'Seeds that Grow Hope'

Greetings! Spring is upon us! This year we are celebrating 30 years of planting the Seed that Grow Hope!! Many of you have already sent in your applications for seeds and now that the snows have melted and we once again have access to our warehouse, we are working at a furious rate to catch up on getting your seeds shipped out. Please be patient with us! Applications started coming in early and fast this year and we have a hefty back log of requests to get on the UPS truck. We know how important timing is in the garden so volunteers are packing up and sending out your seeds as fast as possible.If you have not sent in your application yet, the 2010 form is now available on our website.We love to hear your stories and get pictures of your community in the garden so keep 'em coming!
Wishing you a blooming Spring and a bountiful harvest,
Katie Rehwaldt
'Seeds that Grow Hope'
Program Director
Operation Green Plant





Click Here to help us plant the 'Seeds that Grow Hope'

Here's to Heirlooms

Here's a little inspiration to plant those less common varieties of fruits & veggies, if the seeds are available. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7753267.stm

Seed Swapping

Need seeds? Have some you've saved and would like to share?

Check out information on getting involved with this seed swap or possibly being inspired to start one!

It's a free forum and the website explains all of the details.

www.garden.org/seedswap/

Saving Tomato Seeds

dojiline's photostream

I had a particularly yummy yellow/orange tomato that I LOVED this summer that I would like to save seeds for next summer. I did a little research on saving seeds, and Garden Web provided these directions from Trudi Davidoff:

1. Take your chosen tomato and slice it in half across the middle (it's "equator"). With a spoon or your well-washed fingers scoop out the seeds and their gelatinous "goo" into a clean cup or container. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the seeds. Cover the container with a piece of plastic-wrap and then poke the plastic-wrap with a paring knife or pen point to put a small hole in it...this is to allow for air-transpiration. (A little fresh air needs to get in and out of the cup to help foster fermentation.)

2. Place the container of seeds in a warm location; a sunny windowsill or the top of the refrigerator are both excellent sites to place the container of seeds. Now Mother Nature will take over and begin to ferment the seed and water mixture. This takes about two or three days. Each night remove the plastic-wrap, stir the seed and water mixture, and then replace the plastic-wrap, if you use a new sheet of plastic-wrap then don't forget to put a small hole in it for air-transpiration. The top of the liquid will look "scummy" when the fermentation process has separated the "goo" from the seeds. It also helps destroy many of the possible tomato diseases that can be harbored by seeds.

3. Take the container of fermented seeds to the sink and with a spoon carefully remove the scummy surface. Then pour the container's contents into a fine kitchen sieve and rinse the seeds with water several times...stir them while they're in the sieve to assure that all surfaces are thoroughly rinsed. Give a few sharp taps to the sieve to help remove as much loose water as possible from the seeds.

4. Line an open plate with a piece of waxed paper or a large automatic-drip coffee filter. Place the rinsed seeds onto the wax paper or coffee filter and spread them about so they are in a single layer. Place the plate in a safe location where the seeds can dry for a few days. Stir the seeds a few times during the drying process to assure that all their surfaces are evenly dry. Spread them out again into a single layer after each time you've stirred them. Tomato seeds are thick and can take up to a week to dry thoroughly. If you're having a rainy week that drying time may lengthen by a few days.

5. How do I know when the seeds are dry? Dried seeds move quickly and easily across a plate, they do not stick to each other.

6. How do I store them? I like paper packets or some folks like plastic. Whichever envelope style you choose is a matter of personal preference. If you choose to store your seeds in plastic the seeds must be BONE DRY....otherwise any moisture in the seeds will be transferred to all seeds inside the plastic packet, it will foster mildew and rotting and the seeds will be ruined.

Reduce, Reuse, and Grow

Used cardboard coffee (and other) containers are a free source of seedling cups. You're saving a few cups from landfills (they can be composted after they eventually become nice and soggy) and make fun gifts. Who wouldn't smile getting a seedling gift in a Ben & Jerry's ice ceram container?

I work with a small group of people and already have dozens of cups saved. Imagine if you work in a large office building...

Seed Packet Art

These packets are available at a very fabulous blog, Modish:

http://blog.modishhandmade.com/modish/2008/03/publish-327-pro.html

Starting Seeds (5)

I moved them into bigger pots.

I even started a few plants from seeds I collected at the end of last summer!

But I didn't harden them off. It is a little difficult to see in this photo, but the leaves became scorched. It seems that they are going to make it though! Thanks to lots of rain and overcast days.

The nastrusium didn't seem to need it. They actually are doing really well despite the fact that they are quite leggy and were put out before the recent cold wave of down in the 40s.

The tomato also suffered a bit from not being hardened off, but seems to be recovering.

Starting Seeds- Part 3

I am trying a new seeding mat. The other one mysteriously died...but I have a year warranty, so I will either try another or get my moola back. My consumer report will be out later.

I have been shifting things around because some things grew more quickly than others. I guess that is why one might want to read the Germination information on the back of the seed packet. In the movement and reorganization, some starts have lost their label. Perhaps colored toothpicks next year?!

Another interesting tidbit...I had heard different things about removing the humidity dome, so I let it sit on the sprouts for a day or so and then completely removed it. As you can see, the seeds seem to be doing just fine. Below is (L to R): watermelon, cucumber, zinnia, lettuce, zucchini, nasturtium, and cabbage.

By the way, if you are a spider appreciator like me (as long as they are no where to be seen), using lights seems to attract every creepy crawlie possible in my scary basement. Silverfish, mosquitos, ants, who knows what else is lurking around those trays!? Below is: snapdragons, collards, onion and lupine. My left over Bend, OR lupine seeds didn't germinate. They are too old. So I planted new ones and they are doing fine.

Another good discovery investment that you might want to try yourself! Watering seems to be my biggest issue when it comes to keeping my seeds happy. My wonderful friend Lindsay let me use her self watering mat and it really did wonders, but in order to go get another just like it, I would have had to purchase the entire kit! Crazy, I know! So I checked in with Indoor Gardens, where one of TGS students interns, and they hooked me up with some cheap cloth that does the same thing! I cut some left over wood to hold the trays up above the water, and voila! Happy seeds and happy pocketbook! Do people still use pocketbooks?!

From the left, we have nasturtium, lettuce, onion, eggplant that took a while to get going, and acorn squash.

Starting Seeds-Part 2

It has only been about 24-36 hours since I first started my seeds. They have had constant light, moisture from the self watering seed tray insert, and heat every other hour from the seed heating mat. THINGS HAVE ALREADY SPROUTED!!! This is crazy.

I have decided to go for the second tray. This one does not have a heating mat yet, but it will by the end of tomorrow. I am also trying the soil from Magic Home Gardens and the Jiffy biodegradable seed tray liners.

Starting Seeds

Last year my three trays of seeds never even made it to the surface. Perhaps they were old seeds, perhaps I over/under watered them. I have theories, but no definitive answers.

The ones I just threw in the ground in my raised beds did great. Interesting, no?!

Conclusion? So far in my gardening career, I really stink so far at growing seeds indoors. My uncle bailed me out with a bunch of seed starts he had left over. Show off.

Despite my seed death toll, I have decided to give it another go. This year, I have done even more research, and am flipping the script.

I have cleaned my trays with a 1:9 bleach water solution.

I have purchased sterilized potting soil instead of making it myself AND I am going to compare that with seeds planted in jiffy starters and "power plugs" from a local hydroponics store.

I am only planting seeds that say they are okay to start indoors. (maybe!)

I am setting up lights and keeping them on quite a bit.

I am going to use heating pads on a timer (one hour on, one off, at least at first.)

I am setting up a shelving system for all of this in my scary basement.

I am going to keep my little domes on the plants until they start.

I am only going to water them once and then pour out the excess water. After that, I will mist them a couple of times a day.

I am not going to fertilize them.

We will see how this all goes.

What have I learned from this? That you can read all you want, but in the end, you just have to go for it. Throw some seeds in some dirt, watch what happens, and reflect on what you want to do next time. Get over the idea that you are going to be good at something because you want to be. Isn't it more satisfying to be good at something because you worked hard at it?! Let go of any attachments to what you think should happen.

Good lessons for life, really.

Someday I will share about what I have learned from knitting.