The seeds of my favourite winter squash were piling up nicely on a piece of paper towel last fall. I was feeling slightly smug that I remembered to save them from my favourite variety and best formed, biggest, strongest looking fruit. As a novice seed saver I was filled with deep contentment as my involvement … Continue reading ISO Seed Saving Guru. With the launch of the Pemberton Seed Library, Dawn Johnson gives herself (and you) permission to learn as you go
This May, at the Women’s Institute Plant Sale, I picked up one of Anna Helmer’s marigold starts. I have managed to keep it alive, despite the toddler’s attempts to eat it, deluge-water it, and dig it up. And it is now a monster of blooms and vigour – nothing like the tragic little marigolds one … Continue reading Seasonal Observations: a monster Marigold with seeds worth saving
I’ve been thinking about the Doomsday Seed Vault lately. Officially known as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, it was started in 2008 and now contains upwards of 1.5 million distinct seed samples, serving as a kind of safety deposit box of plant diversity.I wonder who it’s beneficiaries will be. Aliens? The handful of survivors of … Continue reading Column: Save the Seeds
A friend showed me how to ensure I march into next spring with a sense of wealth and abundance - harvest seeds from my garden! The cosmos, which splashed pink all around the yard for months, are starting to wither. And in their place, leaving tiny little starburts of prickly-looking seeds. Left to dry on … Continue reading Sighted: Seeds, galore
The Wellness Almanac 