I am in the habit of storing surplus seed in their packets in clean sealed jam jars in the fridge. If seeds get warm or damp, they are likely to sprout prematurely or end up sterile. With a small growing area, I would hardly ever use the contents of any one packet in a single year. With new ’grow it yourself’ groups sprouting up around the area ( see www.giyireland.com) I should be able to give away any surplus seedlings to neighbouring kitchen gardeners in future.
Meanwhile, I noticed some gaps in my store of seeds in the fridge which gave me the perfect excuse for some modest retail therapy. I like to buy organically certified seed and this is sometimes available in garden centres. However, mail ordering seed means I can select from a wider range of seed varieties. These seeds are also more likely to be kept in dry cool conditions before purchase in a warehouse, rather than in a heated garden centre or a supermarket seed rack .
‘Fear an Phoist’ the other day delivered one box of early seed potatoes (Orla) and second early seed potatoes (Carlingford). The Organic Gardening Catalogue people also kindly included a small 125ml bottle of seaweed extract for feeding plants.
Image: C.Finn
The other seed packets fitted in an envelope as follows: Leek (Giant Winter), Chard (Rainbow), Broccoli (Purple Sprouting, early), Courgette (Gold Rush), Tomato (Zuckertraube).
In case anyone thinks the garden is only for human food crops, I also have ordered some ornamental flowers which I like, as do the useful insect and bird species which I hope will have a role in protecting the vegetable plants by eating aphids, for example. The ornamental seeds I ordered are: Limanthes Douglasii Lobelia (Cambridge Blue), Nicotiana (Affinis), Night Scented Stock, Sweet Pea ( Old Fashioned) and Sunflower (Russian Mammoth).
I had better tidy the fridge if I am going to store this range of seed packets. A few seed packets to one jam jar will make the storage area more manageable. The sowing can wait a week or two until Spring has properly sprung. Time to wash down the glass panes in the greenhouse in readiness for the new season’s seed trays.
