Let's See What Is In The Seed Drawer

The seed drawer hold purchased seed as well as seeds harvested from the garden.

At the end of last season, I found some of the beans had dried on the vine.

Wow!  An impressive number of bean seeds.

Last year I had some beans which dried on the vine.  As I was cleaning up the garden, I broke away the dried pod and harvested the seeds.  When I decided to grow three sisters (beans, zucchini and corn) in my garden this year, I found the container with the yellow bean seeds and planted them about two weeks ago.

Stop back to this post tomorrow to see what happens when you mix dirt, water, seeds and sun!

A Little Game Called "Name that Seed" See if you can identify these seeds--Answer at the bottom of post

A

B

C

D

A. Bean   B. Butternut Squash   C. Dietes grandiflora   D. Onion

The Cook's Garden--Planning for Summer

What to do with a lazy Sunday in January? Shop the seed websites!

The Cook's Garden has a very nicely organized site with descriptions that are making me wish it were summer planting season. The plant photography is eye candy for the home gardener.

Also included are two items which I think sound great. The first is a spray on all-natural fertilzer called Sea Magic.  It promises improved yields organically. The second is a clever pot maker for starting seeds. It is a hardwood mold you wrap newspaper around. Plant the newspaper once the seeds have germinated and it biodegrades into the soil.


Besides having a great selection of seeds, the site also has articles about organic gardening and recipes for some of their produce.

Carrotwood Tree

The carrotwood tree in my backyard has created a feeding frenzy with the local birds. The tree has produced an incredible amount of seeds and the birds are here for a free meal.

The seeds are actually quite pretty in the tree. The seed pod splits to reveal a black seed which is covered by an orange layer. Once the seeds fall from the pod, what remains is an interesting woody "flower." I think it would be stunning in some craft project using found objects from nature.

Sunflower Seeds in Abundance

My first harvest of sunflower seeds was quite productive. It was a bit of work. First, I hand picked the seeds from the flower head. Some seeds had not pollinated and those were composted. Next I sorted through the seeds to remove any flower parts which remained. After a quick rinse and dry, the seeds pod is ready to crack open to reveal a delicious nugget.

Name These Seeds

While on a visit to L.A. to see my son, I found a plant growing near his apartment. Mother nature is one amazing lady. She can make things grow where if we humans tried to grow things, we would have no success.

Anyway here are the seeds of the plant which was growing in a precarious dirt patch wedged in the concrete jungle which is L.A. No obvious source of water, this plant grew and flowered.


And, I give you a hint by the number of seeds in the picture.

The answer is Four O'Clocks. This is a great plant I knew from my childhood. The blossom opens in the afternoon and range in color from yellows to pinks to whites.