This week my mind has been on seeds, as I’ve started some seed germination tests.
Earlier in the month I sorted out my seeds and put them into a new storage system, a wooden tower.
Of course, once I’d done that I realised that it would be a good idea to test some of the older seeds, to see if they were still viable. So I got a seed sprouter and a tray (see tray below), covered them with moist soft paper (such as kitchen roll), kept them dark and moist and waited.
It wasn’t long before the first signs of life began to emerge, of course the lettuces and radishes were first to appear, (and you can see what happened next in this week’s video (I didn’t have the heart to just compost all of those brave little seedlings).
Video: seed germination testing and thoughts on polycultures.
As I share in the video, I’ve also been dreaming about ‘polycultures’. That’s a fancy term for growing a variety of crops together, similar to intercropping or companion planting.
There is something about having a mix for veg, flowers and herbs that always delights me. Plants like to play together and I’m having great fun now asking my plants who they’d like their bedfellows to be. Watch this space for updates on that.
Here are some links to other information on polycultures and permaculture gardening.
Here’s my pinterest board for annual polycultures https://www.pinterest.com/ferrisjay/annual-polycultures/
Introduction to Polycultures, Caroline Aitken (with a second video focusing on annuals) https://youtu.be/YkXJErndPpk
Principles of permaculture series, Patrick Whitefield https://youtu.be/bgbiVSo2i2E
Mint
The weather has been so mild this month, that I’ve been brave enough to tackle the mint invasion again. I share all in the video below.
That’s it for now. I’ve more plant combination planning to do.
