Seeds of Life

With a strong sense of wicked glee I have been purchasing seeds. Seeds in July, seeds which I will not, can not plant this year. Seeds which I can joyously store and know that they will propagate for me next year, or the year after. I have flung myself into the seed catalogs of Peaceful Valley Farm Supply (http://groworganic.com). I have stalked obscure specimens through the Seed Savers Exchange (http://www.seedsavers.org), and I have reveled in the .99 cent sale at http://www.valueseeds.com. I've also been a VBG (Very Bad Girl) at Abundant Life Seeds, Whatcom Seeds, and GourmetSeeds.com.

I confess that I am greedy for seeds. They are a miracle which symbolizes all of life for me. Seeds are pure potential, yet requiring a nurturing, guiding hand to realize that potential. The prospect of being able to store seeds in the freezer, using a desiccant, is an exciting "green light" which feeds my compulsion to collect seeds. I can purchase and plant Territorial Seed's Cobham Improved Marrow parsnip, for example, and if my attempts at seed saving are unsuccessful I have the original seed as a fallback. I don't have to rely upon Territorial Seed loving that particular parsnip strain as much as I do and maintaining it for the future. I no longer have to wonder if a favorite strain of lemon cucumber will only be available as a hybrid in years to come. I have "seed freedom", albeit of a limited sort, which allows me to blunder while I attempt seed saving or to experiment with a different strain the next year without "giving up" my original strain.

Whatcom Seed Company (http://seedrack.com) has delighted me with their packaging. Seed varieties arrive in tiny little zip lock bags, with a picture of the plant on the front. I can actually see the seeds inside, and to me this is far more exciting than a nunnish white, inviolate and opaque paper package. I can fondle and count my seed packages which will one day produce pistachio trees, tea plants (camellia sinensis), pawpaw trees, and rare white wisteria (Wisteria sinensis 'alba') among many others. I hold an entire future garden in my hands. Whatcom also includes a tear sheet on each plant which gives information on each plant's growing requirements. I'm feeling that this company is stingy on their seed count...but I love the variety. Where else could I find seeds for Poncirus trifoliata, a hardy orange which grows in zones 6-9, or akebia quinata, Chocolate Vine;a lovely vine with pink flowers that smell, yes, like chocolate. Over the next few years my greenhouse will be filled with life and my zone 7 garden will take on an exotic cast.

Abundant Life Seeds yielded up Red Kuri Squash seeds. Now I need to find the soup recipe which featured Red Kuri in our local newspaper. They also carried Black Hungarian Peppers, which are extremely mild but add a distinct savory depth to tomato dishes. GourmetSeeds had some cabbage strains which I had been searching for; Danish Ballhead and Derby. Derby is a fun little 60 day cabbage which can be grown spring or fall. Danish Ballhead is legendary for its' keeping prowess during the winter.

My best find at Value Seeds was a dwarf Nicotania, Nicotiana x sanderae, an annual, at .49 cents a package. This will add intoxicating night scent to my garden without inundating the roses. Territorial seed Company yielded up Elephant Garlic, Chinese Pink Garlic, Music Garlic and Susanville Garlic at great prices. Yes, I know, an altogether different kind of scent. I also found "the gardener's friend" there, yellow multiplier onion for less than $20 an order. This will be the last onion I ever need to plant, as it will multiply for me year after year. Just as it did for my grandmother. You'll notice I did say the only onion I'll ever "need" to plant. A gardener has a few needs and many whims.

P.S.- Speaking of whims, I have wanted to raise tea plants ever since DH and I visited a mountain tea growing plantation in China. I loved the way the guide and growers described the tea in terms of reverence. Camellia sinensis prefers a cooler, mountain environment and is the tea plant from which green tea, oolong tea, and a mild black tea are made. I would love to get my hands on a white tea plant, or silver plant, if anyone knows any sources.