At the end of yesterday's blog, I said that today's blog would be seedy. And indeed it is. Tomorrow is National Seed Swap Day. This day occurs annually on the last Saturday in January. Seed Swap Day came into being in January 2006 after the first annual Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchange was held. After the event's success, seed swaps were held in other cities and National Seed Swap Day was born.
I can hear you now saying, "Irwin, what does this have to do with me? I'm sure not a farmer." I can see how this might look on the surface. But really anybody, no matter where they live can grow something. Maybe it's fresh herbs in a kitchen window box or a few small pots brimming with sunny marigolds. It's fun to grow things and fairly easy to do, even if you have a brown thumb. Heck, I have no thumbs and even I can do it! So why should we swap seeds? When you attend a seed swap event, you have access to a greater variety of seeds. Many of the interesting seeds that pass from hand to hand at a seed swap (or online) can be hard to find in traditional seed catalogs. Cost can be a factor, too. When you've been doing this for a while, you'll end up with more seeds than you need. Thus, you can swap them for something new to you...often for FREE!
Here's what you need to know about swapping seeds. Like everything else, there are a few simple rules to follow. 1. Trade only heirloom seeds. Hybrid seeds are created through cross-pollination and therefore rarely yield the same kind of plant the following year. Heirloom seeds, hower, are open-pollinated which will produce the same characteristics season after season. That's why heirloom tomatoes taste the best! And be sure to label your seeds. If you grow more than one kind of herb, flower, or vegetable, be sure and label your seeds as soon as you collect them. Otherwise, you probably won't remember which one is which.
if you're interested in swapping seeds, here are some of the best places to do that. Or just to learn more.
1. American Horticultural Society. these folks have been coordinating seed exchanges for over 50 years!
2. Dave's Garden (davesgarden.com) - A thorough resource for all things gardening.
3. Local seed swaps -m Check with your local garden society or local public library for events near you.
4. GardenWeb.com - Another great resource for all things gardening.
5. Seed Savers Exchange - These folks claim to have the largest online seed swap. If you're looking for something odd, here's the place to find it!
6. Social Media Sites - Check out Facebook, Nextdoor, and Reddit
Looking for seeds and, perhaps, starting a few indoor plants is a great January weekend activity. And especially fun if you have children!
This does it for me this week. I hope you have a super-duper weekend, whatever you have planned. please join me back here again on Monday. Until then, I wish you
PEACE.
I can hear you now saying, "Irwin, what does this have to do with me? I'm sure not a farmer." I can see how this might look on the surface. But really anybody, no matter where they live can grow something. Maybe it's fresh herbs in a kitchen window box or a few small pots brimming with sunny marigolds. It's fun to grow things and fairly easy to do, even if you have a brown thumb. Heck, I have no thumbs and even I can do it! So why should we swap seeds? When you attend a seed swap event, you have access to a greater variety of seeds. Many of the interesting seeds that pass from hand to hand at a seed swap (or online) can be hard to find in traditional seed catalogs. Cost can be a factor, too. When you've been doing this for a while, you'll end up with more seeds than you need. Thus, you can swap them for something new to you...often for FREE!
Here's what you need to know about swapping seeds. Like everything else, there are a few simple rules to follow. 1. Trade only heirloom seeds. Hybrid seeds are created through cross-pollination and therefore rarely yield the same kind of plant the following year. Heirloom seeds, hower, are open-pollinated which will produce the same characteristics season after season. That's why heirloom tomatoes taste the best! And be sure to label your seeds. If you grow more than one kind of herb, flower, or vegetable, be sure and label your seeds as soon as you collect them. Otherwise, you probably won't remember which one is which.
if you're interested in swapping seeds, here are some of the best places to do that. Or just to learn more.
1. American Horticultural Society. these folks have been coordinating seed exchanges for over 50 years!
2. Dave's Garden (davesgarden.com) - A thorough resource for all things gardening.
3. Local seed swaps -m Check with your local garden society or local public library for events near you.
4. GardenWeb.com - Another great resource for all things gardening.
5. Seed Savers Exchange - These folks claim to have the largest online seed swap. If you're looking for something odd, here's the place to find it!
6. Social Media Sites - Check out Facebook, Nextdoor, and Reddit
Looking for seeds and, perhaps, starting a few indoor plants is a great January weekend activity. And especially fun if you have children!
This does it for me this week. I hope you have a super-duper weekend, whatever you have planned. please join me back here again on Monday. Until then, I wish you
PEACE.
https://www.towergarden.com/blog.read.html/en/2016/1/seed-swap.html
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