Seed Inventory Day
Even though we’ve got a gorgeous fluffy foot of snow on the ground, we notice the days are already longer and the increased sun is making a difference in our energy and focus. Time to inventory seeds, order anew and devise a planting schedule! Hard to believe this point comes in the “dead” of winter, but really as soon as the solstice passes (this year’s shortest day was Dec 21) and the light changes, we find that while our bodies still crave the rest that winter brings, our minds are slowly awakening to a new year in the gardens.
What that means in practice is that today I’ll spread all of my many seed packets out in front of the fire – not too close (we don’t want them to wake up yet!) but close enough that I can comfortably spend a couple of hours on the floor moving them around like a game of solitaire. Nearby I’ll have my empty seed packets from last year, on which I scratched notes about how the varieties performed here, and I’ll make more notes as my memory is jogged by the sight of the plants on the packages.
Once I’ve got everything organized into what looks like a garden-shop explosion, I’ll be able to make neat columns of the packets into a chronology of planting dates. With that visual to guide me, I’ll make a list of all the crops I want to grow and pack for our CSA subscription boxes from early June to mid-October. Those seeds I don’t have, and I do have lots left from previous years, I’ll order, likely to the tune of about $600 to $800 for our 40-some family membership, by the time I’m done with vegetable, flower, herb and potato needs. Most of these I’ll purchase from Fedco Co-Op and Johnny’s Seeds, very reliable sources for me, and I’ll likely supplement from the ridiculously enticing Baker Creek catalogue.
The whole thing is such a big job – from hauling all of my large Rubbermaid tubs of seeds up from the basement, to making space in my living room for the spread, to organizing and packing it all up in the end – that I put it off until the last minute every year. And it really is the last minute – I’m scheduled to meet with a group of neighbors tomorrow afternoon to place a bulk seed order with Fedco and so take advantage of their generous group discounts.
But my annual procrastination actually belies the fact that this an absolutely thrilling task for me. Sort of a combination of shopping, dreaming, planting, harvesting and eating all at once. The thing is, it’s big, and I’ve got to be up for it to dive in headfirst. Last night I ate at a fabulous Vietnamese noodle house in Madison and had some amazing fresh vegetable dishes (featuring Daikon radish, carrots, cucumbers, beans sprouts, beans, cabbage, basil leaves and scallions) that really set me up to embrace the job today. The truth is, I’m at the point in the winter where even iceberg lettuce looks delicious.
Shannon, my husband and silent partner in farming, who has a full-time day-job in addition to the part-time task of keeping up with my skilled-craftsman-necessary punchlist, is busy getting our pretty new glass greenhouse ready to house seedlings by mid-February. What a difference it will make to not have every south-facing window in the house crowded with shelves, plants and growlights from February to May. We’ll have more sun for ourselves and so will our plants! Everyone will be happier!
