SEEDS

S  E  E  D  S  !

In the earlier post. I made some mention to picking out seeds.  As I go deeper into the rabbit hole, I find that every aspect of gardening has an intense amount of detail.

I find that some subject-specific posts will be interesting and add value to my garden venture.  

Some people are desperately trying to preserve the seeds of our past.  They have created things like seed vaults to save the seeds that have been replaced by genetically modified, pesticide resistant, mono-varietal vegetables.  Seed vaults all over the world are preserving valuable seed varieties that have been around for several generations.  The seeds of our ancestors are known as heirloom seeds.

Thomas Jefferson prided himself in growing novel varieties of plants, and managed an extensive garden.  Thanks to heirloom varieties, you can grow a garden using the same varieties that Thomas Jefferson used in his Monticello garden.

Monticello garden.  From the Gardenrooms blog.

I am glad there are people out there that care enough to preserve the diversity and heritage of our food plants.  Some even go as far as to revive prehistoric plants, such as the awesome 30,000-year old flower that Russian scientists recently revived.

A 30,000-year old piece of fruit made this possible.  I can learn a few things about germination from the people who grew this.  Picture from the Los Angeles Times website; check out the site for a decent version of the backstory.

However, let me make it clear that I have respect for hybrid plants, too.  I like the idea that we know enough about plants to selectively breed them to be drought, pest, and frost resistant.  It reminds me of the awesome contributions of Mendel (not Howie Mandel) and his peas.


 When selecting seeds, it helps to plan ahead.  As I outlined in the earlier post what varieties were good for the area in which I live, but when going out to find those seeds, I had a hard time.  Seed catalogs are excellent sources for finding heirloom varieties.  I would recommend Mountain Valley Seeds.  They are local to Salt Lake City, and they have an excellent variety!