can plant them now, and perhaps they might germinate this season, but probably you will have to wait until next spring for them to germinate. If you haven’t planted them yet, it might be better to wait until late this fall. I give a talk about starting native plant seeds in the fall where I explain several methods of starting native plant seeds.
The seed drawers for native plants is now mostly empty. Late this summer I hope to have another seed packaging event so we can fill up the drawers with more seeds!
The Grow a Row project has started!
What is the Grow a Row Project? It’s a chance for you to add seeds that are regionally grown to the seed library. Seed harvested from plants that are grown in our neck of the woods will, in time, grow better here as they become adapted to our environment. I have 25 packets of Haricot Vert bush beans and 1 partial packet of Extra Early Marvel peas. Thanks to the gardeners who participated in the Grow a Row event last year!
The idea is to plant a row of these beans or peas and let them ripen and dry on the vine. Then late in August or September, harvest the seeds and return them to the seed library. All directions for growing and harvesting the seed is attached to the special grow a row packets. These packets are on the seed table in a special box.
I hope you consider participating in this event as it is a way to continue the success of the White Bear Lake library as well as provide excellent seed for future gardeners.
Pam
Gardener Get Together – Seed Talk
Wednesday, July 12th, 6:30 pm, in-person!
Come meet your fellow gardeners at this outdoor get together. We’ll talk about all things plants and gardening! Bring a lawn chair or blanket and meet outside in the boulevard area in front of the White Bear Lake library on Clark Street. In case of rain, we’ll meet inside the library in the Lion’s Den conference room. No need to register in advance.
New Library of Things for Gardeners!
The White Bear Lake library has a new option in their ‘Library of Things’ options. It contains: 1 bulb planter, 1 transplanter shovel, 1 cultivator fork, 1 trowel shovel, 1 pruner, 1 15 in. lopper,1 pruning snip, 1 weeder, 1 folding saw, 1 knee pad : mixed materials ; in box (22 in. x 15 1/2 in. x 9 1/2 in.) + contents sheet. Patrons need to be 18 or older to check this out.
Here’s a link to the kit.
Two handy charts for when to start seeds indoors and outdoors as well as the best time to transplant seedlings outside.
Note: The Twin Cities is in Zone 4 and the average last date of frost is May 10th.
From Johnny’s Selected Seeds (Note, you must enter last date of frost): start calculator
From the Farmer’s Almanac: start chart
Plant Sales
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Native Plant Expo and Market
Market: Purchase MN native plants from multiple growers. No systemic insecticides.
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.
Shoreview Native Plant Expo is June 10, 2023, 9am – 1pm
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Shoreview, MN
3920 Victoria St N
Shoreview, 55126 + Google Map
Contact info for the Seed Library:
Email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com
Blog site: WBL Seed Library
