My seed are here!
That’s was my YouTube video for today, talking about seeds.
I purchase my seeds (probably wrote about this before, but oh well) from two companies:
Baker Seed (www.rareseeds.com)
Seed Savers (www.seedsavers.com)
There’s a place in California that I used to purchase my seeds from (Bountiful Harvest), but they “fulfilled their mission” on getting people to understand what open-pollinated seed are, and so they’ve gone into more the education and creation of better gardens, both here and across the world. Part of their seed orders when to educational purposes, and that’s a price I was willing to pay! I wish them well, but man they had good product!
These two are no slouches either. Seed Savers (about 45 minutes from my house!) does a great job of putting on workshops, along with their center just north of Decorah where you can visit, purchase your seeds, seedlings, and just walk around to see what they have grown. It’s a great place, quirky, but I appreciate quirky! 🙂
Baker Seed has this magnificent catalog every year. They take the most amazing pictures and do a great job of finding “old timey” (my words not theirs), heirloom seeds.
If you are someone who doesn’t know what the heck I’m talking about here’s the difference:
Hybrid seeds are just that, they are a cross between one type of plant and another. They create great fruit and veggies, but they are a one time shot kind of plant. If I save those seeds and try to replant them, I will not get the same kind of fruit the next time. They lose something, not sure, but the great tomato you had one year is not so great the next.
Open-pollinated or heirloom seeds will give you the same fruit year after year. The Amish Paste roma tomatoes that I saved seed from last year will give me the same tomatoes this year with very little if any variance. So, that’s what I purchase and why I save my seeds. I’ve saved tomato, basil, peppers, flowers, and beans in particular, but am always looking for something new to try.
So this year, our garden will be much bigger. We’d planned on maybe going on a longer vacation, but with your friend and mine, the coronavirus running around, this probably won’t work. So, we are planning on something much bigger than in the past, and possibly doing something with a farm’s market or just selling directly to people from our home. Either way, we’ll not be lacking for work! 🙂
Both places still have seeds in stock, but shipping from Seed Savers was a little bit slower and from what I’ve heard, they are swamped with orders. A good thing, but it also shows people are planning right now, which is another good thing.
My hope, we have a ton of gardens this year, that people reconnect with what makes us human. Getting into the dirt, feeling the energy of the ground beneath us, and using our angry energy to pick weeds, all connects us together.
And that’s what we need right now anyway, isn’t it?? 🙂
March 28, 2020 at 11:02 pm
The whole last paragraph about having large gardens had me thinking of WWII & the Victory Gardens. If it comes to that what would we call these ones? Nice selection of seeds you have too.
March 28, 2020 at 11:07 pm
My Corona Garden will be biggly!! 🙂 This is my selection that came in the mail, so I’m pleased at the variety! We’ll have great stuff in our freezer this winter! 🙂
March 28, 2020 at 11:04 pm
Yes! I’m always in favor of taking the angry energy out on weeds!
March 28, 2020 at 11:05 pm
It’s a great stress reliever and the weeds themselves are thrown in the compost to be broken down into next year’s fertilizer! 🙂
March 28, 2020 at 11:13 pm
Yep! I also really enjoy deadheading flowers for a soothing and relaxing experience. Weeds are the best when angry though!
March 28, 2020 at 11:08 pm
It rained all night here, finally melting the last of the snow. Your topic was very timely and inspired me. I haven’t had a vegetable garden for a few years, but I’ve been thinking about it more and more while I’m at home. I will probably have lots of time in the forseable future, and I do miss digging in the dirt. Thanks for helping motivate me. I think I’ll even try a few seeds. Happy planting!
March 28, 2020 at 11:11 pm
And we’ll start planting tomatoes and peppers next week. I may even had a slice on it too! 🙂 Digging in the dirt is the best! It’s a good work out AND it feels good to connect too.
March 29, 2020 at 12:48 am
Please do slice about them when you plant! I’m not a gardener; more of an outdoor allergy sufferer year-round and weeds are my nemesis. However, I do appreciate the hard labor of others’ crop and my 10 year old is dying to turn our backyard garden into a vegetable garden! He wants to do tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, and melons. I’m going to YouTube it for him but might hit you up for tips when it’s time for him to get down to business!
March 30, 2020 at 2:34 pm
This is awesome! 🙂 YouTube is a great place to seek out information, your Master Gardeners in your area are a wealth of knowledge as well! I look forward to seeing your 10 y/o’s progress! 🙂
March 29, 2020 at 7:23 am
Enjoy the fresh taste of homegrown veggies. I am jealous.
March 29, 2020 at 12:49 pm
What a wonderful hopeful plan and an educational post. We were discussing seeds the other day since there’s plenty of time to tend them. I’ve never started from seed and have had trouble with gardening in the east coast. Perhaps this project is just the right prescription.
March 30, 2020 at 2:33 pm
Nothing like the taste of fresh salsa in late July early August! 🙂
March 30, 2020 at 5:45 am
I think a lot more people will plant gardens this year. My husband has already planned where we ‘could’ plant one if we ‘must’ plant one in the future. Won’t be this year, though. He grew up with gardens, knows the hard work they require, and will plant one as a last resort. Can’t wait to see your garden’s progress…include photos. 🙂
March 30, 2020 at 2:29 pm
I think we’ll see a lot of people planting this year AND there will be uptick in those people taking classes on how to bake and can foods as well. This event has taught us we need to be a little bit more self-sufficent!
And yes, there will be pictures of my garden! 🙂