Seed order is hope in plain brown package

The first of the seed orders arrived in the mail this week. What heaven! Christmas comes twice a year: once on the usual date, and once when the spring seeds arrive. Nothing thrills me more than to see a plump brown package nestled sideways in my mailbox.

If the truth must be known, patience ceases to be a virtue the moment I read off the first catalog number to the seed company representative on the other end of the phone line. Generally speaking, I’m not a shopper, but when it comes to ordering seed, I have a definite weakness. Suffice it to say that if there were a 12-step program for seed-buying addicts, I should be the first to sign up.

Each time I place an order I want to ask all sorts of absurd questions, but I fear I’ll insult the poor soul on the other end of the line.

“Did you miss any of those numbers? Did you get everything right, or are you going to send me Brussels sprouts when I ordered zinnias? Can you give me one reason – just one – why I should try that new hot pepper variety on Page 23? I know I ordered four different kinds, but if you could justify it for me, I know I’d feel compelled to try it!”

These ridiculous questions somehow go unasked. Instead, after I’ve placed my order, I muster a great deal of restraint and calmly ask, “Are they all available?”

Really, inside I’m squirming. Please, please, please don’t tell me I won’t be able to get that blood red nasturtium I was eyeing. Don’t say I won’t be able to try that snappy green bean. If you tell me the arugula is on back order I’ll die! Answer me truthfully! I want to know right now!

In the back of my mind there is a little voice nagging, “Diana, get a grip, these are just seeds.” But quickly, I snuff out that little voice. These aren’t just seeds! This is important stuff and, shamelessly, selfishly, I WANT THEM ALL!

After I’ve made sure everything is in order, my impatience is thoroughly revealed: “Can you rush that?” I ask.

I don’t really want them to rush my order. What I actually want is a direct pipeline from the seed company to my doorstep. No matter how unreasonable, irrational and foolish it would be – if they could beam those seeds to me, I would pay them to do it.

When I get off the phone and sanity returns, I realize that the fact is, I do have a pipeline of sorts. It’s just that currently that source is frozen beneath a thick blanket of snow. My garden, and any garden, in fact, is its own little seed factory. Saving seed from our garden plants is a way of securing our source and guaranteeing that our seed is chemical-free. It’s a gardener’s way of perpetuating plants in an inexpensive way.

Here are six steps to successfully save seed:

1. Select the most vigorous, open pollinated, nonhybridized parent plants. Be sure they are insect- and disease-free. Select plants with the best flavor, fruit qualities and highest yield. Select flowers that display the most desirable traits.

2. Over the course of the growing season, plants can get crowded in the garden. As flowers and fruits begin to develop, mark the parent plant with a string or yarn so you can identify which plants you want to save seed from in late summer or fall.

3. For plants that produce dry husks or pods (such as peas, beans, peppers, squash, nicotiana, hollyhock, etc.) simply harvest the fruiting structure and shuck or pour out the seeds. Allow them to dry in an open container in a warm, dry place for 7-14 days.

4. For plants that produce fleshy fruit (such as tomato, cucumber etc.), harvest fully ripened fruit. You will need to ferment the gelatinous coating away from each seed. Scrape the pulp from the skin and gently blend in the blender. Mix each cup of pulp with 1 cup of water and place the mixture in a glass jar.

Put a lid on the jar. Stir twice daily until bubbles and mold form on the surface of the floating pulp. Stir the mixture vigorously until seeds begin to drop from the suspension. Add water if necessary. Drain off the pulp and continue to flush with water until only clean seeds remain. When the seeds are clean, spread them on a fine-mesh screen to dry for seven days.

5. Winnow the seed. Pour the seed through a gentle stream of air. Use a fan or blow-dryer on a low setting to eliminate the chaff.

6. Store each variety in a Ziploc bag. Clearly mark the bag with a permanent marker. Store the plastic bags in an airtight container in the freezer until spring.

As for the seed addiction, things could be worse. I could have other, not-so-productive hang-ups. It’s just that I am entirely too weak to resist the likes of a tempting flower, herb or vegetable seed.

Far be it from me to pass judgment on any of them. Try them all, I say, for each seed sends a simple message, and, if the message could be summed up in a word, that word would be hope. Hope that the world will be colorful again; hope that we will do better, be better and live better; hope that the garden will be beautiful, healthy and a bountiful reflection of all good things on earth.

Diana George Chapin is the NEWS garden columnist. Send horticulture questions to Gardening Questions, RR1, Box 2120, Montville 04941, or e-mail them to dianagc@ctel.net. Selected questions will be answered in future columns. Include name, address and telephone number.