Cultivating Healthy Community

Hi All,

It seems more like April than February right now with the warmer temperatures and shrinking snow. Gets my gardening juices flowing, and actually it should as its time to order seeds if you haven't done that yet, and even get some seeds started. The students in our gardening course will be learning how to start seeds in soil blocks next Tuesday evening, Feb. 19. If that interests you, come to the Sawtooth Botanical Garden at 6pm with a pair of tweezers. The class is 2 hours and costs $30.

Speaking of seed, many people are confused by seed descriptions; open pollinated, organic, heirloom hybrid, pelleted. Organic seed comes from a plant that has been raised in an organic manner, i.e. raised on a certified organic farm, and itself started from an organic seed. Heirloom seed produces cultivars of plants that our grand parents would recognize. They are usually open pollinated meaning that the seed will produce plants identical to the parent plants. These are the plants from which it makes sense to save seed.

Hybrid seeds have been produced by seed companies to address particular issues like having the fruit ripen at the same time instead of season long, or developing a thick skin so it won't bruise when packed and shipped, or ripening in fewer days so it can be grown in a short season. Usually the seed company patents these hybrids and they are only available from a few outlets. Seed from hybrid plants should not be saved because the seed will not necessarily produce plants identical to the parents.

Pelleted seed refers to coating the seed with a material to make the seed larger and more suitable to be seeded precisely with a mechanical device. Usually the coating is a fertilizer as well. If you are interested in learning which cultivars of plants do best in the Wood River Valley come visit the Center. We have a good supply of seed on hand and can steer you to those that will fit your tastes!

We have a great new supply of our fabulous pork sausage, which comes from pork raised here in the Valley. No preservatives are used in the preparation of the sausage and it is delicious! Also we have plenty of Dynamite chicken feed, dog food and cat food.

All the best, Melinda & Dick

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