Community Seed Swap--What A Gift!

 Hats off to Sustainable Bellingham's Community Seed Day!  For a gardener who loves germinating vegetables and flowers, this was the equivalent of Christmas, hitting the lottery and going to the best party ever.  For everyone who cares about preserving heirloom varieties, eating non-GMO food and living more sustainably, the Community Seed Day is a rare and precious event.

I got up at 5:30 to sort through my seeds and package the ones I wanted to share.  Between the vegetables and herbs, I had 32 small labeled packets as well as 20 seed potatoes. James, my wonderful neighbor and fellow gardener to the north, met me outside his house, and we arrived at the Majestic right at 1:00 pm.  Inside, the party had already begun:

 Bellingham Gardeners at play!

Altogether, the organizers had set up three rows of conference tables with four tables in each row, as well as six large round tables on the perimeter.   I quickly unloaded my little seed packets and potatoes, and people swarmed up, curious about my varieties and the seed companies.  As soon as people heard Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Gourmet Seeds International, Renee's Garden Seeds, and Territorial Seed Company, they helped themselves.  Most people had never heard of The Maine Potato Lady, and I got some good natured ribbing about my carbon footprint at Sustainable Bellingham.  However, the potatoes pile dwindled fast, leaving me free to take a deep breath and get my gifts.

I call them gifts because no money changes hands:  all the seeds were free.  Amazing, right?  They're gifts from people who love to garden and have bounty to share, and no one cares whether you are a genuine "seed swapper" or someone looking to find great seeds for your 2012 garden. 

And what great seeds and varieties I found.  First, along with 100 other attendees, I have to thank  Irish Eyes Garden Seeds from Ellensburg, WA for donating their unsold 2011 seeds to Sustainable Bellingham.  The vegetable seed packets I got were organic, and many were heirloom varieties--score!   One good turn deserves another, so I will be ordering German Butterball seed potatoes from Irish Eyes this week.  Their potatoes are Washington State Certified disease-free and suitable for use as seeds.  Next year, my carbon footprint won't look so bad!

As I went up and down the tables, my grin kept getting bigger and bigger, as I saw the amazing vegetable seeds available.  

Local farmers brought bags of leftover seeds from Fedco and other sources, and most delightful of all, people brought in all kinds of seeds they had saved themselves.

There were serious hills of saved beans:  pole, bush, runner--you name it.

Imagine:  free potatoes,  garlic and dahlias for the taking!

My fellow gardeners and I tried to be  respectful and unselfish, taking small handfuls of seeds  tucking them into envelopes kindly provided by the sponsors, and making sure we labeled them accurately to avoid a future catastrophe (eek, what seed is this!). 

Some packets looked like they had been donated from local stores; for example, I picked up an unopened packet of Territorial Seed Company's  2011 Gourmet Salad mix.  Other seeds had come from home stashes; I don't think anyone took home the 2001 lettuce seeds, but most seeds were much more recent.  Here's a tip from a local farmer:

"The bigger the seed, the longer it will keep.  The tiny seeds, like lettuce and radishes probably won't germinate after a couple years." 



All in all, I had a blast, met some great people and  came home with 48 (GULP) different varieties of vegetable and herb seeds. Call me crazy, but the Community Seed Day is my idea of a great time.

The Seed Catalogues Are Here, The Seed Catalogues Are Here!

Do you remember the day you planted your first vegetable or flower seeds? Last week, cooped up by snow and the raging sniffles, I thought about my gardening journey.  

It started in hot, smoggy southern California.  Both my Mom and my Nana loved their 1960's suburban back yards, but never wanted to plant seeds.  Mom had six different fruit trees (none that ever produced any edible good fruit) and lots of ice plant around her nicely manicured lawn.  Nana had a lovely rose garden, a huge lawn that grew dandelions, a sweet blossoming orange tree, nice lemon trees, and a truly scary black English walnut that dropped wormy nuts every October.  

Nana also handed out pennies per pulled dandelion. Weeds, dirt and grass all smelled good to me so I never minded digging out the weeds. Besides, I liked being by myself, thinking and imagining epic tales involving romance, bravery, loss and reunion with Dr. Kildare. 

One fateful winter day when I was ten or eleven, I spotted an ad in my "Weekly Reader," proclaiming that kids could make lots of extra money selling seeds to their neighbors.  My Mom actually agreed to the scheme without too much fuss, and I wrote away for the seed selling kit.  A month later, the mailman delivered  small brown  package addressed to me!  It was thrilling, like Christmas and a birthday rolled into one.

Lifting out the packets one by one,   I read charming names above the pretty pictures: Petunias, Candytuft, Bachelor Buttons, Marigolds, Baby's Breath, and Sweet Alyssum. Of course, I had to open a package and couldn't believe what I saw   Flowers actually came from the tiniest bits of stuff, and that just seemed, if it were true, crazy miraculous.  Would these little specks really grow and become alive if I planted and watered them? 

They did,  even though I had  planted them under our clothesline in the heaviest parched clay soil imaginable.  My magenta petunias, blue bachelor buttons, white baby's breath and pale yellow marigolds made me feel like Mary in The Secret Garden and it still does.  Of course, I never sold any seeds and ended up having to buy them all, but what a small price for a lifetime love?

Now, of course, buying seeds is even more fun.  Big glossy catalogs start appearing in the mailbox in December, and  that sends me to

 2012 seed catalog haul

the Internet for on-line sales.  Here are my annual winter joys:  my favorite seed catalogs and websites.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds -   In 1998, seventeen year old Jere Gettle started packaging and selling open-pollinated, non-hybrid, non-GMO, non-treated and non-patented seeds.  Thirteen years later, he has three brick and mortar stores in three states and some of best seeds around.  Fabulous selection.

Gourmet Seed International - Great old vegetable, herbs and flower varieties from Europe, many of them organic, and they always have something interesting on sale.  Pea seeds for microgreens, anyone?

The Maine Potato Lady - Alison may not be local, but her organic seed potato selection is consistent, disease free and delicious.  Nice knowledgeable people.

Nichols Garden Nursery - I've had nothing but great service from this Oregon company for over twenty years.  Their herbs and lettuce seeds become terrific healthy plants, and for sheer variety of color, nothing beats their calendula seeds.

Renee's Garden Seeds   - "Set the table from the garden" is Renee Shephard's motto and her gourmet and heirloom seed varieties have definitely enhanced our summer meals.  Check out her charming illustrated seed packets and helpful, detailed growing directions. Renee's home base is near my old stomping grounds in Santa Cruz, CA and I am a loyal fan.

Territorial Seed Company - A mammoth catalog filled with Pacific Northwest friendly seeds from a company that cares about quality.  Many organic varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowers.  Territorial's pea varieties are endless and they have the very best nasturtium selection anywhere.

Uprising Seeds - "100% Certified Organic Open Pollinated and Heirloom Seeds from the Pacific Northwest" and the owners live in Bellingham, WA.  I've met and talked with Chrystine and Brian, and they are so dedicated to providing regionally grown healthy heirloom seeds from their own farm in Acme as well as from their network of family owned farms in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and California.  Their variety and germination rates improves every year, and they are truly good, community oriented people.


There you have my favorite catalogs, and I'd love to know about your favorite seed companies.  Happy shopping, and it's not too early to start sowing spinach, herbs, and Swiss Chard starts!