introduction Last week we narrowed down the list of annuals (the plants you replant each year) and created a list of plans that will allow us to grow and harvest our garden spaces to the fullest.
The next step is to find the seeds you’ll need to complete that plan.
My Favorite Online Seed Sources You can and often have gone to my favorite seed website and searched for and purchased seeds. I often head to westcoastseeds.com or rareseeds.com to find the seeds I’m looking for. (this is not a paid endorsement)
what are heirloom seeds? normally when I look for seeds, I look for heirloom varieties. heirloom seeds are varieties that have been maintained by groups such as gardeners. These varieties were commonly grown in earlier periods of human history and have since been replaced in our grocery stores with varieties that are better suited for large-scale production and shipping.
However, they are fantastic for home gardening. They may not ship as well, however, when you harvest them at peak ripeness and feed them to your family, they are often, in my opinion, more flavorful and nutrient-dense than their store-bought counterparts. the store. [1]
what are open pollinated seeds? the second thing I look for when buying seeds is open pollinated varieties. If your seeds are not openly pollinated if you collect the seeds from the crop you have harvested, there is a chance that the resulting plants and crops will not look like the parent plant. this is because when the original variety is pollinated by another variety, the genes will cross over and result in a new and different crop.
This phenomenon occurs more often with seeds marked f1 and much less often with open pollinated seeds. open pollinated seeds will change over time, but the changes are much smaller and from generation to generation it will be much less noticeable. [2]
Buy Local Seeds Often this time of year, displays from your favorite seed companies are popping up at garden centers, too. A general rule of thumb that I follow when I find an online source or screen to buy my seeds is to look for companies that are in your geographic area.
The reason I try to buy local is more than just supporting my neighbor, but the seeds are often sourced in the same area as the company, resulting in varieties that are much more likely to suit your area. Planting varieties that have been successfully grown and harvested in other geographic areas may not work as well in your garden.
how to save money getting your seeds There is nothing wrong with getting your seeds online, but as I mentioned in this series, I wanted to see if we could save some money. there are a few ways you can find the seeds you need that are cheap or free.
organized formal seed swaps I asked the community on the alberta urban gardens facebook page and they came up with a great suggestion: seed swaps. I have noticed especially on facebook a big increase in the number of seed exchanges.
There are two main types of seed exchanges that I have come across. the first are formal events and the second are individual seed exchanges.
Formal online seed swaps like Sherwood Park Seed Sunday are often held at garden centers like Salisbury Greenhouse and offer seeds for purchase, trade, or even free seeds. Often these events will have speakers talking about several different ways to successfully start your own seeds and garden.
An added benefit I find at these types of events is that you get to meet and talk with a wide variety of expert gardeners and fellow enthusiasts. I often find that these events inspire me and sometimes take up the last 10% of the garden plan. [3]
if you’re in the edmonton area, you might run into me at events like this. i plan to attend sleazy sunday at salsbury conservatory which will take place between 11-4pm. m. on Sunday March 13. there will be an invitation to the event on my facebook page. hope to see you there.
seed exchanges between gardeners the other type of seed exchanges that I have really enjoyed are those that are organized online through forums or facebook pages. Often traded between individuals and using the mail, this is a great way to acquire rare varieties.
I’ve had a lot of fun participating in these in the past, however due to the nature of the mail system, if you ship internationally there are rules that sometimes mean you lose your seeds at customs. the benefit of something like this is that it usually only costs you a stamp or two for those rare varieties you may not have been able to find.
what are seed banks or libraries? seed banks and libraries have started to appear all over the world. both government-sponsored and private ones aim to maintain the genetic diversity of plants. Often, if you have a seed bank or library, you can check out seeds for free or by paying a small administrative fee and return them by collecting seeds from the crop after its growing season is over.
Although I have yet to get involved with a seed bank or library, I think it’s a fantastic idea to make a wide variety of genetically diverse seeds available to everyone. Preserving the integrity of the genetic diversity of our food supply will help us overcome stresses on our food production system, such as disease, drought, and other factors.
trade with local gardeners Probably one of my favorite ways to find the seeds I’m looking for is to trade seeds with my friends who are gardeners. Just a few days ago I sat down with a good friend of mine from work and we checked out each other’s seed stashes over lunch. While we were doing that, each of us found some varieties of seeds that the other had that weren’t in our collections.
Not a bad way to spend your lunch hour!
In fact, when you guys send me seeds, I try them out in my garden and often use the extra ones for one-to-one trades. my favorite thing to do with all my extra seeds is use them to help new local gardeners get started. It sure helps a new gardener in their first season to start with enough seeds to get them going for free. I wanted to take the time to thank those of you who have been kind enough to send me seeds in the past.
Save your own seeds The final and cheapest way to get seeds for years to come is to save your own. you can easily save a lot of seeds, especially if you are growing open pollinated heirlooms. Although generally difficult to do if you have never worked in the garden in the past, these saved seeds will help you in the future to acclimate varieties to your garden and provide you with seeds to trade with other gardeners for new varieties. [2]
Summary Now that you have your stash and plant list, it will soon be time to start some of those seeds indoors to kick off the season or even grow and harvest indoors. In the next installment of the urban gardening series, I’ll explain how I grow herbs and leafy greens indoors so I can harvest them year-round.
Related Videos: [1] Why Garden-Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Taste Better Than Store-Bought: [2] Improving Food Safety Using Selective Breeding for Hardening the crops [3] 8 easy tips for growing crops that will increase your yields in an urban garden [4] urban garden playlist: grow more food at home [5] fertilize your garden for free using banana peels