Well, yesterday I came home and was going through the mail...junk mail, junk mail, bill, catalogs, magazine renewal, and, wait! What's this?? MY SEEDS!! These are the seeds of the month that I got in a contest that was sponsored by the always awesome Prairie Cat over at her wonderful blog, Back to Basics.
But I won, by way of Granny, also known to everyone as Annie's Granny, from her amazing gardening blog, Annie's Kitchen Garden. She gave instructions that if she won, she wanted me to have the seeds. She won, and so I won. But it wasn't just her generosity, it was also 3rd Shift Man/Cloud from his blog
The Stay at Home Gardener, and Jenny from her blog Simple Garden Made Easy. They both also said that they wanted me to have it if they won.
The world of blogging is so cool.
So, every single month, for the next year, I will get a shipment of seeds from Mike the Gardener and the Seeds of the Month Club. It's like Christmas once a month! I would recommend this as a gift for any gardening person you know.
So here is my initial shipment: Zucchini (Black Beauty), Eggplant (Black Beauty), Cumin, Kohlrabi (Purple Vienna), Sunflower (Mammoth Grey), Parsnip (Hollow Crown), Swiss Chard (Lucullus), and Bean (Romano).
Best of all, these are all non-GMO and are open pollinated heirloom varieties. They also have been tested to have a 90%+ germination rate.
This is inspiring me to work on the garden area, of course with our recent heat warnings, I'm having to limit my outdoor time, but I can do a little every few days and then when Fall rolls around, I should be ready. I'm sure many of these seeds will be for Fall planting crops as well.
Anyone have suggestions for storing seeds like these? Fridge? Freezer? Just in a cool, dark place? I want to make sure I keep them safe until planting time.
Thanks again, everyone. Can't wait to see these sprouting out of the ground!
Thanks again, everyone. Can't wait to see these sprouting out of the ground!
What a fantastic surprise! I can imagine 'Seeds of the Month' being a great Christmas present - I'd sure love it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'd never really thought of growing Cumin before and was surprised to see it in your pack. Now that I'm aware of the possibility I really must look into it. I use a lot of it, both whole and ground, and it would be wonderful to grow my own. Brilliant!
Tanya - i don't know what zone you are in but i am in a 6a zone (Eastern Canada) and i grow black cumin without any trouble!
Deletei've grown lots of herbs over the years (in clay pots in the city, ha) but have never grown Cumin either. I'll be anxious to try it out.
DeleteYes, the seeds are fun, I'm already wondering what comes next month, ha. They send 8 packages the first month, and then 4 each month thereafter.
Thanks too Kymber for the info!!
My suggestion is to store those eggplant and zuke seeds in the garden soil. As to the others.... Hmm dark, cool, dry place they say.
ReplyDeleteStore them in the soil, yeah, I hear ya! I'm working on something for dark cool dry...
DeleteI put my seeds in a container (glass or plastic) with a tight fitting lid, and store either in the refrigerator or the freezer. Just be sure to bring them to room temperature before opening the packets up. I have seeds that are up to four years old and still viable. Our gardening friend Ed has them even older than that, like really really old!
ReplyDeleteThe fridge or freezer? I thought they couldn't be moist? Oh, maybe that's why you bring them to room temp before opening? Hmmm...would just a cool dark place that dry be ok too? I've got an idea for something, just need to go to the store and snoop around, ha.
DeleteI'm keeping mine in dark cool dry place and so far they're ok. Some are 3 yrs old but still grow well. Zucchini can grow well now and it loves heat so I'd plant them.
ReplyDeleteNot too late for seedlings? Even with our gazillion degree heat? It's worth a try I suppose. Glad to know about the storage. I'm working on that too. Thanks for the info (and thanks in general!)
DeleteWhat an absolutely wonderful gift. Having just blogged on the kindness of others here is another wonderful example. Seeds are wonderful, they promise so much. I just keep mine in a dark box in the cool garage. Mind you - what do I know?
ReplyDeleteI saw your blog entry about that, awesome. Yes, it was a very touching gift to me. I loved it. Seeds amaze me, so small and tiny and from that comes a plant that produces pounds and pounds of edible things. Hey a dark box sounds good to me! We'll learn together!!
DeleteWhat an amazing gift. I just found your blog and will be following you. At 62yrs. I am new to everything...How did I exist???? I just moved into a FEMA trailer outside Austin. Have hardly ever gardened and NEVER in the south. I have been here 3 weeks and have a small garden with potatoes, corn, wax beans,tomatoes, tomatillas, leaks, peepers...5 different kinds!! acorn squash, and strawberries. I keep wondering what else I can cram in!! I am also trying pineapples. Found out how to do them on the internet and heck they are free!! Thank you for your blog and enthusiasm for life!!
ReplyDeleteWell, welcome to our "farm" first of all! We love seeing new people. And welcome to Texas? I'm assuming you moved here from somewhere else? Wow, what a garden plot, that's pretty amazing. I tried a pineapple once, got it growing, (slice off the top and plant it, I assume?) and then the freeze got it. Be careful with them this Winter!
DeleteYou are very sweet to say that! Please come back regularly, I try to post something daily. Gardening (though some of that has fizzled because of my late start and our unbearably hot/humid weather), cooking, decorating, projects, random pictures, whatever moves me at the time! :-)
congrats on such a great gift from your blogging friends - i love blogging friends! it's strange because they seem to be much more thoughtful than physical friends - maybe it's just me? i don't know but that has been my experience!
ReplyDeleteanyway - for the seeds - cool, dark and dry. different people say different things about the storage life of different seeds - i think it's mostly a matter of conjecture and location. there are preppers/homesteaders out there who have been properly storing seeds 10+yrs - 20+yrs...it's just that very few of them talk about it!
your friend,
kymber
Blogging friends are very thoughtful aren't they? (you and Jambaloney included!). I find that when I get a new regular commenter and/or follower, I feel like I have a new friend.
DeleteWow, 10, 20 years? That's cool. Hey, we might all benefit from having a seed bank in our pantry, huh? We never know what the future holds. Save those heirloom seeds!!!
Yahoo! Canning jar storage?
ReplyDeleteI thought about that (you know me and my Mason jar fetish, lol). But I worry about the "dark" part with it being glass. But I'm working on something. Will post about it when I do it.
DeleteIt is so heartwarming that fellow bloggers want to share the love of gardening with others. I really love the surprise of the variety of seeds that arrive with Seeds of the Month club. I tend to grow the same things each year, but have tried different vegetables because I had the seeds.
ReplyDeleteYou may find it helpful to write the year on your seed envelopes. Since the envelopes are packaged individually, they are not stamped with a date like some larger seed companies. Here is a reference from Mother Earth News about seed viability: "Testing Seed Viability"
What a great link thank you for that! I just went through and put the year on just to be on the safe side! Thanks!!
DeleteI've been busy working and missed several posts. I absolutely love the "Seed of the Month" gift. I'll have to check into that. I wish I could help you about the storage of them, but I'm a novice too. I really like the GMO free variety too. We purchased and planted only heirloom seeds in our garden this year. They have produced wonderfully. Good luck to you in your new gardening, farming adventure. I'll be following along. Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteThanks, we have a lot of work left to do, I'm working on clearing the area for the gardens. I want to have raised beds, but I need to get the space ready. Now it's so hot out, I have to limit what I can do outside. But I hope to get them done a little at a time, in time for Fall planting. Heirlooms are what I want to have, definitely GMO free.
DeleteSeeds AND King Arthur...yahoo! You hit the jackpot!
ReplyDeleteVery observant! Yes, the seeds are my joy, King Arthur is 2nd Man's "I want one of everything" moment, ha.
DeleteSunflowers!!!
ReplyDeleteYay!! I'll have them next year growing just for you!!!
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