It's only the end of January, and it's already time to order seeds. The seed catalogs come in December and January by the dozen, a harbinger of the sunshine we're missing so badly.
We have many seeds left over from previous years, but with each passing year, the seed becomes less viable. New seed will have a germination rate of often 90% or higher. After several years, this can go down to 50% or less.
We're planning on doing bulk buying again with some other farms. With many seeds, you can buy a small packet for $3, or a giant bag for $8. Obviously, we'll want to buy the giant bag and pool our money with other urban farms.
We have some horse poop left over from last year. Our soil fertility is high, and we probably won't need much amending.
We'll be meeting with Janice and Mark Stevens from Wilson Street Urban Farm next week to discuss seed purchase. We're fans of Johnny's Seed and Fedco Seeds. Both companies have exceptional customer service and high germination rates. Fedco also boasts rock bottom prices, and a commitment to non-GMO plants and seeds. They refuse to carry any seeds from the big-box bad boys Semanis and Monsanto. Read more about Monsanto.
To our volunteers workers: what do you want to grow more of next year? Here's are requests we've recieved already:
- yellow squash
- peppers
- lettuces
- eggplant
I'm hoping to grow more herbs. We only had a small area of herbs, and not enough variety. I'm planning on an entire row of herbs.
Also, I'm planning on devoting a lot of energy to growing grains next year. We planted a field of buckwheat last year, but only as a cover crop. I'd like to try wheat, buckwheat, quinoa, and millet.
Only a few more months. Bundle up.
