ON THE EVE OF OPENING ARGUMENTS in Organic Seed Growers & Trade Association, et al. v. Monsanto, which will be heard tomorrow in Federal court in Manhattan and challenges the chemical giant’s patents on genetically modified seed, I asked C.R. Lawn, founder of Fedco Seeds (one of 83 co-plaintiffs in the case) and an organic farmer, market gardener and seedsman for more than 30 years, to help me grasp what’s at stake, and tell me what I—what we—can do as gardeners and consumers to help. This is not an easy subject to explain simply, so besides his answers, I’ve gathered some video clips and links that may help you get better informed. At the very least: Skip to the bulleted “to-do” list near the end and DO THEM! [read more…]
from seed
How to grow things from seed, and things that are commonly grown from seed, including vegetables and herbs and annual flowers, are covered here. Browse the archive below for tips for topics like growing the perfect tomato, what lights and other seed-starting gear to use, when to sow peas or spinach or a second crop of beans, and even if you can grow Clematis from those fluffy seedheads it produces.
facing monsanto: q&a with fedco’s c.r. lawn
January 30, 2012 at 11:48 am
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tongue depressors: plant labels on a budget
January 30, 2012 at 10:06 am
I AM A FOOL, but thanks to reader Debi, who added a tip to the site in a comment today, you don’t have to be. You don’t have to buy special wooden plants labels as I just did for far too high a price; you can buy non-sterile, 6-inch tongue depressors from your local pharmacy (or even Staple’s, apparently, or e-Bay or Amazon). In a quick survey they range from under $5 per hundred to $13 for 500 and everywhere between. (If you need wooden labels small enough to fit in a seedling cellpack, or foot-tall ones big enough to holler out to you from long rows in the large-scale vegetable garden, Johnny’s and Grow Organic have them, among other places, but the tongue depressors will work for most uses, and far more cheaply.) Where would I be without all of you and your unending cleverness? Keep it coming!
beet of my heart: 3 root grex from alan kapuler
January 21, 2012 at 10:43 am
IGOT SHUT OUT LAST YEAR after I read about the beet called Three Root Grex in the Fedco Seed catalog and added the item to my list too late—sold out! This year I made sure to order fast, but in the meantime I’ve dreamed of the beet—or shall I say beets, since it’s a group of three colors from the same parents—craving it more because of the delay in satisfaction. Turns out the wait paid off, because along the way I got a lesson in botany; a re-introduction to the wild wonderfulness that is Dr. Alan M. Kapuler, who bred it; an unexpected source for more tempting seed-catalog listings than I have ever seen compiled in one place; and finally—yes!—I got my seed. Meet the new beet (above), and other Beta vulgaris I have loved. [read more…]
seed-shopping tactics (plus a podcast)
January 17, 2012 at 7:28 am
I‘M WORKING ON RESTRAINT over here, trying not to order every single thing I scribbled on catalog covers and Post-it’s I stuck all over them the last two weeks as I browsed hungrily on the first pass. It’s a good time to review my seed-catalog shopping “rules” (not too strict, just practical, hopefully–about how to decide what to give your precious vegetable-garden space to this year), perhaps while you stream this week’s podcast on the subject, or get it from iTunes? (Doodle by Andre Jordan, who comes back from an extended junking trip this week to doodle anew!)
before you order seeds: assessing viability
December 29, 2011 at 7:49 am
WAIT—DON’T GET SEDUCED, or at least not by seeds, not quite yet. Try to resist that inevitable catalog binge at least until you inventory what’s left over, and still viable, from last year’s stash. I spent part of yesterday doing my tally, fearing impulse-buying would otherwise land me with double beans and no spinach, or worse. Seed viability was one of the topics on this week’s radio podcast (stream it, or subscribe free on iTunes), and while you listen, you can skip right to the handy reference piece on the matter (the chart above comes from there).
cucumber-growing q&a, and the best pickles ever
July 20, 2011 at 10:28 am
IT TOOK THE LONGEST TIME, watching generations of flowers that seemed to come and then go nowhere, but last week it finally happened: I got my first cucumber. Too bad the beautiful-looking thing turned out to be so bitter. I’m hoping to pack some big jars of my famous refrigerator pickles before long (yes, I’ll share the recipe), so I’d better get this straightened out fast. What’s up with my recalcitrant cukes? Ever had no fruit, misshapen fruit, bitter fruit in your garden—or worst of all, Cucumis sativus vines that suddenly wilted? The reasons why, and lots of culinary cucumber ideas, too. [read more…]
my fall vegetable-garden plans, plus podcast
July 13, 2011 at 8:45 am
IORDERED SEEDS LAST WEEKEND. Yes, I am fully aware it’s not mid-winter or early spring; even with my nonstop mowing duties, I haven’t gone all dizzy yet. The vegetable garden is freeing up some prime real estate this month, and I plan to capitalize. From arugula to turnips, I worked my way alphabetically through the late-season possibilities for my Northern location, and found I was short a few key seeds. In print or podcast—your choice—are you ready for some fall vegetable-garden tuneup possibilities? [read more…]
salad, beets, asparagus, spuds: planting tips
April 12, 2011 at 4:06 pm
THE GROUND HAD A FROZEN CRUST MOST MORNINGS until this week, but it’s finally time for more early things to go into the garden, besides the peas and spinach. Things like chard, above, and these: [read more…]
when to start what: vegetable-seed calculators
March 25, 2011 at 6:27 am
WONDER WHAT TO SOW WHEN to get homegrown transplants ready for the vegetable garden? I’ve gathered links to some foolproof online seed-starting calculators and charts, and also summarized my very simple “lumping” method, where I group all my seeds into three groups rather than try to remember every last detail of what happens when. The scoop: [read more…]
