Siren Song

Looking back at this blog in years gone by I see a pattern every April...although sometimes it starts in March...the siren song of the garden starts limiting the number and, perhaps, interest of the posts.

I've been an avid gardener since I was a very little girl. Before I was out of the second grade I had a 'business' of selling hollyhock seeds to the neighbors. Being an observant sort I noticed that hollyhocks formed a nice seed head after the flower finished and that when it dried out, if you kept track of it and got to it just as it dried out, you could harvest the seeds before the drying seed head spewed them all over the place. We had some lovely old fashioned hollyhocks, including dark purple ones, so I was actually able to sell a few waxed paper packets of seeds...and enjoy it when they could be seen the next year in neighbors yards.

My Dad was the vegetable gardener. I learned a little from him but he wasn't interested in a chatty child when gardening...I think it was more a meditative occupation for him. With so many noisy little kids in the house I can't blame him.

I learned more about gardening from my Mom. She showed me how to plant spring bulbs and how to prune roses and lots more. Just as I really only wanted to bake cookies and cakes when young, I really was far more interested in flowers anyway. Now I love, and grow, both. The seedlings that are taking up my time at the moment are for flowers like sweet peas and morning glories and for veggies like zucchini, tomatoes and chard. I like to direct sow the green beans and cucumbers so those seed have to wait a week or so until the soil warms a bit.

If you, too, are a gardener, you may want to know of my experience this year with Baker Creed Heirloom Seeds. Never tried their seeds before but this time I started one variety of their tomato seeds. The germination rate was almost 100%...unheard of with most of the seeds you get at the big box stores or even most drug stores or hardware stores. Now I'm busily asking friends if they would like to try this new-to-me tomato...and the seedling is free. How else will I get rid of them? No way do I need something like 38 Purple Russian tomato plants. Baker Creed Heirloom Seeds are on the web and do mail order...and have a huge number of heirloom seeds available.

So, no food post this time...but there are some photos of seedlings...Think Spring!