CATALOG UPDATE 1/5/2011 : 12 more varieties added to the catalog including a bunch from Poughkeepsie Farm Project.

Are you making any garden related New Year’s resolutions?

One of my annual New Year’s resolutions is to learn to be more self-sufficient and reduce my planetary impact. One way we do this in the garden is by saving seeds from the plants we grow. But saving leftover seeds that were not planted is a green practice as well. So, before you start making your list of new seeds to buy, pull out your box or bag or jar or pile of old seeds and take stock.

last season's seeds.

Some gardeners start fresh every year, throwing out any seeds they did not plant the previous spring. The impulse is understandable, no gardener wants to waste precious space by planting seeds that will not grow. But I’ll let you in on a little seed-trade secret, many of the seeds you order were saved and stored from previous years, and you can do the same thing at home. The trick is knowing if the seeds are still viable. So how can you tell before you plant them? (more…)