I’m not going to relate the story of how this happened; however, it involved wasting an inordinate amount of time taking photos of the pea varieties I had planned to grow this year, followed by doing something exceptionally stupid. I did manage to identify two of the five varieties, but the rest are now in an envelop marked, ‘Edible Pea Grab Bag.’
They’re pretty though, right?
Leave a comment
Well, another Seedy Saturday has come and gone. And really, I could just cut and paste last year’s post, or the one before that, or the one before that, because frankly, it’s pretty much the same for me every year. I start out with good intentions. But it’s busy from the moment I arrive and there is no time for me to go about shopping at the other tables. I never have a list except the one that is in my head. The crowds are too thick. I give up.
This year’s event was in a new (and gorgeous) location and the crowds were bigger than ever! Growing your own food is taking off like gangbusters!
Unfortunately, I came back with some kind of virus and have been holed up since Saturday dying a slow death. Boo.
Fortunately, I managed to scavenge a few packs of this and that at the event although most were from Sorellina (the Queen of Tomatoes), and they are primarily determinate (bush) tomatoes. I am always looking to try as many determinates as I can in pots every season. I scored so many this year, it will be a struggle to find space for them all, but I will have fun trying. Some of the varieties sound really exciting!
Miracle of miracles! Not only have I managed to begin my seed purchasing and acquiring process on time this year but I also spent a few hours the other night organizing them all. Ironic that the year I manage this feat is in a crazy busy one when I also happen to be unsure about where I will be gardening.
I like to do things ass backwards. That is my way.
I thought I’d give you a peep inside my “highly efficient” Seed Organization System. Mine is a three part system, although technically my fridge’s butter bin acts as a forth part for seeds that require some time in the cold (aka “cold stratification”). And there is also a soon to be gone recycled coffee bean bag that contains all of the extras that I have packaged up for trading and give-aways at this year’s Seedy Saturday Toronto event (Saturday, Feb 28). Over the years I’ve considered fancy binder systems or making a proper bin, but this works for me.
Part 1: The Square Basket – This is where I keep most of my direct sown seeds including lettuce greens, carrots, beans, peas, beets, radish, some herbs, and edible flowers. Also included are tags, permanent markers, empty envelopes for seed collecting and sharing, scotch tape for resealing opened packets, and a small plastic dibbler aka dibber aka dibble for quick sowing. I keep this basket in the hallway next to the door to the roof so it is always on hand when I need to pop a radish seed into an empty spot or replace gummy old lettuce.
Part 2: The Tool Box – I store my early season vegetable seeds in this old, kid’s tin tool box. You’ll find tomato, eggplant, squash, melons, and pepper seeds inside to name a few. It is kept on my garden book shelf just behind my work desk for easy access to indoor sowing or when I need to remember the exact spelling of a particular variety. When I am organized the packets are arranged by plant type and held together with elastic bands. FANCY!
Part 3: Yee Olde Gigantic Jar – This jar contains the plants I don’t go-to as often; less popular flowers, grasses, strange fruit I have purchased or collected (i.e. coffee beans, prickly pear, tamarind), and assorted oddities many of which are past due. I’ve got a little sachet of dried milk in the jar to keep the seeds from going moldy since air flow inside the jar is minimal and I don’t have occasion to check it very often.
How do you keep your seeds in order?
———————
Related:
Tons more seed starting resources
Leave a comment
Whenever I get a new pack of bean seeds I am always immediately compelled to open up the packet and inspect the beans. I used to play out this ritual with all seeds but years of seed purchasing and collecting has garnered a familiarity with certain seeds. It’s not that I’ve lost my love for seeds, but that it gets a bit repetitive. After all, while every tomato is different, the seeds are virtually identical. Yes, of course there are variations in size, shape, fuzziness, etc but those differences aren’t exactly interesting. At least to me they’re not.
Beans on the other hand are like beautiful jewels, each is unique in size, shape, color, pattern, and texture. Some are naturally shiny, others dull. There is even variation between seeds of the same variety. I’m a little embarrassed to guess at how much time I have clocked fondling a pack of 20 seeds, turning each one over in my hand. Actually, no I’m not. I think a lot of gardeners will confess to this same ritual. Beans are pretty.
And that is why I was able to spend an inordinate amount of time yesterday afternoon stewing in my own sweat inside a gigantic winter jacket and chatting with Colette of Urban Harvest about beans. She had some new varieties for sale this year, some of which she brought back from Slow Food’s Terra Madre Conference in Turin, Italy this past fall. And even though I already have more packs of beans than I can get into the ground within the next few seasons, I couldn’t help buying more.
Here’s what I got:
Related:
Seed starting season is just around the corner. It happens every year and every year I yell to no one and everyone that I’m not ready and could I please just have another day or a week, but it comes anyways. Then again, am I ever ready for anything garden-related? From seed starting season to the first frost I am constantly begging for mercy and more time while simultaneously wishing for spring and summer to come sooner and end my winter misery.
Apparently, I can’t have it both ways. Harrumph.
I’m REALLY not ready this year. So much so that I forgot about it completely until the catalogs started to appear in my mailbox. What will I grow? More importantly where will I grow? We keep saying this is the year we move. But we can never find the right place or there is too much work to be done and moving is too big a distraction or there is some reason why I can’t move the roof garden right now. And when I look for a new place to live and garden the endless list of requirements are too impossible to meet on a budget. I need appropriate indoor space, and I need some kind of decent outdoor space whether it be in-ground or on a roof or balcony that also gets lots of light because, I’m sorry, but I have to grow my sun-loving vegetables and herbs, and apparently over the years that has become more important than the thousands of things I hate about our current apartment. So this is the year we move. For real! I swear.
But how do I make plans with such a big question mark looming?
Whether I’m ready for it or not the march towards seed starting season presses on. Just today I sent in my yearly Seeds of Diversity membership payment in response to a final, act now or you’re out you irresponsible jerk notice. Is it really time to renew already? And to make matters worse I received notice that Seedy Saturday Toronto is happening earlier than ever this year. February 28! Only a month and a bit away.
Not ready!
Botanical Interests sent me some seeds recently. When they asked what I’d like to try I laughed to myself, chuckling about how early they were. Surely I won’t be making plans or ordering seeds for ages yet? WRONG! Well, at least I know that wherever my gardens happen to be this year, I will be growing the three packets I choose, ‘Zeolights’ Calendula, ‘Ruby Streaks’ Mustard Greens, and ‘Valentine’ Mesclun Mix come hell or high water.
It’s a start….
Leave a comment© 2000-2013 You Grow Girl & Fluffco. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. Privacy Policy.
