Saving heirloom seeds

The beauty of heirloom seeds is that you can save them yourself and have the same crop that you know and love the following year. With hybrid seeds that is not the case. Some of the seeds won't even sprout because they have been genetically modified not to, and some will but you have no guarantee that you will get the same plant you had last year. Saving your own seeds also saves you money. Seeds are getting more and more expensive. I remember getting seeds for a quarter, then a dollar and now if you do a search for organic heirloom seeds you will pay upwards of 4 dollars for a packet of 25 seeds!
Now there are a few rules to saving seeds. More information can be found at my favorite seed saving site: www.seedsavers.org. I also highly recommend the book "Seed to Seed" by Suzanne Ashworth to help get you started.
Following a few rules such as not planting two kinds of plants that will cross-pollinate and letting the plant reach full maturity for the best seeds are to me two of the hardest things to do but in general saving seeds is easy. A bowl to collect seeds, a bag to put them in, and a dark, cool place to store them is all you need. Here are a few seeds that I have collected from my garden so far this fall:

Red leaf lettuce. The seeds are just underneath the fluffy ball.

slyvetta arugula. The tiny seeds are found in the slender brown pod.

Jolly Jester Marigolds. Let the flower die and dry out and the seeds are inside.
I have also saved okra, pumpkin, tomato, purple tomatillo, pepper and zinna seeds.

Seeds!!

I am not a hoarder in any way, shape or form except with seeds, maybe. I just love them. I want some of everything, even veggies that I don't like because I still like to grow them. One of my favorite seed companies had a sale yesterday and I decided to stock up on some herbs. I didn't have very many and really needed to replenish my stock. I use a lot of them and I give a lot away so I am always up for getting more. But really, all of this to say that you will be getting some wonderful herbs this fall from me and lots more this spring! Here are a few of the seeds I just got:

Heirlooms as always and will be started in organic soil!

More than meets the eye!

I have been buying produce and goods from farmer's markets for a long time. It always seemed fun and easy and I always wanted to do it. I never realized how much went into getting ready for one until I decided to do it myself. It takes me all day to get ready. Not only is it time consuming to get ready what you are taking to the farmer's market but I also have to bring along food and goodies to entertain two young kids and have dinner ready for one hungry husband! It takes me about a week to recover from selling! But I enjoy it so much that it is totally worth it! Come by and say hi at the Homegrown Alabama Farmer's market this Thursday the 28th from 3-6. The market is held at the Canterbury Episcopal Chapel lawn, 812 5th Avenue in Tuscaloosa on the University of Alabama campus.

This week I will have:
Arugula (Rocket and Sylvetta)
Herb pots
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Kale
Swiss Chard (very limited)

I will also have seeds to start your own arugula (rocket) and snow peas!

All varieties are heirlooms and all seedlings were started in certified organic soil.

Arugula starts!

Kale starts!

Herb pots!

Late summer tomato planting

Can you still plant tomatoes? Sure! With the heat this hot and I know it will last for several more months, I am looking forward to tomatoes for quite some time. I have grown for late planting some early(quick) ripening tomatoes. They ripen in 40-60 days instead of 80-90 like some of the other heirlooms. We have Siberian, John Baer, Stupice, Chalk's Early Jewel, and Czech's Bush. We will be at the Homegrown Alabama Farmer's market this Thursday the 28th from 3-6. The market is held at the Canterbury Episcopal Chapel lawn, 812 5th Avenue in Tuscaloosa on the University of Alabama campus. Come by and say hi!

some of the early ripening tomatoes!

Seedlings for the fall garden

I have started many plants for the fall garden. Here is a list of what I have so far:

Lettuce
Red Romaine
Red salad bowl
Green salad bowl
Black seeded simpson
Forellenschluss

Kale
Red Russian
Lacinato

Spinach
Bloomsdale
Giant noble

Swiss Chard
Ruby
5 color silverbeet

Arugula
Roquette
Sylevetta

Squash
Small wonder spaghetti squash

Brussels Sprouts

Arugula 1 day old!