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Packets of seeds from my favorite perennials.
There's nothing like a late March blizzard to send my spring time gardening bug back into hibernation. Last weekend while I was out cleaning up my raised vegetable beds I had visions of red runner beans and heirloom tomatoes dancing in my head and today I had to dash my own hopes of actually planting things in the ground this early.
Today I am safely ensconced inside my house with a fresh loaf of bread in the bread machine and gardening is one of the last items on my agenda. Lucky for me too, as mother nature has covered the Denver area in nearly a foot of snow. Schools have been cancelled and businesses closed for the day.
But as any true blue gardener will admit, thoughts of the next growing season's crops are never too far off. My good friend and local master gardener Amy Johnson starts sorting her seeds shortly after the new year. She'll brew up a nice pot of chai tea and we'll sit in her kitchen surrounded by seed packets that she'll sort into their respective piles. Keepers, givers and tossers.
I am always inspired by Amy's dedication to her seed collection. Thinking about it today made me remember something I took the time to do last fall (late last fall I might add as our summer stretched well into fall and I still had flowers blooming in early December). Back in the cubby hole where I keep my collection of gardening magazines and seeds I found 5 envelopes containing seeds of my favorite perennials from last summer that are also extremely friendly plants to grow in Colorado. Two different colors of holly hocks, one pink cone flower (or echinacea), one black eyed susan and one very unique sunflower type plant called the cupple plant are waiting in seed form in envelopes in my mud room for the snows to melt, the soil to warm and spring to officially arrive.
Saving seeds is a great way to cut down on gardening costs and also to plant species that you know will grow well in your climate. Here are some great tips for saving seeds from your own garden.
- Only save seed from plants grown from open-pollinated seed.
- Save seeds from plants that are disease-free and show good qualities that you want to see again.
- Pick the seed pods when they turn dry and brittle but prior to them breaking open.
- Spread collected seeds on a newspaper and allow them to dry for about one week.
- Label your packages with whatever pertinent information you will find helpful when replanting.
Start the spring off right with a seed exchange party with your gardening friends or find a nice seed exchange community online. Always remember before buying your seeds to determine if they are organic and if the plants will thrive in your climate.
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