Sorting and Sharing Seeds

I overdo most everything, but it’s especially true when I’m buying books or seeds. At least I do eventually read most of the books.

In January and February, when I’m longing for the spring garden, I plan and I order from Seed Savers Exchange, Baker’s Heirloom Seeds, Native Seeds Search, Oklahoma Food Cooperative farmers. Come fall, most are still unplanted. I put them away, forget what I have, and order again the next winter.

What I do plant gets rushed and neglected. Even winter cleanup falls short, and I find a good deal of my garden is reseeded from the year before. From a distance, it looks lush, all that lemon balm, a thicket of marigolds and arugula, and little to eat. At least the chickens love the lemon balm, and it makes a good tea.

But those seeds…

An organizations in Tulsa, Neighbor for Neighbor, lists seeds among the things they will take as donations. I hope someone in Tulsa needs a pound of Johnny’s forage turnip seeds.

I have an adventurous bent. It’s obvious as I sort through the packets—ground cherries, Malabar spinach, mache, amaranth, and sorghum. There are dozens of bean, tomato, and squash varieties. I hope someone can find time, space, and the joy that gardening brings. I hope enough of the seeds are still viable.

I’ve been teaching for a lot of years, working my garden and writing in, but this spring I turned in my resignation to the school district.  I spend my mornings writing.  I weed a little every evening.  I plan to plan more, plant smarter.  So far, so good.

Perhaps I’ll be more realistic about what seeds I order next winter.  Maybe I’ll have more seeds to share.