Second Year Firsts

by Ken Greene

Even though this is our second year of the Seed Library, there are many firsts in the works.

Here are some snapshots of what's in store.

We finally came to the realization that we can't do absolutely everything ourselves and continue to be sane and cook our own home-grown food. To save ourselves from pizza and Chinese take-out we've invited worker bees into our home to help with packing. Our good friend and homesteading neighbor Linda-Brook and Doug's mom Nancy (a.k.a. Mama) have been packing so fast it's hard to capture on film.

Packing the first 32,000 seed packs. Packing the first 16,000 seed packs.

Of course, this makes for a crowded house. We've been working out of our tiny house for too long and we want our living space back. We've started turning the old camp concession stand into a walk-in cooler and office space. This will provide climate controlled storage for our seeds and give us back our living room. Doug has been framing, insulating, and wiring the building. We even found a way to make a nook for our piano in the office.

Doug insulating the Seed House. Doug insulating the Seed House.

Last year we had our seeds in a few local stores just to see how they would do. Everyone was very happy with them, so we are reaching out to more retail shops and offering our handmade rustic display crate. Where do you shop for seeds and garden gifts? We'd love some suggestions of shops to contact. Post your favorite stores or places you think our seeds would do well in the comments and we'll send them info about our retail program. Thanks for helping out!

Display case. (Sock Monkey not included.) Display crate. (Sock Monkey not included.)

After years of talking about it, we finally managed to put in some cover crops before winter frost. The field pea, oat, and buckwheat will help smother weeds, fix nitrogen, and cover the base soil like a green winter blanket. It looks beautiful and feels good to be preparing for next year ahead of time.

Zinnias, sudan grass, buckwheat. Zinnias, sudan grass, buckwheat.

If you would like to see all of these small steps in person, come to our Seedy Shindig this Sunday, October 11th! Don't forget to RSVP.