Later in the day, MamaPea at A Homegrown Journal, took "The Challenge" and posted her seed storage technique. Yet another post you really should look at if you are inclined towards seed saving!
And don't forget to read the comments for both of these posts! There were some great ideas shared by fellow bloggers!
I am woefully failing in the seed saving area. However, I did order heirloom seeds this year for the first time! Wooohooo! Did ya catch the last part: 'for the first time'?
So here is how I currently store my seeds:
But the exciting part is they came in this week!
A few years ago I was cleaning a closet and found a random packet of beet seeds amongst office supplies. I also have some seeds left over from last year -that I can't find! S.O.S!
I do keep a Journal. I've been doing this for about four years now. It's invaluable. If for nothing else it helps me to remember things my brain dumps every night when I sleep. Or zone out, or get distracted, or -where was I?
Oh yes. And then of course I started blogging! It serves as a garden journal too.
I am diligently adding to my library and have no intention of stopping :) That counts for something, right? Surely there is some redemption in that?
And let's not leave out that YOU GUYS are the most amazing folks! The doors you've opened, the ideas you've shared, my money you've spent! OK, we need to talk about that one!!!
Can you guess what I'll be doing this week? Purchasing a 21 foot three ring binder? Oh, and looking for mushrooms. Hehee!
So much to do . . . so little time!! Your post just emphasizes that even in the dead of winter, there are so many interesting things to cram into a day. Look at you with your seed starting trays and pots all ready to go! Now you've got your seeds for this year so you can pour over them and figure out (and make notations in your new 21 foot three-ring binder!) what you need to start when and don't forget to check your companion plantings books so you can plot out your garden space most beneficially and . . . and . . . and . . . puff-puff. Well, you see what I mean.
ReplyDeleteSadness and woe. I ran into another person this week who is bored silly and doesn't have enough to fill her days. I wanted to tell her to get a life and stop wallowing in self-pity. Geesh.
MamaPea, you are so right! I have so many things to prepare for! We are going to order our peeps very soon! I will be doing a Coop update post in the next few days...very VERY excited about that. I have my companion ideas all floating around in my head too. PigPen got me measurements and hold your hats...we are enlarging the garden AGAIN. We do every year :o) I love it! Well as for boredom, it's not that I get bored really, I think I just need to focus on one task at a time. Because there is more than enough to keep me from boredom. You should tell that person to come hang out with you...no boredom in that. She could learn all sorts of new things!
ReplyDeleteWe if you all can keep up with those 3 ring binders ya way ahead of me. lol I plot an plan ever year where, how much an when to plant, then spring comes, I get all excited about get in the dirt an start all my seeds at once. Then woe is me, I got 3 ft maters in the greenhouse thingy and ask myself "is it time to plant yet?" Think I might share some things that I have learned along the way over on my blog. The school of hard knocks has the best dang lessons.lol
ReplyDeleteStella, I would love to hear more from your hard knock school! So spill 'the beans' :0) I'm listening! But you already knew that!
ReplyDeleteIf you have ever read any of Eliot Colemans books, he is the worlds most extensive record keeper. I do have that 3 ring binder, but it could really be more detailed. But then I think as long as the food gets planted, grown, preserved, and eaten, I am doing OK. Luckily homesteading is a pass or fail class.
ReplyDeleteJane, yeaaaah, it's no wonder I've never heard of him then. Record keeping, organization...blech! Hehe. I have found that I take good notes at the beginning and end. The 'during' part is usually so darn busy that I just catch up later. It's like a winter project each year to sit down and pull all the notes together. Sometimes I will just throw stuff in and then record it later (when you can actually read my handwriting)
ReplyDeleteYou pass your class by the way!
I'm a "heirloom virgin" too Diana. (grin) We're also expanding the garden. (Wierd...SM and I just came in from measuring and making plans. You must be sending out telepathic signals...)
ReplyDeleteLike you, I'll use my blog for garden thoughts, but I feel a "binder" might be in my future too. If Erin and Mama Pea weren't such good inspirations we'd be wandering around in circles wouldn't we?
Tami...that is exciting! We can flub things up together then! :o) We have to re-measure every year. It just keeps growing and growing. So missy...when do YOUR chickens enter the picture?
ReplyDeleteHey, circles are good if you are drunk and wearing a long flowy dress. So pretty...
Hey, I'm another Heirloom virgin!!!! AND... I'm expanding the garden, again. How freaky is that??? I only have a one inch binder, though. I'm sitting here getting binder envy. Or maybe you are just an over-achiever?? As for the chickens, I'm down to 2 very old hens and their boyfriend, in a mobile coop. I lost almost 3 dozen 2 years ago to a raccoon family, I think. Not ready to go through that again until I get a chicken version of Fort Knox. Please give details on your chicken adventure, and I will live vicariously through you. :)
ReplyDelete~~Lori
It's a start! It's a start! I'm learning about seed saving and saving a few more every year, and I do have a fairly organized system (ok, labeled envelopes in a box). It was Erin's and Mama Pea's notebooks that really impressed me! That's what I especially need to work on.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on those seeds! I have no fear that as soon as your collection starts breeding (it will!) you will find a good place for them! You mentioned something I forgot - YES, the BLOG! That has been a lifesaver for tracking produce, harvests, what did well and what didn't. The binder is really easy to keep up with IF you stash it nearby the couch all year long, that way during commercials you can weed things out (no pun intended!) and jot notes down throughout the year.
ReplyDeleteLori, yes I can understand your trepidation and wanting your Fort Knox Coop (cute!). But wow that is down right horrible! There are alot more heirloom virgins out there than I thought! We are all coming out! :)
ReplyDeleteLeigh, well if anyone can come up with a great plan, I know you can. I am always in awe of the depth of your research and planning. You do such a great job!
Erin, I just put a 'bucket' next to my chair with all my books, magazines etc that I like to randomly flip thru. Now if I would just sit there more often! HA! I rather liked your pun by the way!
WElcome to the better side of seeds!! Once you go heirloom, ya never go back! VERY addicting stuff. The most amazing & impressive array to choose from. And once you start collecting the seed, well... lol. Don't say we didnt warn you of any potential withdrawls should you ever be told you have "enough seed".
ReplyDeleteSo much to do! Even in the dead of winter, you remind me that I have things I'm supposed to be doing in preparation for the coming spring. :) No excuses for boredom - right??
ReplyDeleteFarmchick, nooooo! Can you ever really have 'enough'. Now who would dare say that??? :o)
ReplyDeleteMamaTea, I would say you've got your hands plenty full! Those boys keep you on your toes. I bet they will have lots of fun with some seed starting tho! I imagine it will be a great chance for you to teach them a thing or two also.
I am also an heirloom virgin, got my fingers crossed. Sure hope they produce! Hope everyone else's does too. Blessings jane
ReplyDeleteSeeds and gardening --the best hobby on earth. For a couple bucks, you can grow just about anything you can imagine. Of course , those couple bucks add up (and up and up!!!) but I'd rather spend $100 a YEAR on seeds than a night or two in a restaurant any time.
ReplyDeleteYour seeds storage looks like mine. I'm gonna hire Erin or Mama Pea for Organizing 101!