Seed germination test

I bought Wando (green) peas sometime back at a garden supply store, brought them home and did not put the year on the bag. I planted some, then stored them without dating. Bad news. Good news.  I could remember buying them. So they weren't ancient. Not wanting to risk failure, I chitted them (as the British say) or did a germination test.

Here's how it's done: Damp paper towel, 10 seeds to make the math easier, a plastic bag. Wet the paper towel, lay the seeds on them folding half the towel over the seeds and tuck them into the bag. Check back a few days later to see if they are swelling or sending out a shoot. 

In the case of the Wando beans I had 100% germination. Back to the British. They plant their chits. Me too because in just two weeks I'll be planting round one of our spring garden peas. 

So excited!

Isn't that just the sweetest sight?! I know there are only eight. Two rolled onto the floor when I opened the bag.

Epic Cold!

Never in my life has it been this cold in The South. Days in the teens and snow in early January are unheard of here in Southeastern NC in particular. How did my winter garden handle ground freezing cold? Surprisingly well thanks to Agribon + and wire supports.
A few years back, poking around on the Johnny's Seeds and Mother Earth News websites I found videos demonstrating way to protect plants from the worst of winter. Elliot Coleman, author of  Winter Harvest Handbook,  appeared on my radar about the same time. We bought some plastic sheeting at a local hardware store and proceeded to fry up some veggies while they grew in the garden. Epic loss. Lettuce seedlings vaporized. Kale sunburnt. Very sad. Regrouping, I realized that even a few hours of contained Southern sun under plastic was like an outdoor oven. So I caved and bought the more expensive Agribon + 19. I made my own low hoops using a video found at the Organic Gardening section of Mother Earth News.
This method has worked for years. But would it work with prolonged temps in the teens? Who knew?
I am happy to announce it does work, with some caveats. Lettuce seedling fared better than mature lettuce. Which is to say the mature lettuce turned to mush. Larger leaves on the cabbages were damaged but the heads survived. It's not pretty but they are alive and rebounded when it warmed. I left the rutabagas and carrots hoping they will spring into action when it warms on a more regular basis. Their greens are beautiful still.
Is a garden under wraps pretty? To the person who eats from it, yes it is.

2017

Every one is doing it. Evaluating their year. Altogether our gardening year was as good as any we have had. We certainly have eaten well, interesting food, every day.

I studied, attended classes, and became a Master Gardener. A long term goal accomplished.Our extension service advisor encouraged Robeson County Master Gardener Volunteers to educate, inform and encourage citizen participation in growing flowering plants for all pollinators. From this I have become more aware of my seed sources and have begun seed collecting more seriously.

I attempted to help revive a failing faith based community garden in our town. My vision for small gardens in neighborhoods that are accessible to all continues to be just that. Having tried more than once here it is perhaps not meant to be. Lucy Bradley's book, Collard Greens and Common Ground, warns that a community garden must be a community effort and most fail, despite the best of intentions, within three years. Using her criteria, L'ton's has failed. Sadly, that failed garden is used as a reason not to have a different one using a different model. Bradley's book is available online for free at: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/collard-greens-and-common-ground-a-north-carolina-community-food-gardening-handbook. Google the title and it appears first on the list. It's an easy read, less than 100 pages. She's good.

We participate in another community garden in St Pauls, NC and it too may be about to fail. A different model entirely, one of the key players moved away. I actually think the model is a good one. Based on community and school cooperation, built on school property with city funding, it was a learning lab for students and a garden for the community. It worked for a time and I'm hoping the new teacher will land on his/her feet and initiate this spring. Time will tell. Of course, I will reach out.

I learned this year, I grew this year, I succeeded this year, I failed this year, I continue to plan for the future just like every other year of my adult life and gardening is part of it. Altogether? 2017 was a good year.

Bloom where you are planted.