Tag: Seeds

How to Make a Little Seed Library in Your Community – Garden Therapy

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The love of gardening begins with a seed. Through a seed library, you can encourage others in your neighbourhood to find this love and spread some seedling joy. Rising in popularity, seed libraries have become community hubs to share seeds and extras supplies so everyone can have blooming, thriving gardens. Here’s how to find one in your neighbourhood or start one of your very own!

I’m obsessed with my neighbourhood. It’s been the perfect place to raise my kiddo, between his after-school centre to the lake down the road for daily walks. I know my neighbours well, making wreaths with them during the holidays and talking plants in the summer.

The reason it’s so great is the sense of community here. No one hesitates to buy from the local kid’s lemonade stand or lend out a garden tool if someone needs to borrow it. While I love the community gardens, bulletins, and parks, one of the things I adore the most are seed libraries. They are the combination of two of my favourite things…community and the garden!

Seed libraries are one of the many projects in my upcoming book, The Regenerative Garden. Inside the book, I include many sustainable practices and concepts to employ in the garden as well as over 80 projects and designs to help you implement the ideas.

I dedicated a whole chapter to building community, including seed libraries! Be sure to check it out to see many, many more interesting projects to implement in your garden.

This post will cover…

Seed libraries can be extremely simple, becoming part of your garden.

What is a Seed Library?

Much like Little Free Libraries, seed libraries are tiny places throughout the community where people can find free items. Inside, local members of the community share seeds either purchased in excess or gathered from seeds in their own garden. You can also find easily accessible seedlings, plants, cuttings, and seed-starting supplies all for free.

Seed libraries have a host of benefits. They’re an opportunity to share skills and knowledge with neighbours, bring greater food security, and provide environmental benefits.

I love seeing seeds that come from someone’s own garden best, as you know they come from a plant that has already grown in your microclimate. It’s a sure sign of success for your own garden!

A local seed library can also share heirloom seeds that may be difficult to come by otherwise. These are such special seeds, and sharing them with the community is a treat.

In my neighbourhood, the Zucchini Racer committee donates zucchini seeds to all the community libraries so that community members can grow their own racer for the Fall Fair. It’s something Kiddo and I love to partake in together.

In some areas, the seed library switches to a little free book library in winter that focuses on gardening and nature. This makes them a useful pitstop and gardening hub year-round.

Kiddo ready for zucchini racing.

How to Find a Seed Library Near Me

The boxes are not large and you can find them in the most surprising of places. Most are run by a member of the community in front of their front yard. Others can be found inside community gardens, by community centres, or churches.

A great place to start is actually by searching for a Little Free Library. These tend to be easier to find and are even listed on Google Maps sometimes. Some have accompanying seed libraries or may have seeds and other free items in addition to books.

Some libraries even have seed lending programs. A local horticultural group or Facebook group may also be a good resource when seeking out a seed library near you.

Your best bet? Take a walk through the neighbourhood. Once you are looking for something, you begin to see it everywhere! And if you can’t find one, maybe it’s time to start one yourself.

Some seed libraries are even listed on Google Maps.

How to Make Your Own Seed Library

Besides making the actual seed library, there are a few main components you may not have considered, including managing the space and getting community members to engage.

Build

I have seen seed libraries made of all kinds of materials. They can look similar to a Little Free Library, where they become an art project in itself, or can be as simple as a plastic container on a post. Most are made from recycled or found materials like cabinets or old public newspaper boxes.

Since the structure will be outside, you need to make sure it stays nice and dry inside and can withstand the elements. A weatherproof, sloped roof will ensure that water runs off rather than in. Outdoor paint protects the walls as well. You also want to make sure the door to where the seeds are kept is able to shut securely.

Make sure the library is in an easily accessible public space. You should also check with local bylaws that you’re allowed to build such a structure.

Then, list the location online so that people can search for and find it.

Check your local bylaws before building a seed library.

Stock

Once the structure is ready, it’s time to fill it full of seeds. When first starting, you can reach out to local seed companies for stock that they will need to redistribute to the community before it expires.

Besides seeds, include information on how to plant seeds, tend plants, and save seeds. Stock the shelves with empty seed or coin envelopes and pens. Seed envelopes can also be used to divide seed packages into smaller portions, so everyone takes only what they need.

Manage

A person or a group needs to manage the seed library. Checking on it frequently ensures that there is no weather damage to the structure, the seeds haven’t expired, and whether there needs to be a call out for more materials.

For the most part, these things tend to run fine all on their own from the community members. People are happy to donate their extra seeds and supplies so that fellow gardeners can enjoy what they no longer need.

Encouraging the community to keep the seeds flowing by giving and receiving will refresh the supply enough to circulate plenty of seeds. For all donated seeds, make sure to have a sign encouraging the rules for labelling and providing growing info.

Add some instructions to your seed library to keep management easy.

Educate

Seed libraries are great places for beginner gardeners to start exploring their green thumb. Make sure there are also educational resources in the seed library to encourage successful seed starting.

It’s also a good idea to manage expectations for the seed library. Germination rates will not be as good as they would be if the seed packages had been recently collected and stored in a cool, dry location.

The seed-sharing library will not be an ideal climate for long-term storage; many seeds will come from seed companies that are donating old stock, and community members may donate seeds past their prime.

Make a note of what people can expect from the seeds to curb expectations.

Frequently Asked Questions About Making a Seed Library

What is the purpose of a seed library?

Seed libraries help to foster community relationships and encourage the love of gardening. They also exist to share heirloom seeds that work well in certain microclimates and protect food security for many people by growing their own food.

Having one in the community is a great place to connect beginner gardeners with experienced gardeners and to get the conversation around gardening going.

Are seed libraries legal?

There are many rules and laws guarding the exchange of seeds. Seed libraries enter into a bit of a legal grey area. Most commercial seeds are patented hybridized or GMO seeds. Under the law, farmers cannot save and replant seeds and must buy ones every year.

However, with seed libraries, seeds are not being sold; instead, they are given free to help foster community and the love of gardening. While not completely exempt from seed laws, seed libraries embrace a giving spirit and are usually not a problem in most states and provinces. Be sure to check local bylaws for rules regarding structures such as farm stands.

With all this in mind, I know you’ll create an amazing seed-sharing library for your community to enjoy. If you do set one up, drop it in the comments down below. Someone from your town or city may very well see it!

More Community Building Projects

A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.

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Stephanie Rose

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February 22, 2026
Hybrid, GMO, or Heirloom Seeds: Here’s What You Need to Know – Garden Therapy

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No doubt you’ve heard the buzz about heirloom seeds. But what really is the difference between heirloom, hybrid, GMO, and other terms like open-pollinated when it comes to seeds? Today, I want to demystify these terms so you can choose the right seeds for you and your garden.

Throughout my many years of seed-starting, I have learned numerous tips and tricks when it comes to growing a garden from seed. My garden begins each year with ordering seeds and getting them started indoors. In my book, Get Growing! Expert Seed-Starting for the DIY Gardener, I cover the foundations of seed-starting for indoor and outdoor plants.

There are always so many options when it comes to seeds. You can end up like me, with more seeds than my garden could possibly hold. But every year, I always ensure I plant plenty of flowers, herbs, and vegetables from seed.

Today, I wanted to share the answer to a question that seems to create a bunch of confusion, “What’s the deal with heirloom, hybrid, open-pollinated, GMO, and treated seeds?”

Heirloom, Hybrid, and GMO Seeds: What the Heck are They?

When it comes to seeds, it can be difficult to know where to start and easy to get mixed up about what terms like “hybrid” or “heirloom” actually mean. Once you understand the difference between heirloom, hybrid, and GMO seeds, you can go about choosing the type of seeds that are right for you, and avoiding the ones that aren’t.

What are Heirloom Seeds?

After WWII and well into the 1970s, commercial vegetables dominated the market and older varieties were increasingly difficult to find. Most of today’s heirloom varieties were originally preserved from home gardeners and their family gardens. Heirloom vegetables can be classified as a plant that has been cultivated for more than 50 years.

Heirloom seeds have been saved and passed on for many generations. The plant, flowers, and fruit remain true to the type of the original great-great-great-(insert 50 years here)-grandmother plant. The seeds retain the parent plant’s outstanding qualities, be it beauty, flavor, and yield, or disease, pest, and weather resistance.

The plants themselves are open-pollinated and each characteristic of the parent plant passes down to the next generation. For many heirloom plants, isolation ensures that plants grown close together are not cross-pollinated. If harvested and stored properly, and free from any diseases, they should turn out exactly like the parent plant.

Heirloom plants provide much diversity from the standard fare available in grocery stores or garden centers. There are many colorful and unique plant varieties, but beauty and diversity alone doesn’t define a heirloom.

How Do I Get Heirloom Seeds?

Some people are lucky enough to have heirloom seeds passed down from generations past. For the rest of us, however, we can purchase heirloom seeds from your local nursery, or online.

What are Hybrid Seeds?

Hybrid seeds come from cross-pollinating strong characteristics of different varieties, making brand-spanking-new varieties. The plants produced can look and taste as good as heirlooms. They may even taste better, be more disease resistant, or be easier to grow.

Hybrids make the widespread distribution of vegetables easier. They can offer better disease resistance, less labour-intensive growing, higher overall yields, uniformity, and easy harvesting. This all makes it more profitable for commercial growers.

Hybrid seeds are bred in fields or greenhouses by cross-pollinating different varieties of plants to create desirable and interesting traits. Some of the results of the hybrids are better than the parents, and some are worse. Through plenty of experimentation and then many years of subsequent testing for control and reliability, new hybrids with amazing new features are born.

Part art and part science, hybridization growers take the time to grow only the best possible plants for a successful harvest.

Both heirloom and hybrid seeds can give you quality plants. Hybrids make for modern day success; heirlooms have stood the test of time.

What are Open-Pollinated Seeds?

All heirlooms are open-pollinated plants, but not all open-pollinated plants are heirlooms. Open pollination occurs from insects, wind, birds, and humans passing pollen from plant to plant. Both hybrid and heirloom seeds can reproduce through open pollination.

When the plant is pollinated by a plant of the same variety, or through self-pollination, it is an heirloom plant. Any seeds from these plants hold their parent plant’s traits.

When a plant cross pollinates with other varieties, it becomes a hybrid plant. Both can occur naturally or with the help of a human hand. But, any seeds saved from the hybrid plant will not carry the same traits as the parent plant.

What are Organic Seeds?

Organic seeds are seeds grown and saved using certified organic methods. It doesn’t mean that the seeds that are not organic are treated with pesticides or herbicides. It just means that the farms that produced the seeds had organic certification.

What are GMO Seeds?

First, let’s not confuse GMOs with hybrid seeds. GMOs, or Genetically Modified Organisms, are created through experimental biotechnology that, according to the Non-GMO Project, “merges DNA from different species, creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.”

Currently, no seeds sold for home gardens are GMOs; those are created for commercial crops only. There isn’t a need to search for non-GMO labeling on seed packets for the home garden. Seeds meant for home as opposed to commercial use will not be genetically modified.

What About Treated Seeds?

Treated seeds come coated with an herbicide or pesticide to help prevent fungus and insect damage. They are often brightly dyed to indicate their treatment and labeled as “treated” on the packaging. I avoid using treated seeds as I do not want herbicides and pesticides in my garden.

However, there are some coated seeds that are safe to use. Many tiny, modern seeds like marigolds or lettuce, can have a coloured coating that LOOKS like treated seeds, but aren’t. These seeds have something similar to a candy coating and are intended to help the gardener pick them up more easily. Refer to the seed’s packaging for confirmation about the type of coating on your seeds.

The Benefits of Growing Hybrid Seeds

Hybrid seeds result from many years of breeding the perfect plant! Don’t think of mad scientists concocting unnatural plants; think of farmers and gardeners making special and strong varieties. Many farmers, seed companies, and even home gardeners spend years and many seasons cross-pollinating select plants in hopes that they created the perfect combination of genes.

For example, you can combine one tomato plant known for producing a ton of fruit with another tomato variety known as more disease resistant. Traits you can look for include: easier to grow, quick growers, adaptable to their environment, bigger fruit, more fruit, disease resistance, and shelf life.

You can combine hybrids until you have the combination of traits you are looking for. A staple for many farmers, hybrid plants become more dependable and fruitful each year. While you can’t save the seeds and get the guaranteed traits like an heirloom plant, you can reproduce hybrids through cuttings.

The Benefits of Growing Heirloom Seeds

While hybrid plants have made grocery shopping easier, heirloom plants have many benefits for the home gardener. You can find a ton of new flavours, colours, and shapes when growing heirloom seeds. Their lack of uniformity can even mean different ripening times, for a harvest that lasts longer.

If you have grown your heirloom seeds for a while, this means they work well in your geographical region. They are used to the weather, growing conditions, and have resistance to diseases and pests in your area.

Lastly, you get to save a little piece of history. There is something so special about growing the same plant as perhaps your grandmother. Just like everything in the world, vegetable varieties can become extinct. We must work together to pass on heirloom seeds and their gene pool to the next generation.

Are Heirloom Seeds Illegal?

When it comes to seed saving, things can get a little complicated. For the most part, the legality issues with saving seeds center around farmers. Many GMO and hybrid seeds are patented. This means that any farmers who grow the seeds must sign an agreement stating they will grow the seeds for only that year. The following year, they cannot save those same seeds and instead must purchase them again.

In the EU, it is illegal to sell any vegetable cultivar that is not included in the national list. Many believe this to be a leading cause in the loss of many heritage varieties as it is difficult and expensive to get on the list. The US protects growing plants from divisions, cuttings, and seeds, and laws vary state by state.

When it comes to heirloom plants, we enter a bit of a grey area. If you are not selling heirloom plants or their seeds, that is fine. In addition, many heirloom seeds have been around for generations, making them a part of public domain.

The Cultural Significance of Seed Saving

The legalities surrounding seed saving for farmers and other gardeners does impose on years of tradition. Before you could purchase commercial seeds, generations and gardens passed down seeds. It is a process that should still be honoured.

When slave owners forced African people onto their ships, many of the women braided seeds into their hair in order to survive and bring their culture onward. Leah Penniman talked about this cultural significance in her book Farming While Black and I highly encourage you to read it. For many, continuing to grow their seeds is honouring their ancestors’ work and legacy.

The WTO governs many rules surrounding seed saving, with many farmers in developing countries increasingly affected by the regulations. Restricting people’s access to seeds makes growing food inaccessible for many.

As our population grows and biodiversity decreases, we need people to grow healthy, sustainable food more than ever. Swapping seeds and varieties with other farmers also helps to increase biodiversity. Saving seeds holds a significance culturally and environmentally that needs to be looked at before we accept that modern corporations control seed saving.

More Posts About Growing and Planting Seeds:

A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.

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Stephanie Rose

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February 15, 2026
Which Foods Help a Leaky Gut? | NutritionFacts.org

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What is the recommended diet for treating leaky gut? Which foods and food components can boost the integrity of our intestinal barrier?

Our intestinal tract is the largest barrier between us and the environment. More than what we touch or breathe, what we eat is our largest exposure to the outside world. Normally, our entire gastrointestinal tract is impermeable to what’s inside of it, allowing our body to pick and choose what goes in or out. But there are things that may make our gut leaky, and the chief among them is our diet.

The standard American or Western diet can cause gut dysbiosis, meaning a disruption in our gut microbiome, which can lead to intestinal inﬂammation and a leaky intestinal barrier. Then, tiny bits of undigested food, microbes, and toxins can slip uninvited through our gut lining into our bloodstream and trigger chronic systemic inflammation.

“To avoid this dysbiosis and intestinal inﬂammation, a predominantly vegetarian diet”—in other words, eating plants—“should be preferred.” The gut bacteria of people eating a vegetarian diet are associated with intestinal microbiome balance, high bacterial biodiversity, and integrity of the intestinal barrier. Vegetarians tend to have markedly less uremic toxins, like indole and p-cresol, and because fiber is the primary food for our gut microbiome, the gut bacteria of those eating plant-based diets have been found to produce more of the good stuff—namely short-chain fatty acids that play “a protective and nourishing role” for the cells lining our gut, “ensuring the preservation” of our intestinal barrier. Plant ﬁber is of “prime importance” to preserving the integrity of our intestinal barrier, but you can’t know for sure until you put it to the test.

When people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease were given whole grains, beans, lentils, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds for six months, they had a significant reduction in zonulin levels.

Zonulin is a protein responsible for the disassembly of the tight junctions between gut-lining cells and is “considered to be the only measurable biomarker that reflects an impairment of the intestinal barrier.” In other words, zonulin is a useful marker of a leaky gut. But since adding all those plants seemed to lower levels, that may “imply that appropriate ﬁber intake helps to maintain the proper structure and function of the intestinal barrier.” But whole healthy plant foods have a lot more than fiber. How do we know it’s the fiber? And the study didn’t even have a control group. That’s why the researchers said “gut permeability might be improved by dietary fiber” [emphasis added]. To prove cause and effect, it’d be nice to have a randomized, double-blind, crossover study where you compare the effect of the same food with or without fiber.

Such a study does, in fact, exist! A group of healthy young men was randomized to eat pasta with or without added fiber, and there was a significant drop in zonulin levels in the added-fiber group compared to both pre-intervention levels and those of the control group, as you can see below and at 2:51 in my video How to Heal a Leaky Gut with Diet.

So, fiber does indeed appear to improve gut leakiness.

Are there any plant foods in particular that may help? Curcumin, the yellow pigment in the spice turmeric, can help prevent the intestinal damage caused by ibuprofen-type drugs in rats. Similar protection was noted for the broccoli compound sulforaphane in mice. There are no human studies on broccoli yet, but there was a study on three days of the equivalent of about 2 to 3 teaspoons a day of turmeric, which did reduce markers of gastrointestinal barrier damage and inflammation caused by exercise compared to a placebo. Less turmeric may work, too, but no smaller doses have been put to the test.

If you ask alternative medicine practitioners what treatments they use for a leaky gut, number one on the list—after reducing alcohol consumption—is zinc. You can see the list below and at 3:42 in my video.

Zinc doesn’t just protect against aspirin-like drug-induced intestinal damage in rats; when put to the test in a randomized trial of healthy adults, the same thing was found. Five days of 250 mg of indomethacin, an NSAID drug, “caused a threefold rise in gut permeability,” as one would expect from that class of drugs. But this rise in permeability did not occur when participants also took zinc, “strongly suggesting a small-intestinal protective effect.” The dose they used was massive, though—75 mg a day, which is nearly twice the tolerable upper daily limit for zinc. What about getting zinc just at regular doses from food?

A significant improvement in gut leakiness was found even with a dose of just 3 mg of zinc, suggesting that even relatively low zinc supplementation may work. You can get an extra 3 mg of zinc in your daily diet by eating a cup (200g) of cooked lentils.

Doctor’s Note

For more on preventing gut dysbiosis and leaky gut, check out Flashback Friday: Gut Dysbiosis: Starving Our Microbial Self and Avoid These Foods to Prevent a Leaky Gut.

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Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

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February 10, 2026
Keeping Better Score of Your Diet | NutritionFacts.org

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How can you get a perfect diet score?

How do you rate the quality of people’s diets? Well, “what could be more nutrient-dense than a vegetarian diet?” Indeed, if you compare the quality of vegetarian diets with non-vegetarian diets, the more plant-based diets do tend to win out, and the higher diet quality in vegetarian diets may help explain greater improvements in health outcomes. However, vegetarians appear to have a higher intake of refined grains, eating more foods like white rice and white bread that have been stripped of much of their nutrition. So, just because you’re eating a vegetarian diet doesn’t mean you’re necessarily eating as healthfully as possible.

Those familiar with the science know the primary health importance of eating whole plant foods. So, how about a scoring system that simply adds up how many cups of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, chickpeas, split peas, and lentils, and how many ounces of nuts and seeds per 1,000 calories (with or without counting white potatoes)? Looking only at the total intake of whole plant foods doesn’t mean you aren’t also stuffing donuts into your mouth. So, you could imagine proportional intake measures, based on calories or weight, to determine the proportion of your diet that’s whole plant foods. In that case, you’d get docked points if you eat things like animal-derived foods—meat, dairy, or eggs—or added sugars and fats.

My favorite proportional intake measure is McCarty’s “phytochemical index,” which I’ve profiled previously. I love it because of its sheer simplicity, “defined as the percent of dietary calories derived from foods rich in phytochemicals.” It assigns a score from 0 to 100, based on the percentage of your calories that are derived from foods rich in phytochemicals, which are biologically active substances naturally found in plants that may be contributing to many of the health beneﬁts obtained from eating whole plant foods. “Monitoring phytochemical intake in the clinical setting could have great utility” in helping people optimize their diet for optimal health and disease prevention. However, quantifying phytochemicals in foods or tissue samples is impractical, laborious, and expensive. But this concept of a phytochemical index score could be a simple alternative method to monitor phytochemical intake.

Theoretically, a whole food, plant-based or vegan diet that excluded reﬁned grains, white potatoes, hard liquors, added oils, and added sugars could achieve a perfect score of 100. Lamentably, most Americans’ diets today might be lucky to score just 20. What’s going on? In 1998, our shopping baskets were filled with about 20% whole plant foods; more recently, that has actually shrunk, as you can see below and at 2:49 in my video Plant-Based Eating Score Put to the Test.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if researchers used this phytochemical index to try to correlate it with health outcomes? That’s exactly what they did. We know that studies have demonstrated that vegetarian diets have a protective association with weight and body mass index. For instance, a meta-analysis of five dozen studies has shown that vegetarians had significantly lower weight and BMI compared with non-vegetarians. And even more studies show that high intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes may be protective regardless of meat consumption. So, researchers wanted to use an index that gave points for whole plant foods. They used the phytochemical index and, as you may recall from an earlier video, tracked people’s weight over a few years, using a scale of 0 to 100 to simply reflect what percentage of a person’s diet is whole plant foods. And even though the healthiest-eating tier only averaged a score of about 40, which meant the bulk of their diet was still made up of processed foods and animal products, just making whole plant foods a substantial portion of the diet may help prevent weight gain and decrease body fat. So, it’s not all or nothing. Any steps we can take to increase our whole plant food intake may be beneficial.

Many more studies have since been performed, with most pointing in the same direction for a variety of health outcomes—indicating, for instance, higher healthy plant intake is associated with about a third of the odds of abdominal obesity and significantly lower odds of high triglycerides. So, the index may be “a useful dietary target for weight loss,” where there is less focus on calorie intake and more on increasing consumption of these high-nutrient, lower-calorie foods over time. Other studies also suggest the same is true for childhood obesity.

Even at the same weight, with the same amount of belly fat, those eating plant-based diets tend to have higher insulin sensitivity, meaning the insulin they make works better in their body, perhaps thanks to the compounds in plants that alleviate inﬂammation and quench free radicals. Indeed, the odds of hyperinsulinemia—an indicator of insulin resistance—were progressively lower with greater plant consumption. No wonder researchers found 91% lower odds of prediabetes for people getting more than half their calories from healthy plant foods.

They also found significantly lower odds of metabolic syndrome and high blood pressure. There were only about half the odds of being diagnosed with hypertension over a three-year period among those eating more healthy plants. Even mental health may be impacted—about 80% less depression, 2/3 less anxiety, and 70% less psychological distress, as you can see below and at 5:15 in my video.

Is there a link between the dietary phytochemical index and benign breast diseases, such as fibrocystic diseases, fatty necrosis, ductal ectasia, and all sorts of benign tumors? Yes—70% lower odds were observed in those with the highest scores. But what about breast cancer? A higher intake of healthy plant foods was indeed associated with a lower risk of breast cancer, even after controlling for a long list of other factors. And not just by a little bit. Eating twice the proportion of plants compared to the standard American diet was linked to more than 90% lower odds of breast cancer.

Doctor’s Note

You can learn more about the phytochemical index in Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score.

If you’re worried about protein, check out Flashback Friday: Do Vegetarians Get Enough Protein?

It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, though. Do Flexitarians Live Longer?

For more on plant-based junk, check out Friday Favorites: Is Vegan Food Always Healthy?.

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Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

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February 3, 2026
The Best Garden Nonprofits to Donate to in 2025

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As the year comes to a close, mailboxes (both real and digital) are flooded with donation requests from nonprofit organizations. This is a critical time for charities because how much they raise in the final weeks of December influences what they can spend in the year ahead.

Here at Gardenista we are firm believers in the transformative power of gardens, so we’re happy to direct some donor dollars to organizations that promote gardens and, more generally, plants and wildlife. Today, we’re highlighting a dozen of these deserving nonprofits.

The Garden Conservancy

Above: The Knoxville Botanical Garden & Arboretum is one of the organizations The Garden Conservancy supports through its Garden Futures grants. Photograph courtesy of the Garden Conservancy.

The Garden Conservancy’s mission is “to preserve, share, and celebrate America’s gardens and diverse gardening traditions for the education and inspiration of the public.” The organization’s work includes direct support to preserve public gardens and as well as funding smaller garden-related nonprofits, but what we love most is the sharing part of their mission: The Garden Conservancy makes it possible to experience gardens in person through its Open Days program.

The Native Plant Trust

Originally founded in 1900, the Native Plant Trust was U.S.’s first plant conservation organization; its mission is to “conserve and promote New England’s native plants to ensure healthy, biologically-diverse landscapes.” In addition to running a public botanic garden and a native plant nursery, the Native Plant Trust offers a wealth of online and in-person courses.

Homegrown National Park

Above: Planted with native species, this garden transforms a residential space into functioning wildlife habitat. It reflects Homegrown National Park’s mission to help people take simple, meaningful actions that restore the natural systems supporting all life. Photograph by Lynn O’Shaughnessy.

Founded by entomologist and author Doug Tallamy, Homegrown National Park’s name stems from Tallamy’s assertion that our National Parks are too small and separated from one another to preserve native species to the levels needed, so we need to extend “national parks” to our yards and communities. The organization’s mission is to raise awareness about the biodiversity crisis, and more importantly to inspire action, “adding native plants and removing invasive ones where we live, work, learn, pray, and play.”

Wild Seed Project

Based in Maine, the Wild Seed Project is one of the U.S.’s only nonprofits focussed on native seeds. The organization collects and distributes wild seeds and encourages gardeners to grow hyper-local plants from wild seed. Members receive the organization’s excellent annual publication as a perk. (Through the end of 2025, all donations to Wild Seed Project will be matched, up to $20,000.)

Wild Ones

Above: Participants in a butterfly class hosted by Wild Ones’ Fox Valley Area Chapter at the UW–Madison Arboretum. Photograph by Catherine McKenzie, courtesy of Wild Ones.

Based in Wisconsin, Wild Ones promotes environmentally sound gardening practices and aims to “preserve biodiversity by educating the public about the preservation, restoration, and establishment of native plant communities.” We love that Wild Ones has expanded their free Native Garden Design Program, which provides region-specific, professionally designed templates to help people transform conventional yards into native-dominated landscapes. There are currently more more than 100 local chapters.

Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

While not technically a garden-related organization, the Xerces Society’ is dedicated to the “conservation of invertebrates and their habitats,” which often dovetails with how individuals manage their home and public landscapes. The Xerces Society produces high-quality, research-backed publications that help guide effective conservation efforts; they’re Gardenista’s go-to source when it comes to garden practices that are most supportive of insects and invertebrates.

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December 30, 2025
How Healthy Are Baruka Nuts? | NutritionFacts.org

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How do barukas, also known as baru almonds, compare with other nuts?

There is a new nut on the market called baru almonds, branded as “barukas” or baru nuts. Technically, it isn’t a nut but a seed native to the Brazilian Savannah, known as the Cerrado, which is now among the most threatened ecosystems on the planet. Over the last 30 years, much of the Cerrado’s ecosystem has been destroyed by extensive cattle ranching and feed crop production to fatten said cattle. If it were profitable not to cut down the native trees and instead sell baru nuts, for example, that could be good for the ecosystem’s health. But what about our health?

“Although baru nuts are popular and widely consumed, few studies report on their biological properties.” They do have a lot of polyphenol phytonutrients, presumably accounting for their high antioxidant activity. (About 90% of their phytonutrients are present in the peel.) Are they nutritious? Yes, but do they have any special health benefits—beyond treating chubby mice?

Researchers found that individuals fed baru nuts showed lower cholesterol, supposedly indicating the nuts “have great potential for dietary use” in preventing and controlling cholesterol problems. But the individuals were rats, not humans, and the baru nuts were compared to lard. Pretty much everything lowers cholesterol compared to lard. Nevertheless, there haven’t been any reports about the effect of baru nut consumption on human health, until this: A randomized, controlled study of humans found that eating less than an ounce a day for six weeks led to a 9% drop in LDL cholesterol. Twenty grams would be about 15 nuts or a palmful.

Like many other nut studies, even though the research subjects were told to add nuts to their regular diets, there was no weight gain, presumably because nuts are so filling that we inadvertently cut down on other foods throughout the day. How good is a 9.4% drop in LDL? It’s the kind of drop we can get from regular almonds, though macadamias and pistachios may work even better, but those were at much higher doses. It appears that 20 grams of baru nuts work as well as 73 grams of almonds. So, on a per-serving basis or a per-calorie basis, baru nuts really did seem to be special.

There are lower-dose nut studies that show similar or even better results. In this one, for instance, people were given 25 grams of almonds for just four weeks and got about a 6% drop in their LDL cholesterol. In another study, after consuming just 10 grams of almonds a day, or just seven individual almonds a day, study participants got more like a 30% drop in LDL during the same time frame as the baru nuts. Three times better LDL at half the dose with regular almonds, as you can see below and at 2:47 in my video Are Baruka Nuts the Healthiest Nut?.

The biggest reason we are more confident in regular almonds than baru almonds is that studies have been done over and over in more than a dozen randomized controlled trials, whereas in the only other cholesterol trial of baru nuts, researchers found no significant benefit for LDL cholesterol, even at the same 20-gram dose given for even longer—a period of eight weeks.

That’s disappointing, but it isn’t the primary reason I would suggest choosing other nuts instead of baru nuts. I would do so because we can’t get raw baru nuts. They contain certain compounds that must be inactivated by heat before we can eat them. The reason raw nuts are preferable is because of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), so-called glycotoxins, which are known to contribute to increased oxidative stress and inflammation.

Glycotoxins are naturally present in uncooked animal-derived foods, and dry-heat cooking like grilling can make things worse. The three highest recorded levels have been in bacon, broiled hot dogs, and roasted barbecued chicken skin—nothing even comes close to that, not even Chicken McNuggets, as you can see below and at 3:50 in my video.

However, any foods high in fat and protein can create AGEs at high enough temperatures. So, although plant foods tend to “contain relatively few AGEs, even after cooking,” there are some high-fat, high-protein plant foods. But, again, AGEs aren’t a problem at all with most plant foods. See the AGE content in boiled tofu (in a soup, for instance), broiled tofu, a raw apple, a baked apple, a veggie burger—I was surprised that veggie burgers are so low in AGEs, even when baked or fried—and nuts and seeds, which are up in tofu territory, especially when roasted, which is why I would recommend raw nuts and seeds and nut and seed butters whenever you have a choice. See below and at 4:33 in my video.

Doctor’s Note

In my Daily Dozen checklist, I recommend eating a quarter cup of nuts or seeds or two tablespoons of nut or seed butter each day. Why? See related posts below.

For those unfamiliar with advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), check out the first two videos I did on them way back when: Glycotoxins and Avoiding Glycotoxins in Food.

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Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

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December 25, 2025
10 Plant Partnerships That Will Triple Your Harvest (Gardeners Shocked!) –
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I learned that one simple gardening trick can boost harvests quickly while cutting pest numbers almost in half. The trick is companion planting: nature’s way of helping plants work better together.

After many seasons of trial and error, this method turned my weak veggie beds into a healthy, busy garden in no time.

No need to stress about fancy layouts. These 10 plant partners work well with little effort. Ready to match plants the easy way? Let’s go.

Plant Partners That Work Wonders

1. Tomatoes & Basil: A Reliable Match

This pair isn’t just delicious on the plate. Basil’s strong smell helps keep away pests like aphids and hornworms that usually bother tomatoes.

Growing them together can even make tomatoes taste better. (Seriously. My tomatoes tasted so much better once I planted basil beside them.)

2. Carrots & Onions: A Simple Defense

Carrot flies can wipe out a crop fast, but onions help block them. In return, carrots help loosen the soil for onion bulbs. They just work well together.

3. Corn & Beans: The Old “Three Sisters” Duo

This old planting method makes sense. Beans add nitrogen to the soil, which corn needs. The corn stalks give the beans something to climb. It’s a natural setup that works smoothly.

4. Cucumbers & Nasturtiums: The Decoy

Nasturtiums act like bait, pulling pests like aphids and beetles away from cucumbers. They also have pretty flowers that you can eat with a pepper-like taste.

5. Peppers & Marigolds: Root Protectors

A common mistake is planting peppers without help. Marigold roots release compounds that chase away nematodes that damage pepper roots.

Some studies show that marigolds can reduce nematode populations by up to 90%. Their blooms look nice, too.

6. Lettuce & Radishes: Soil Helpers

Radishes break up compacted soil, allowing lettuce roots to grow deeper. This makes lettuce stronger on hot and dry days. Radishes also grow fast, so you get an early harvest while waiting for your lettuce.

7. Squash & Borage: Bee Magnets

Squash needs more bees, and borage attracts them. These bright blue flowers pull in loads of pollinators and help keep pests away from squash. Knowing this pairing gives you better fruit.

8. Potatoes & Horseradish: A Surprise Team

This pair sounds odd, but it works. Horseradish contains natural compounds that help keep potatoes strong and beetles away. Plant horseradish at the corners of the potato bed for protection.

9. Strawberries & Thyme: Berry Guards

Slugs love strawberries, but thyme helps stop them with its strong scent. Thyme also acts as ground cover, keeping berries off the soil and reducing fungal problems. Simple and smart.

10. Cabbage & Dill: Friendly Bug Attractors

Dill doesn’t chase pests. Instead, it brings in helpful insects like ladybugs and lacewings that eat cabbage worms. It’s like having tiny guards watching over your cabbages.

Why Companion Planting Works

Companion planting is more than old advice. It’s backed by how plants interact. They use scents and root signals to communicate with one another. The results can be big:
- Less pest damage, fewer sprays
- Better pollination
- Grow more in small spaces
- Better soil use
- Shade where needed
When you match plants well, everything grows better together.

How To Start

Try just two or three partner groups this season. Watch how plant health, pest problems, and harvest amounts change.

Remember: it’s not just about putting plants next to each other. It’s about letting them support each other. Keep them close but not crowded; about 12–18 inches apart works for most pairs.

With the right partners, your garden becomes a group that works together instead of single plants growing alone. That’s the goal for most of us anyway.
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Gary Antosh

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November 2, 2025
Treat Type 1 Diabetes with a Plant-Based Diet? | NutritionFacts.org

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Is it possible to reverse type 1 diabetes if caught early enough?

The International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention has already had its share of miraculous disease reversals with a plant-based diet. For instance, one patient began following a whole food, plant-based diet after having two heart attacks in two months. Within months, he experienced no more chest pain, controlled his cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugars, and also lost 50 pounds as a nice bonus. Yet, the numbers “do not capture the patient’s transformation from feeling like a ‘dead man walking’ to being in command of his health with a new future and life.”

I’ve previously discussed cases of reversing the autoimmune inflammatory disease psoriasis and also talked about lupus nephritis (kidney inflammation). What about type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease we didn’t think we could do anything about? In contrast to type 2 diabetes, which is a lifestyle disease that can be prevented and reversed with a healthy enough diet and lifestyle, type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which our body attacks our pancreas, killing off our insulin-producing cells and condemning us to a life of insulin injections—unless, perhaps, it’s caught early enough. If a healthy enough diet is started early enough, might we be able to reverse the course of type 1 diabetes by blunting that autoimmune inflammation?

As I discuss in my video Type 1 Diabetes Treatment: A Plant-Based Diet, we know that patients with type 1 diabetes “may be able to reduce insulin requirements and achieve better glycemic [blood sugar] control” with healthier diets. For example, children and teens were randomized to a nutritional intervention in which they increased the whole plant food density of their diet—meaning they ate more whole grains, whole fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans, split peas, chickpeas, and lentils), nuts, and seeds. Researchers found that the more whole plant foods, the better the blood sugar control.

The fact that more whole fruits were associated “with better glycemic [blood sugar] control has important clinical implications for nutrition education” in those with type 1 diabetes. We should be “educating them on the beneﬁts of fruit intake, and allaying erroneous concerns that fruit may adversely affect blood sugar.”

The case series in the IJDRP, however, went beyond proposing better control of just their high blood sugars, the symptom of diabetes, but better control of the disease itself, suggesting the anti-inﬂammatory eﬀects of whole healthy plant foods “may slow or prevent further destruction of the beta cells”—the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas—“if dietary intervention is initiated early enough.” Where did this concept come from?

A young patient. Immediately following diagnosis of type 1 diabetes at age three, a patient began a vegetable-rich diet and, three years later, “has not yet required insulin therapy…and has experienced a steady decline in autoantibody levels,” which are markers of insulin cell destruction. Another child, who also started eating a healthier diet, but not until several months after diagnosis, maintains a low dose of insulin with good control. And, even if their insulin-producing cells have been utterly destroyed, individuals with type 1 diabetes can still enjoy “dramatically reduced insulin requirements,” reduced inflammation, and reduced cardiovascular risk, which is their number one cause of death over the age of 30. People with type 1 diabetes have 11 to 14 times the risk of death from cardiovascular disease compared to the general population, and it’s already the top killer among the public, so it’s closer to 11 to 14 times more important for those with type 1 diabetes to be on the only diet and lifestyle program ever proven to reverse heart disease in the majority of patients—one centered around whole plant foods. The fact it may also help control the disease itself is just sugar-free icing on the cake.

All this exciting new research was presented in the first issue of The International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention. As a bonus, there’s a companion publication called the Disease Reversal and Prevention Digest. These are for the lay public and are developed with the belief I wholeheartedly share that “everyone has a right to understand the science that could impact their health.” You can go behind the scenes and hear directly from the author of the lupus series, read interviews from luminaries like Dean Ornish, see practical tips from dietitians on making the transition towards a healthier diet, and enjoy recipes.

The second issue includes more practical tips, such as how to eat plant-based on a budget, and gives updates on what Dr. Klaper is doing to educate medical students, what Audrey Sanchez from Balanced is doing to help change school lunches, and how Dr. Ostfeld got healthy foods served in a hospital. (What a concept!) And what magazine would be complete without an article to improve your sex life?

The journal is free, downloadable at IJDRP.org, and its companion digest, available at diseasereversaldigest.com, carries a subscription fee. I am a proud subscriber.

Want to learn more about preventing type 1 diabetes in the first place? See the related posts below.

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Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

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October 22, 2024
Seeds to Plant in the Fall for Next Season’s Blooms – Garden Therapy
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Before we can say goodbye to the garden for the year, it’s time to plan for spring. Whether you experience a sunny winter or a snow-covered one, many seeds don’t mind waiting for winter to pass before making an appearance. Scatter these seeds to plant in the fall for a stunning display of blooms next year.

It may feel unnatural to plant seeds in the fall. After all, we’re preparing to put the garden to rest and hoping for a sleepy winter. However, many annuals and perennials also enjoy this cold spell to nestle in the ground for the winter and get a head start next spring.

Just like planting spring bulbs, you can find seeds to plant in the fall to get some extra spring (or summer) blooms.

This list covers some flowers to plant in the fall for both warm and cold climates. If you’ve still got the time and energy to do some more gardening, your spring self will forever be grateful!

Today, I’ll be covering…

Nasturtium can be planted in the fall for warmer climates.

When Should You Plant Fall Seeds

Just like nature, many plants naturally shed their seeds for the fall, survive throughout the winter, and sprout come spring.

The question I always get about plants is when can I plant them? Usually, the answer is vague, like late fall. The reality is that it’s going to be different depending on where you live!

Your best bet is to track frost dates regionally (a local gardening club may be able to help you with that). For fall planting in cold climates, you want to wait until after a killing frost has happened. AKA, nothing has grown since the summer season.

If you plant them too early, they may sprout. We want them to hibernate for the winter and emerge come spring. If you notice fall seedlings outside, mulch over them. This will try to prevent them from freezing.

In warm climates, plant your seeds right before the rainy season begins. Depending on where you live, this typically falls between late fall or early winter (check dates with your local gardening club!).

Plant your poppy seeds in the fall!

How to Plant Fall Seeds

When planting seeds, your best bet is to always read the label. You may notice that some seeds ask you to cold stratify. This is when seeds require a period of extreme cold in order to sprout. All thanks to a thick coating, their outer shell prevents them from breaking and sprouting early.

You can force cold stratification by using your fridge as it mimics winter conditions. But if it asks for cold stratification, this probably means it can be planted in the fall and naturally get its cold fill during the winter.

To plant your seeds, prepare the bed as you normally would any time of the year. Clear all debris and add in a layer of organic compost to give the seeds their best start next spring. Follow the seed packet for light and soil requirements.

Warm Climate Seeds to Plant in the Fall

For these flowers to plant in fall, no freezing is required. This list is ideal for those living in zones 9-11.
1. Morning Glory Ipomoea tricolor — zones 10-11
2. Honeywort Cerinthe — zones 9-10
3. Calendula Calendula — zones 9-11
4. Cosmos — zones 9-10
5. Spider Flower Cleome hassleriana — zones 10-11
6. Standing Cypress Imopsis rubra — zones 6-10
7. Virgina Stocks Mattiola martima — zones 9-11
8. Nasturtium Tropaeolum — zones 7-10
9. Bells of Ireland Moluccella laevis — zones 2-11
10. Sweet Peas Lathyrus odoratus — zones 2-11
11. Love-In-A-Mist Nigella damascene — zones 2-11
12. Purple Chinese Houses Collinsia heterophylla — zones 2-11
13. Baby Blue Eyes Nemophila menziesii — zones 2-11
Calendula often self seeds, and comes up in the spring all on its own!

Cool Climate Seeds to Plant in the Fall

This list covers both annuals and perennials to plant in the fall. These seeds either require cold stratification in order to bloom the following spring or they don’t mind the cold. Some will still grow in warmer zones!
1. Bells of Ireland Moluccella laevis — zones 2-11
2. Cornflower Centaurea cyanus— zones 3-8
3. Blanket Flower Gaillardia — zones 3-10
4. Poppy Papaveraceae — zones 3-8
5. Coneflower Echinacea — zones 3-9
6. Columbine Aquilegea — zones 3-9
7. Sweet Peas Lathyrus odoratus — zones 2-11
8. False Queen Anne’s Lace Ammi majus — zones 3-9
9. Foxglove Digitalis — zones 4-8
10. Sea Holly Eryngium — zones 4-9
11. Tickseed Coreopsis tinctoria — zones 3-9
12. Snapdragon Antirrhinum — zones 8-9
13. Hollyhock Alcea — zones 3-8
14. Black-Eyed Susan Rudbeckia — zones 3-9
15. Forget-Me-Not Myosotis — zones 3-8
16. Penstemon Penestemon — zones 3-8
17. Sweet William Dianthus — zones 3-9
18. Ashy Sunflower Helianthus mollis — zones 4-9 (and other perennial sunflowers)
19. Pansy Viola — zones 5-10
20. Love-In-A-Mist Nigella damascene — zones 2-11
21. Delphinium — zones 3-8
22. Basket of Gold Alyssum Aurinia saxatilis — zones 3-7
23. Chinese Forget-Me-Not Cynoglossum amabile — zones 6-9
24. Common Woolly Sunflower Eriophyllum lanatum —zones 5-8
25. Lunaria Lunaria annua — zones 5-9
26. Bigleaf Lupin Lupinus polyphyllus — zones 3-6
27. Veronica Veronica spicata — zones 4-8
28. Purple Chinese Houses Collinsia heterophylla — zones 2-11
29. Globe Gilia Gilia capitata — zones 7-10
30. Baby’s Breath Gypsophila elegans — zones 3-10
31. Baby Blue Eyes Nemophila menziesii — zones 2-11
Vegetables to Plant in The Fall

Not interested in flowers? Here’s a little bonus of vegetables you can plant in the fall and enjoy next spring and summer. You might as well get the work in now, right!?

Onions, Garlic, and Shallots

All part of the allium family, onions, garlic, and shallots are best planted in the fall due to their long growing season. It isn’t until next summer that you will be able to reap the rewards of your fall planting.

Turnips, Carrots, Radishes, and Beets

These root vegetables don’t mind hanging out in the cold. You may see minimal growth, but they will certainly get a head start come spring. You may even notice a sweeter taste.

Lettuce and Leafy Greens

Did you know you can have fresh greens year-round? By using a cold frame or mini-greenhouse, you can grow lettuce outside throughout the winter.

Broccoli and Cauliflower

In mid to warm climates, you can grow both broccoli and cauliflower to harvest next spring.

Peas

This is another one for an early spring harvest! Peas can also be grown in mild climates during the colder months. Make sure to build a trellis for them to climb on.

FAQ About Fall Planting

Do all plants reseed naturally in the fall?

It’s true that many flowers and plants will go to seed in the fall if left on the plant. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll naturalize in your climate. The conditions for summer might be favourable enough to grow the plants, but the fall, winter, or spring might be too cold or wet or even not cold enough!

Follow the path of nature. Some plants may naturalize in your area all on their own. When in doubt, use the instructions that come on the seed package.

What is the easiest plant to grow in the fall?

Just because the weather is cooling down, it doesn’t mean you can’t grow things still. You can actually continue to grow some vegetables that are speedy growers, such as radishes, lettuce, spinach, and turnips. Find a full list of those vegetables here.

I also like to plant bulbs in the fall for the spring, and add in perennials since they’re on sale and can grow a root system in the fall before hibernating for the winter.

What month is the best to plant in fall?

You should always track your suggested last frost date (try this tool). Most plants you want in the ground before it freezes so they have some time to get settled in before the cold hits.

For seeds that you plant in the fall, you actually want to wait until after the frost, as you don’t want the seeds to sprout until the spring. Plant normally, clearing the area and covering it with a layer of soil (but read the seed packet instructions).

When in doubt, the end of October to early November is usually the best time for planting for most places.

Plant tickseed seeds in the fall.

More Fall Gardening Tips and Tricks
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Stephanie Rose

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August 28, 2024
How to Save Seeds & Improve Your Vegetable Garden – Garden Therapy

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This time of year, we begin to say goodbye to this year’s vegetable garden and plan for next year’s. What better way to do both of these things than by collecting and preserving seeds to plant in the spring? Saving seeds from your very best vegetables will give you the very best seeds, so it’s worth it to take a little time and learn how to save seeds the right way.

Different seeds have different needs when it comes to collecting them for the following year. Some can simply be transferred straight from plant to seed packet, while others need a bit more attention in the form of drying or fermenting.

In this guide, I’m going to show you three different methods on how to save seeds, and which method to use for some of the most popular vegetables.

While purchasing seeds each year is a relatively economical method for growing a garden, seed saving is still an important practice. When you save seeds from your best-growing plants, you already know that they can thrive in your garden!

Year after year, your crop will get better and stronger as you continue to save only the best seeds your garden has to offer. The practice of seed saving is also a traditional process. For many, growing seeds passed down from older generations honours their history.

This guide will cover…

Don’t forget to save some flower seeds too!

Seed Saving Supplies

First, you’ll need a supply of seed envelopes for keeping your seeds stored and labelled. We’ve got you covered with lots of free printable seed packets here:

You’ll also need a tool for snipping seed pods in the garden. A small pair of scissors, such as embroidery scissors, is perfect for the job. You will also want a basket or paper bag for collecting pods out in the garden before you transfer them to their envelopes.

For drying and fermenting seeds, you will need paper towel and Mason jars.

Print these seed envelopes at home for easy and cute packaging.

How to Save Seeds Method 1: Mature in the Garden

Some vegetable seeds, such as the ones listed below, will germinate and grow better if they are allowed to mature and ripen right on the plant. When they are ready, simply collect them and store them in an envelope for next year.

For this method, choose to harvest seeds on a dry day in the early afternoon when seeds are retaining the least amount of water.

How to Save Lettuce and Cabbage Seeds

When your lettuce or cabbage plant begins to flower, place a plastic bag over it. When the seeds are ready, they will drop naturally and be contained in the bag, ready for you to collect and store. How convenient! If you want to try something new for your lettuce garden, try some of these unusual leafy greens instead.

How to Save Pea and Bean Seeds

If pods are green, that means the seeds are still ripening and receiving nutrients from the pods. Be patient and wait until the pods are completely brown before you harvest them. Spread peas and beans out on a clean, dry surface and leave them to dry for a week or so before storing.

You can tell whether or not the seeds are dry enough to be stored by biting one. If it is hard when you bite down on it, it is ready to be packed into a seed envelope and stored for the season. Come planting, make your own pea trellis to support your newly saved seeds.

Once harvested, let your pea and bean seeds dry for a week before storing.

Seed Saving Method 2: Ferment

Some seeds need to be fermented for them to germinate properly. To induce fermentation, soak seeds in water for a few days, then collect, dry, and store them.

How to Save Cucumber Seeds

Wait until the cucumber is a bit overripe and its flesh has turned somewhat yellow in colour, then cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.

Drop the seeds into a Mason jar half-filled with water. Cover and let sit for three or four days. The best seeds will sink to the bottom of the jar. Collect those seeds and spread them out to dry on a paper towel. Once they are completely dry, store them in the refrigerator.

Store cucumber seeds in the refrigerator.

How to Save Melon Seeds

Cut a ripe melon in half and scoop out the seeds. Rinse them gently under warm water to remove excess fruit. Put the seeds in a covered Mason jar half-filled with water and let sit for two to four days.

As with cucumbers, the best melon seeds will sink to the bottom, while the ones you don’t want will continue to float. Dry the sunken seeds on a paper towel and store them in a seed envelope until you are ready to plant them.

How to Save Tomato Seeds

Fermenting tomato seeds requires a few more steps, but it is SO worth it! For tomato seeds, you want just enough water to cover the seeds and surrounding tomato guts.

Instead of using the Mason jar lid, use the Mason jar ring to screw on and hold a paper towel in place. After a few days of sitting in their Mason jar, you should have a full cover of mould on the seeds. Yes, this is a good sign!

Then your seeds are ready to be strained and dried. See detailed instructions in this post on how to save heirloom tomato seeds.

Mould is a good sign when it comes to fermenting tomato seeds.

How to Save Cucamelon Seeds

Similar to tomatoes, you can ferment cucamelons using the same method. Their seeds will come back true to seed each year (the same as the original plant).

To learn more about this delightful mini fruit, check out my cucamelon growing guide.

Follow the same steps as a tomato to save cucamelon seeds.

Seed Saving Method 3: Scoop Out and Dry

The scoop-out and dry seed saving method involves simply scooping seeds out from the inside of veggies and laying them out to dry.

How to Save Pumpkin Seeds

When squash or pumpkins have developed a hard outer shell, they are ready to be harvested for seed saving. Cut the squash or pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and rinse them under warm water.

Then, pat them dry and spread them out on a clean, dry surface. Wait until the pumpkin seeds are completely dry before packaging them up for storage.

Different varieties of squash and pumpkin can cross-pollinate with each other, so the seeds you save might produce something that is not quite the same as the squash you collected the seeds from. This can be a really fun surprise!

Save the seeds from your pumpkin carving to plant in your garden next year.

How to Save Pepper Seeds

Most peppers will turn a dark red colour when they reach full maturity. At this point, harvest them and slice them in half.

Use your fingers to remove the seeds and spread them around on a paper towel placed away from direct sunlight…then make sure to wash your hands!

Leave the seeds to dry like this for one or two weeks, then store in an airtight container. When you’re ready to plant them, be sure to check out my growing guide for peppers, sweet and spicy!

Make sure to wash your hands after saving pepper seeds.

How to Save Strawberry Seeds

Though technically not a vegetable, strawberry seeds are easy to save using a smear and dry method. Rather than scooping the seeds, you will want to smoosh them on your paper towel. Then, let them dry somewhere warm.

Once dry, you can fold up the paper and stick it in an envelope for safekeeping. In the spring, scrape the seeds into soil and watch your strawberries grow.

Personally, I love to grow alpine strawberries and the process is near identical. Find more detailed instructions on this post on how I save my alpine strawberry seeds.

Since strawberry seeds are so tiny, keep them directly on the paper towel in storage so you don’t lose them.

FAQ About Saving Vegetable Seeds

How can I save kale and radish seeds?

Let these seeds mature directly on the plant. Harvest pods when they feel dry. To open the pods, rub them gently between your palms.

Is it illegal to save seeds?

When it comes to seed saving, many gardeners do not have to worry about the legalities. Most GMO and hybrid seeds are under a patent, meaning that farmers and other commercial growers can only grow these if they sign a contract. This contract states that they can’t save the seeds for the following year, only buying the rights to grow the purchased seeds.

However, if you are sticking to seed saving for your garden or to share with loved ones and neighbours through a seed library, you should be just fine. Heirloom seeds are well worth saving. No profit, no problem! For more on the difference between heirloom, GMO, and hybrid seeds, visit this post.

Can old seeds still grow?

Have you ever planted some old seeds only to find that they never germinate? Sometimes, this can put you weeks behind your growing schedule before you notice. All seeds should be stored in a cool, dark, and dry place to make sure they last as long as possible. Always write the date you saved/stored them.

When stored right, all seeds should last a year. Depending on the plant, they can be good for as long as 2-5 years. For example, tomatoes last around 5 years, while peas and beans are only good for 2. Research your specific vegetable seed upon saving, and feel free to add a best-before-date when storing. This way you know what to plant come spring and never let any of your seeds go bad before planting.

If you’re ever unsure about the viability of your old seeds, you can easily perform the germination test described in this post.

More Posts About Seeds

Want to save other seeds, too? Click to learn all about saving flower seeds.

Now that you’ve saved all those seeds get ready to plant them next year!

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Stephanie Rose

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August 27, 2024
Cutting the Calorie-Rich-And-Processed Foods | NutritionFacts.org

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We have an uncanny ability to pick out the subtle distinctions in calorie density of foods, but only within the natural range.

The traditional medical view on obesity, as summed up nearly a century ago: “All obese persons are, alike in one fundamental respect,—they literally overeat.” While this may be true in a technical sense, it is in reference to overeating calories, not food. Our primitive urge to overindulge is selective. People don’t tend to lust for lettuce. We have a natural inborn preference for sweet, starchy, or fatty foods because that’s where the calories are concentrated.

Think about hunting and gathering efficiency. We used to have to work hard for our food. Prehistorically, it didn’t make sense to spend all day collecting types of food that on average don’t provide at least a day’s worth of calories. You would have been better off staying back at the cave. So, we evolved to crave foods with the biggest caloric bang for their buck.

If you were able to steadily forage a pound of food an hour and it had 250 calories per pound, it might take you ten hours just to break even on your calories for the day. But if you were gathering something with 500 calories a pound, you could be done in five hours and spend the next five working on your cave paintings. So, the greater the energy density—that is, the more calories per pound—the more efficient the foraging. We developed an acute ability to discriminate foods based on calorie density and to instinctively desire the densest.

If you study the fruit and vegetable preferences of four-year-old children, what they like correlates with calorie density. As you can see in the graph below and at 1:52 in my video Friday Favorites: Cut the Calorie-Rich-And-Processed Foods, they prefer bananas over berries and carrots over cucumbers. Isn’t that just a preference for sweetness? No, they also prefer potatoes over peaches and green beans over melon, just like monkeys prefer avocados over bananas. We appear to have an inborn drive to maximize calories per mouthful.

All the foods the researchers tested in the study with four-year-old kids naturally had less than 500 calories per pound. (Bananas topped the chart at about 400.) Something funny happens when you start going above that: We lose our ability to differentiate. Over the natural range of calorie densities, we have an uncanny aptitude to pick out the subtle distinctions. However, once you start heading towards bacon, cheese, and chocolate territory, which can reach thousands of calories per pound, our perceptions become relatively numb to the differences. It’s no wonder since these foods were unknown to our prehistoric brains. It’s like the dodo bird failing to evolve a fear response because they had no natural predators—and we all know how that turned out—or sea turtle hatchlings crawling in the wrong direction towards artificial light rather than the moon. It is aberrant behavior explained by an “evolutionary mismatch.”

The food industry exploits our innate biological vulnerabilities by stripping crops down into almost pure calories—straight sugar, oil (which is pretty much pure fat), and white flour (which is mostly refined starch). It also removes the fiber, because that effectively has zero calories. Run brown rice through a mill to make white rice, and you lose about two-thirds of the fiber. Turn whole-wheat flour into white flour, and lose 75 percent. Or you can run crops through animals (to make meat, dairy, and eggs) and remove 100 percent of the fiber. What you’re left with is CRAP—an acronym used by one of my favorite dieticians, Jeff Novick, for Calorie-Rich And Processed food.

Calories are condensed in the same way plants are turned into addictive drugs like opiates and cocaine: “distillation, crystallization, concentration, and extraction.” They even appear to activate the same reward pathways in the brain. Put people with “food addiction” in an MRI scanner and show them a picture of a chocolate milkshake, and the areas that light up in their brains (as you can see below and at 4:15 in my video) are the same as when cocaine addicts are shown a video of crack smoking. (See those images below and at 4:18 in my video.)

“Food addiction” is a misnomer. People don’t suffer out-of-control eating behaviors to food in general. We don’t tend to compulsively crave carrots. Milkshakes are packed with sugar and fat, two of the signals to our brain of calorie density. When people are asked to rate different foods in terms of cravings and loss of control, most incriminated was a load of CRAP—highly processed foods like donuts, along with cheese and meat. Those least related to problematic eating behaviors? Fruits and vegetables. Calorie density may be the reason people don’t get up in the middle of the night and binge on broccoli.

Animals don’t tend to get fat when they are eating the foods they were designed to eat. There is a confirmed report of free-living primates becoming obese, but that was a troop of baboons who stumbled across the garbage dump at a tourist lodge. The garbage-feeding animals weighed 50 percent more than their wild-feeding counterparts. Sadly, we can suffer the same mismatched fate and become obese by eating garbage, too. For millions of years, before we learned how to hunt, our biology evolved largely on “leaves, roots, fruits, and nuts.” Maybe it would help if we went back to our roots and cut out the CRAP.

A key insight I want to emphasize here is the concept of animal products as the ultimate processed food. Basically, all nutrition grows from the ground: seeds, sunlight, and soil. That’s where all our vitamins come from, all our minerals, all the protein, all the essential amino acids. The only reason there are essential amino acids in a steak is because the cow ate them all from plants. Those amino acids are essential—no animals can make them, including us. We have to eat plants to get them. But we can cut out the middlemoo and get nutrition directly from the Earth, and, in doing so, get all the phytonutrients and fiber that are lost when plants are processed through animals. Even ultraprocessed junk foods may have a tiny bit of fiber remaining, but all is lost when plants are ultra-ultraprocessed through animals.

Having said that, there was also a big jump in what one would traditionally think of as processed foods, and that’s the video we turn to next: The Role of Processed Foods in the Obesity Epidemic.

We’re making our way through a series on the cause of the obesity epidemic. So far, we’ve looked at exercise (The Role of Diet vs. Exercise in the Obesity Epidemic) and genes (The Role of Genes in the Obesity Epidemic and The Thrifty Gene Theory: Survival of the Fattest), but, really, it’s the food.

If you’re familiar with my work, you know that I recommend eating a variety of whole plant foods, as close as possible to the way nature intended. I capture this in my Daily Dozen, which you can download for free here or get the free app (iTunes and Android). On the app, you’ll see that there’s also an option for those looking to lose weight: my 21 Tweaks. But before you go checking them off, be sure to read about the science behind the checklist in my book How Not to Diet. Get it for free at your local public library. If you choose to buy a copy, note that all proceeds from all of my books go to charity.

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Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

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July 4, 2024
Headache and Migraine Relief from Foods | NutritionFacts.org

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Plant-based diets are put to the test for treating migraine headaches.

Headaches are one of the top five reasons people end up in emergency rooms and one of the leading reasons people see their doctors in general. One way to try to prevent them is to identify their triggers and avoid them. Common triggers for migraines include stress, smoking, hunger, sleep issues, certain foods (like chocolate, cheese, and alcohol), your menstrual cycle, or certain weather patterns (like high humidity).

In terms of dietary treatments, the so-called Father of Modern Medicine, William Osler suggested trying a “strict vegetable diet.” After all, the nerve inflammation associated with migraines “may be reduced by a vegan diet as many plant foods are high in anti-inflammatory compounds and antioxidants, and likewise, meat products have been reported to have inflammatory properties.” It wasn’t put to the test, though, for another 117 years.

As I discuss in my video Friday Favorites: Foods That Help Headache and Migraine Relief, among study participants given a placebo supplement, half said they got better, while the other half said they didn’t. But, when put on a strictly plant-based diet, they did much better, experiencing a significant drop in the severity of their pain, as you can see in the graph below and at 1:08 in my video.

Now, “it is possible that the pain-reducing effects of the vegan diet may be, at least in part, due to weight reduction.” The study participants lost about nine more pounds when they were on the plant-based diet for a month, as shown below, and at 1:22.

Even just lowering the fat content of the diet may help. Those placed on a month of consuming less than 30 daily grams of fat (for instance, less than two tablespoons of oil all day), experienced “statistically significant decreases in headache frequency, intensity, duration, and medication intake”—a six-fold decrease in the frequency and intensity, as you can see below and at 1:44 in my video. They went from three migraine attacks every two weeks down to just one a month. And, by “low fat,” the researchers didn’t mean SnackWell’s; they meant more fruits, vegetables, and beans. Before the food industry co-opted and corrupted the term, eating “low fat” meant eating an apple, for example, not Kellogg’s Apple Jacks.

Now, they were on a low-fat diet—about 10 percent fat for someone eating 2,500 calories a day. What about just less than 20 percent fat compared to a more normal diet that’s still relatively lower fat than average? As you can see below and at 2:22 in my video, the researchers saw the same significant drops in headache frequency and severity, including a five-fold drop in attacks of severe pain. Since the intervention involved at least a halving of intake of saturated fat, which is mostly found in meat, dairy, and junk, the researchers concluded that reduced consumption of saturated fat may help control migraine attacks—but it isn’t necessarily something they’re getting less of. There are compounds “present in Live green real veggies” that might bind to a migraine-triggering peptide known as calcitonin gene-related peptide, CGRP.

Drug companies have been trying to come up with something that binds to CGRP, but the drugs have failed to be effective. They’re also toxic, which is a problem we don’t have with cabbage, as you can see below and at 3:01 in my video.

Green vegetables also have magnesium. Found throughout the food supply but most concentrated in green leafy vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, magnesium is the central atom to chlorophyll, as shown below and at 3:15. So, you can see how much magnesium foods have in the produce aisle by the intensity of their green color. Although magnesium supplements do not appear to decrease migraine severity, they may reduce the number of attacks you get in the first place. You can ask your doctor about starting 600 mg of magnesium dicitrate every day, but note that magnesium supplements can cause adverse effects, such as diarrhea, so I recommend getting it the way nature intended—in the form of real food, not supplements.

Any foods that may be particularly helpful? You may recall that I’ve talked about ground ginger. What about caffeine? Indeed, combining caffeine with over-the-counter painkillers, like Tylenol, aspirin, or ibuprofen, may boost their efficacy, at doses of about 130 mg for tension-type headaches and 100 mg for migraines. That’s about what you might expect to get in three cups of tea, as you can see below, and at 4:00 in my video. (I believe it is just a coincidence that the principal investigator of this study was named Lipton.)

Please note that you can overdo it. If you take kids and teens with headaches who were drinking 1.5 liters of cola a day and cut the soda, you can cure 90 percent of them. However, this may be a cola effect rather than a caffeine effect.

And, finally, one plant food that may not be the best idea is the Carolina Reaper, the hottest chili pepper in the world. It’s so mind-numbingly hot it can clamp off the arteries in your brain, as seen below and at 4:41 in my video, and you can end up with a “thunderclap headache,” like the 34-year-old man who ate the world’s hottest pepper and ended up in the emergency room. Why am I not surprised it was a man?

I’ve previously covered ginger and topical lavender for migraines. Saffron may help relieve PMS symptoms, including headaches. A more exotic way a plant-based diet can prevent headaches is by helping to keep tapeworms out of your brain.

Though hot peppers can indeed trigger headaches, they may also be used to treat them. Check out my video on relieving cluster headaches with hot sauce.

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Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

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June 13, 2024
Easy Kale Salad with Fresh Lemon Dressing
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A fresh salad is a perfect lunch or side for almost any meal.

This easy kale salad is packed with fresh veggies and lots of crunch for in a simple homemade lemon dressing.

A Family Pleasing Kale Salad Recipe

This kale salad recipe is quick and easy.
- Kale salad can be made ahead – prep it the night before and pack it in lunches the next day.
- Unlike tossed salad, I love how leftover kale salad (even with dressing) can be kept in the fridge without getting soggy!
- The zesty homemade lemon dressing takes just minutes to prep and is so much better than store-bought.
How to Prepare Kale for Salads

Kale is ideal to prep ahead for salad and sandwich greenery because it holds up like a champ in the fridge – it stays fresh without wilting! Prepare kale quickly over the weekend, and it will keep fresh and crisp all week long.
1. Rinse the kale leaves in cold water.
2. Remove the thick stem by pulling off the leaves.
3. Spin dry in a salad spinner or shake dry and dab with a kitchen towel.
4. Massage the kale; more on that below.
How to Massage Kale

Say what?! Massage the kale. Massaging kale releases some of its bitterness and helps tenderize or soften it for salads. You can skip this step, but I’d say try it at least once. It changes the texture and flavor of the salad. I use curly kale but have also used dinosaur kale in this recipe.
1. Tear or chop the washed kale into bite-sized pieces, then sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
2. Next, drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil on your hands. Pick up some of the kale and rub it, massaging the leaves until they darken in color and become tender.
I swear that a massaged kale salad tastes a million times better—we wouldn’t prep kale any other way! If you prefer to massage your kale without oil, try a little fresh-squeezed lemon juice instead!

How to Make Kale Salad with Cranberries

This is one of the best kale salad recipes around! It has cranberries, almonds, and a quick and fresh lemon dressing.
1. Wash and massage the kale per the recipe below.
2. Prep remaining ingredients and add to a large bowl.
3. Place dressing in a jar and give it a shake (or whisk in a bowl). Toss with the salad.
Variations

This is a raw kale salad with cranberries and many other tasty mix-ins. I chose to add carrots, broccoli, red onion, dried cranberries, cheese, sliced almonds, and sunflower seeds, but get creative!
- Replace cranberries with raisins or other dried or fresh fruit like apples!
- I used cheddar cheese, but feta cheese, parmesan, or goat cheese would work well too.
- Swap out almonds for other nuts like pecans or walnuts.
- Make it a meal and top with cooked chicken, steak, grilled shrimp, or salmon.
- Skip the meat and sprinkle with your fave grain like quinoa or add in chickpeas.
More Kale Recipes

Leftover kale can be stirred into pasta, blended into pesto, and even baked into crispy kale chips if the craving strikes! The possibilities are endless. I even love a little kale on my pizza when I have it handy.

Did you make this easy Kale Salad? Leave us a rating and a comment below!
4.98 from 296 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
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Easy Kale Salad with Fresh Lemon Dressing

This easy kale salad features fresh veggies and a super simple homemade lemon dressing, making it perfect as a healthy side dish or light lunch!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Dressing:

Combine dressing ingredients in a lidded mason jar and shake well to emulsify. Dip a kale leaf in the dressing and adjust sweetener, salt, and pepper to taste. You can make this dressing as sweet or tart as your heart desires!

Salad:

Massage the chopped kale with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Rub with your fingers until leaves begin to darken and tenderize. This makes it taste great and gives the kale a silky texture!

In a large bowl, combine massaged kale, broccoli, almonds, cheese, carrots, onion, sunflower seeds, cranberries. Shake your dressing once more and pour about ⅓ of the dressing over the salad. Toss to coat and add extra dressing, to taste.

Optional: I like to add poppy seeds to my salad dressing on occasion to give it a lemon poppyseed vibe – feel free to follow suit!
Nutritional information does not include cheese and other optional ingredients

Calories: 334 | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 315mg | Potassium: 744mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 9985IU | Vitamin C: 146.3mg | Calcium: 192mg | Iron: 2.7mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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Jennifer Laughlin

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April 23, 2024
Sustainable Seed Starting: 5 Favorite Eco-Conscious Methods

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Buying plastic starter pots and trays certainly isn’t going to tip the world into a climate disaster, but when there are so many plastic-free options these days, you have every reason to choose sustainable over synthetic. Below, five Gardenista-approved, Earth-friendly options for starting seeds. (Note: If you already have plastic starter pots, go ahead and […]

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March 8, 2024
Why Are My Seedlings Not Coming Up? All About Damping Off
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You promised yourself you’d do better this year and start your seeds on time. You have the supplies, the seeds, a good location with a lot of light (or a grow light). You’ve checked the back of the seed packet and it’s the proper time to start. While there are many things that require attention when seed starting, one that can’t be overlooked is a disease called damping off.

What is damping off?

Above: Healthy seedlings. Photograph by John Merkl, from Gardening 101: How to Sprout a Seed.

Damping off is a disease caused by fungi and molds and is a common problem for beginners, but even experienced gardeners have had to deal with it. Damping off attacks seed and seedlings, impeding germination, and if they do germinate, causing them to collapse and die. The disease thrives in cool and damp conditions.

Where does damping off come from?

The fungus can come from contaminated soil or plant debris. Do not reuse last year’s soil for seed starting. Do not use garden soil either. Both can harbor the pathogens. The infection can also be carried by insects such as fungus gnats or via a breeze. (See Fungus Gnats: How I Got Rid of Them Permanently (and Organically.) Contaminated tools, pots, hose ends that have laid on the floor, and even your dirty hands and gardening gloves, can spread damping off.

What does damping off look like?

Above: Coffee seedlings with damping off in Kona, Hawaii. Photograph by Scott Nelson via Flickr.

Damping off generally affects young seedlings that don’t yet have their true leaves, but it can also cause germination failure. So if your seeds are packaged for use in the current year, and you’ve met all of their needs, yet they don’t germinate, you can suspect damping off. Seedlings that succumb to damping off can look wilted or shriveled; mushy or soaked; mottled with brown or gray spots; or marked by fuzzy white growth. It can quickly spread through the entire tray.

How can you prevent damping off?

Above: Erin Benzakein of Floret rests her cell flats on trays filled with water, as watering from below is preferable to watering from above when it comes to seeds. Photograph by Chris Benzakein, courtesy of Floret, from Your First Garden: What You Need to Know Before You Grow Plants from Seeds.
- Start by cleaning and sterilizing your tools, pots, and gloves. For tools and pots, sterilize using a 10 percent bleach solution for 30 minutes. Store them in a clean location when not in use. For gloves, depending on the material, a hot wash and dry should do it.
- Use sterilized potting soil and seal the package if you don’t use it all in one go.
- Start seeds inside where it’s warm and dry. The air and soil temp should be in the 65°F to 70°F range. Colder temps promote fungal growth.
- Don’t overwater: While the seedlings need water to grow, too much is a bad thing. Only water from below and use room temperature water. Anything colder can slow down plant growth and open the seedling to infection. Make sure your seed trays have good drainage.
What do you do if your seedlings appear to have damping off?

Isolate the tray and watch for symptoms in the others. If it turns out that damping off is present, dispose of the soil, sterilize everything, and start over. It happens to the best of us!

See also:

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March 6, 2024
ACC women’s basketball tournament bracket is set. Here are the matchups

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N.C. State’s Zoe Brooks shoots over Virginia Tech’s Olivia Summiel and Georgia Amoore during the first half of the Wolfpack’s 72-61 loss on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, N.C.

Kaitlin McKeown

kmckeown@newsobserver.com

Coaches and media picked the N.C. State women’s basketball team to finish eighth in a stacked ACC before the 2023-24 season began.

The Wolfpack served notice early in the season that it was playing with a chip on its shoulder, and it did something about it, earning several impressive wins against ranked teams and climbing into the AP Top 25 Poll’s top five.

The Pack’s record has taken some hits in the past month as it has navigated a tough schedule through a deep conference, but Sunday, N.C. State put an exclamation point on its regular season, downing Wake Forest at home to secure the No. 2 seed in the upcoming ACC women’s tournament.

The Pack (25-5) defeated the Demon Deacons (6-24), 75-57, using a 27-point fourth quarter to propel itself to a win after the defense allowed 31 in the third.

The Wolfpack already clinched the double bye on Thursday after its overtime win over Syracuse (23-6), but the weekend victory decided the seeding.

Virginia Tech, which has also been steady all season, had the No. 1 seed locked up before Sunday’s slate of games — a good thing since it lost to Virginia on Sunday. Syracuse, which sat in second to start the day, had already completed its schedule and could only watch as the Wolfpack passed it by.

Notre Dame and Louisville clashed Sunday, and with the win — its fifth in a row — the Irish locked down the fourth seed in the tournament and the coveted double-bye.

“[It] wasn’t always pretty, but this team has seemed to be able to find a way to win most of the time,” N.C. State coach Wes Moore said Sunday. “Just glad to get that behind us and now wipe the slate. We start a new season this week. Hopefully, we can go over there and play the way we’re capable.”

Louisville will remain in fifth.

Florida State held off Clemson in an overtime thriller to take the sixth seed. The Seminoles and Tigers appeared headed to a second overtime when Clemson attempted to call a timeout with one second on the clock in overtime — but the Tigers were out of timeouts. The resulting technical foul gave Florida State two free throws, and eventually the win.

Duke remained in seventh position despite a loss at rival UNC on Sunday. The Tar Heels and Blue Devils finished with identical records, and split the season series, but Duke remained in front of UNC in the standings by virtue of a better record against the No. 1 overall seed, Virginia Tech.

UNC is eighth and will face Miami in its first game, Thursday at 1:30 p.m. Duke will play at 5 p.m. that same afternoon against an opponent to be determined by early-round games.

With its double-bye as the No. 2 seed, N.C. State will open its quarterfinal quest Friday at 5 p.m. If Duke wins its Thursday game, the Blue Devils will face the Wolfpack.

“It is a different backdrop, it is a different ball, and it is a different environment,” Duke coach Kara Lawson said after the loss to UNC. “There’s more urgency when you play in the postseason, because you get one chance. That is what we’re going to hopefully have to work ourselves through, not after the game but while the game is going on, because it’s gonna be the first ACC tournament for a lot of my players.”

Georgia Tech (16-14) beat Miami on Sunday, giving the Yellow Jackets the No. 10 seed over No. 11 Virginia.

The Hokies are the defending champions, while N.C. State won the previous three ACC women’s titles.

See the full schedule below:

ACC tournament schedule

Wednesday’s first round

Game 1 — No. 12 Clemson vs. No. 13 Boston College, 1 p.m. (ACCN)

Game 2 — No. 10 Georgia Tech vs. No. 15 Pittsburgh, 3:30 p.m. (ACCN)

Game 3 — No. 11 Virginia vs. No. 14 Wake Forest, 6:30 p.m. (ACCN)

Thursday’s second round

Game 4 — No. 5 Louisville vs. Game 1 winner, 11 a.m. (ACCN)

Game 5 — No. 8 UNC vs. No. 9 Miami, 1:30 p.m. (ACCN)

Game 6 — No. 7 Duke vs. Game 2 winner, 5 p.m. (ACCN)

Game 7 — No. 6 Florida State vs. Game 3 winner, 7:30 p.m. (ACCN)

Friday’s quarterfinals

Game 8 — No. 4 Notre Dame vs. Game 4 winner, 11 a.m. (ACCN)

Game 9 — No. 1 Virginia Tech vs. Game 5 winner, 1:30 p.m. (ACCN)

Game 10 — No. 2 N.C. State vs. Game 6 winner, 5 p.m. (ACCN)

Game 11 — No. 3 Syracuse vs. Game 7 winner, 7:30 p.m. (ACCN)

Saturday’s semifinals

Games 12 and 13 — Semifinals, noon and 2:30 p.m. (ACCN)

Sunday’s final

Game 14 — Championship, 1 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)

This story was originally published March 3, 2024, 8:07 PM.

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Jadyn Watson-Fisher

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March 3, 2024
Seed Starting 101: Your Step-By-Step Guide for Starting Seeds

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Organic gardens are as good for the earth as they are for its lucky inhabitants. The secret to growing a healthy, lush garden all begins with a single seed. This guide covers all the basics for starting seeds so that you can revel in your gardening wizardry this spring.

Are you planning to start a garden this year? Congratulations! It’s a big deal! Whether you are a seasoned gardener or a beginner, growing a garden is good for everybody. It feeds the soul and the soil and can even feed your family.

Starting a garden off right with healthy seeds sets the roots for how the garden will grow for the rest of the year. Sure, you can help manage sick plants and dried-out leaves, but starting seeds with good intentions and mad skills will make the rest of the year’s jobs a whole lot easier.

Some of you may think I’m crazy, but I believe that how you care for seedlings will be reflected in the plant that grows and the fruit that ripens. The garden is resting now. Perhaps even covered by a blanket of snow. Now, there is ample time to slow down, plan, and nurture the very best plants to grace your garden beds.

Let’s get this gardening season started with this guide on starting seeds.

Experienced gardeners can save the seeds from their plants to use the next year.

The 10 Steps for Starting Seeds

“I made this!” I gloat while serving up a dish made entirely of food that I grew in my garden. Well, “gloat” is probably not the right word. I prance around like the fantastical wizard I am, cheering about my mad skills in making real food from tiny seeds.

It took me months. I had some fatalities. But overall, it’s fairly simple to grow from seeds. And more importantly, it’s awesome. Here are some basics for how to start seeds at home.

Make sure to label your seeds so you know exactly what they all are. Trust me, you will forget.

1. Choose Your Seeds

Starting seeds in the spring (or even winter) is one of the best ways to save money. While you could buy a pack of snapdragons at the garden centre to fill your containers, why not start them from seed at a fraction of the price? You also get way more varieties when you go the seed route.

This list covers my favourite annual flowers to grow from seed, while this list covers some of my go-to perennial flowers. Keep in mind that starting perennials from seed is often more difficult and time-consuming, so it is better suited for those with a few gardening seasons under their belt.

Seed companies in your area should sell the right seeds for your climate but do make sure that you pick the right plants for your experience level. If you’re a seedling yourself when it comes to propagation, don’t bother starting watermelons in Northern Ontario. Many seed companies will also list a difficulty rating that will help to guide you.

You might even be able to find some seeds in a seed library.

2. Read the Packet

If you want the best possible start for your seeds, your best bet is to read the packet. Most seed packets will list everything you need to know to start the seeds and their special requirements, like how deep to plant the seed, how much light they need, how long they’ll take to germinate, soil temperatures required, etc.

I cover all the basics of reading a seed packet in this post if you want to ensure you’re buying the right seeds and those that will actually thrive in your garden.

3. Choose a Container

You can start seeds in just about anything you can find around the house that will create a mini-greenhouse, or you can buy all sorts of interesting setups to best suit your needs.

Greenhouse Kits

Many different greenhouse kits are available now. Most will have a plastic tray with a clear plastic greenhouse dome. Some come with a soilless mixture for starting seeds, like peat pellets that expand to a mini seed pot when soaked in water.

Others may have coconut fibre pots that you can transplant right along with your seedling. Others may even have a heat mat that gently warms soil to improve germination.

The beauty of these kits is that you can start a large number of seeds individually in one tray (up to 72) and many are made for small spaces like windowsills. The drawback is that the seedlings will need to be replanted, either in the garden or a larger pot, in a few weeks. Leaving seedlings in small pots with no nutrition will cause unwanted stress to the plants.

Seed Starting Trays

Garden retailers will sell many different types of professional-grade seed-starting trays, domes, and inserts with features like root training, moisture control, automatic watering, and grow lights. Certainly, many of these features have value in starting the year’s plants off on the right foot and can be used over and over.

Household Items

An inexpensive and creative way to start seeds is to use household items as seed containers. Lining a seed tray with pots made from toilet paper tubes, newspaper, or egg cartons will cost nothing

At times, your family may think you’ve gone mad, given how excited you will become when you get to take home the plastic cake dome from the party. But come on, that’ll make a really great greenhouse dome, right?

Search for biodegradable paper products you can plant right in the ground or food-safe plastic containers that you can use as mini-greenhouses for your containers if you are on a budget.

Paper egg cartons are one of my favourite inexpensive household items to use as a seed starting container.

4. Growing Medium

You can buy a pre-made seed starter soil, or you can make your own with a mix. I make my own mix using a peat-moss alternative, sterilized compost, perlite, and vermiculite. This mixture is light and holds moisture well, so it is wonderful for helping seeds germinate.

All growing mediums will need some time to absorb water, so add moisture and let it soak in for an hour before planting.

Be sure to use a sterile mix if you are starting seeds indoors. Soil or compost from the garden will bring in all sorts of critters, like soil gnats, which will drive you freakin’ crazy as you run around your propagation trays like a mad person swatting and squashing an endless supply of teeny tiny flies.

Seed starting mix needs to be sterile.

5. Water Your Seeds

Germination will be best in a moist environment for most seeds, so keeping the soil damp and a greenhouse dome on top will keep the right amount of humidity for optimal germination.

Keep the soil from drying out by checking it daily. Water gently, from the bottom where possible, so as to not damage the seedlings about to emerge.

When learning how to start seeds, having just the right amount of water is important. You never want the seeds to dry out, nor do you want the soil to be soggy.

Make sure to vent your container regularly to prevent fungal growth.

6. Get the Right Lighting

Seeds won’t need light until they emerge from the surface of the soil, but then they will need strong sunlight for most of the day to prevent them from becoming leggy (overly tall and spindly = weak).

You can supplement a lack of sunlight with fluorescent lighting, either by buying a set of grow lights made for seed starting or by making your own with fluorescent shop lights.

You don’t need fancy lights to help your plants grow. This was my DIY set-up!

7. Treat Damping Off

“Damping off” is a term for a fungal growth that looks like fuzzy hairs on the seedling stem. This fungal growth will kill the seedling, so it’s bad, really bad.

To prevent damping off, occasionally spray the greenhouse dome with a bottle of 3% food-grade hydrogen peroxide and vent it on a regular basis to regulate humidity.

I also recommend watering with my chamomile fungicide spray. Chamomile naturally prevents diseases such as damping off.

It’s almost impossible to get rid of damping off, so prevention is best.

8. Thin Your Seedlings

Generally, the seed instructions will suggest that you plant 2-3 seeds per pot and thin out all but the strongest. This seems to be the thing that some gardeners have the hardest time with.

If three strong tomato seedlings have popped up in one tiny peat pot, then the gardener rushes off to get tweezers to separate out the three wee plants and re-pots them all.

More inexperienced gardeners will damage each plant, giving none a strong chance at survival, so it’s best that you grab a clean pair of scissors, snip all but the strongest seedling in each pot and be done with it.

Choose the strongest seeding and snip any remaining seedlings in the same container.

9. Hardening Off

As the seedlings grow into plants and the date to plant outside gets near, it’s time to start hardening them off or toughening them for their natural environment.

I like to start by opening a window a few hours a day so they get a breeze. Then, start moving the trays outside, out of direct sunlight, for a few hours. Start at one hour and gradually increase to a full day outside.

By the time your plant date has arrived, you can safely transfer your tough little soldiers directly into the ground, with some delicious compost and a thorough watering, to brave the elements on their own.

Seedlings are used to indoor conditions, so make sure to gradually transition them to outside.

10. Set Your Expectations

Starting seeds is such an interesting and magical process, especially for children, so it’s the perfect activity to do as a family this coming spring. The months that you’ve spent germinating and raising seedlings will be a series of trial and error, so expect some loss.

Not every seed will germinate, not every seedling will survive being transplanted, and not every kind of plant will do well in your garden.

The gains will be clear when you have piles of leafy greens taking up every inch of your windowsills, bursting to get outside. Starting the plants off yourself ensures that you are in charge of the health of the plant and can control what goes into it. And the satisfaction you’ll feel from starting your own seeds is tremendous.

My kiddo loves starting seeds with me and planting them in the garden.

FAQ About Starting Seeds

Should you cover seeds with plastic?

Yes. This helps to keep the moisture in and increase temperatures. It essentially acts as a mini greenhouse.

Cover your seeds with a clear plastic container (I like salad boxes) right after you’ve planted and watered your plants. Every day, vent the dome and clean it with food-grade hydrogen peroxide to prevent damping off. Leave the dome on until the seedlings reach it.

Do seedlings need sunlight to survive?

Yes. Seeds don’t need sunlight until they’ve germinated (sprouted above the soil). Prior to this, the seed carries all the energy the plant will need to sprout. But once it has germinated, the seedling will need lots of sunlight to grow well. Otherwise, they get leggy and weak trying to reach for more sun.

Consider using a grow light if you can’t get enough sunlight in a windowsill for your seedlings.

More Tips for How to Care for Seedlings

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Stephanie Rose

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February 14, 2024
South Carolina Bans CBD, Intoxicating Hemp Products in Extreme Crackdown | High Times
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Yet another state is cracking down on hemp-derived products, some of which have intoxicating effects, and South Carolina’s approach to food products that contain hemp is among the most extreme. Even hemp microgreens are banned while only products with hemp seeds and their derivatives will be off the hook.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) issued a warning in a letter dated Jan. 22, banning the manufacture, distribution, and sale of food and beverage products containing hemp-derived products as ingredients in the state’s marketplace.

But they’re not only going after hemp-derived cannabinoid products that are synthetically derived from hemp biomass, and known for psychoactive effects—i.e. delta-8 THC, THC-O, etc.—they’re going after products with CBD, hemp leaves, plant material and more as well. Delta-8 THC only appears in nature in minute amounts, and intoxicating amounts have to be re-added to hemp via a refluxing process in a lab. This is why states are opting to either crack down on it or regulate it like marijuana. The 2018 Farm Bill opened a legal loophole, accidentally legalizing these ingredients. Delta-8 THC products seeped into the medical markets in some states.

South Carolina’s ban on CBD is among the most extreme measures taken by state officials to date. While CBD products can easily be found in most states thanks to a lack of clarity in federal regulations, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has repeatedly warned that products containing CBD are illegal under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

The FDA routinely issues warnings that adding CBD to a food means those products are adulterated, or against products with any sort of medical claims, but the agency has delayed finalizing rules.

“Therefore, the following hemp products are NOT APPROVED to be added to food or beverage products,” the letter reads.
- Viable, non-sterilized hemp seeds, raw hemp leaves, and raw microgreens, and any other raw, unprocessed form of hemp biomass as they are considered “plant material” and may not be possessed without a Grower or Processor License
- Pure CBD Isolate
- Delta-8 THC, Delta-9 THC, or Delta-10 THC
- THC-0 or any other derivative
- “Full spectrum” whole-plant extract (i.e. “full spectrum hemp oil/extract” from biomass) if it includes health claims, or bears any sort of declaration of THC or CBD
- Any hemp product that is NOT manufactured in a food-grade establishment inspected under GMP or cGMP regulations.
- Any hemp or hemp-derived product that promotes its medical or health benefits
The only exceptions are basically hemp seed derivatives. “The FDA evaluated three Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) notices for hemp products and found that the use of such products as described in the notices is safe. Therefore, the following hemp products may be legally marketed in human foods and are APPROVED to be used as ingredients in food and beverage products,” the letter continues.

“While DHEC’s goal is to educate while we regulate this growing niche of manufacturers and distributors of foods and beverages containing hemp-derived products as ingredients, our obligation under the requirements of both federal and state law is to remove from commerce all food and beverage products containing non-conforming hemp-derived products as ingredients,” Sandra Craig, Director of the DEHC’s Division of Food and Lead Risk Assessments, said in a letter announcing the bans.

Sellers can use full-spectrum whole-plant extract as an ingredient in food and beverage products if and only if the hemp-derived ingredient meets the following requirements:
- A “full spectrum” hemp oil or extract from biomass contains the naturally occurring ratios and array of phytonutrients found in hemp.
- Using a full spectrum hemp oil as an ingredient must be referred to in the ingredients list on the food or beverage label as “Full Spectrum Hemp Oil” or “Full Spectrum Hemp Extract.” The label may not contain health claims and may not bear any sort of declaration of “THC”, “CBD”, or “Delta-9” products or isolates.
- When companies in South Carolina receive their “full spectrum hemp oil/extract” from their approved supplier, it must contain no more than 0.3% Delta-9 THC, as evidenced by Certificates of Analysis (COAs). The use of concentrates or “work in progress hemp oil from biomass” containing more than 0.3% Delta-9 THC, is illegal. Companies may NOT use “crude” hemp-derived oil, “work in progress” hemp oils over 0.3% Delta-9 THC, non-food grade oils, or dilute hemp oils containing an illegal amount of THC (> 0.3%) to a “legal” level. Hemp products containing more than the legal limit of THC are no longer considered to be hemp but are a Schedule I Drug. Hemp products that contain more than 0.3% THC are NOT ALLOWED to be possessed by anyone in South Carolina, and they are NOT ALLOWED to be introduced into foods or beverages.
The letter also bans any mention of THC, dosages, and several other restrictions. The letter also reminds hemp sellers that only intrastate hemp product sales are allowed.

At least a dozen other states are actively pursuing solutions to ban hemp-derived products in one form or another.
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Benjamin M. Adams

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February 14, 2024
25+ of the Best Annual Flowers to Start From Seed – Garden Therapy

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Starting flowers from seed may not be as popular as vegetables, but they deserve a spot in your seed-starting tray this spring. By growing annuals from seed, you can have a garden full of colour, fragrance, and pollinators at a fraction of the price. Here are the best annual flowers to start from seed.

Seed starting season is here, and I’ve got more than vegetables and herbs on my mind. Annual flowers are a beautiful way to add quick pops of colour to gardening beds, containers, and baskets.

While just a pack or two of annuals doesn’t cost much, their price can quickly add up if you have multiple pots or spaces to fill. But growing flowers from seed isn’t as difficult as you may think.

The trick is to know which annuals from seed to grow. I have a bunch of recommendations for you, including those that are quick to grow, those that can be directly sown, and those that can get started indoors.

Let’s get into my recommendations!

Begonia ‘Unbelievable Miss Montreal’

Fast Growing Flower Seeds

If you have a short growing season, are getting a late start, or simply want some quick-blooming flowers, these annuals from seeds are some of the quickest and easiest to grow.

Sweet Alyssum

Lobularia maritima

Days to maturity: 8 weeks

Timing: direct sow just before the last frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun to partial shade

Traits: cover crop and filler flower, attracts beneficial insects, sweet-smelling flowers.

Calendula

Calendula officinalis

Days to maturity: 6-8 weeks

Timing: direct sow in early spring when there’s still light frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun to partial shade

Traits: medicinal flower great for skincare, bright orange in colour, edible petals.

Nasturtium

Tropaeolum spp.

Days to maturity: 4-6 weeks

Timing: direct sow one week after last frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun

Traits: vining plant, edible flowers, drought tolerant, companion plant.

Sweet Pea

Lathyrus odoratus

Days to maturity: 7-9 weeks

Timing: direct sow when light frost is a possibility

Sunlight requirements: full sun to partial shade

Traits: vining plant, sweet fragrance, array of colours available.

Marigold

Tagetes spp.

Days to maturity: 8 weeks

Timing: direct sow two weeks before the last frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun

Traits: drought resistant, companion plant, fast-growing, bright orange blooms.

Portulaca

Portulaca grandiflora

Days to maturity: 6-7 weeks

Timing: direct sow after the threat of frost has passed

Sunlight requirements: full sun

Traits: annual succulent, bright flowers that grow in clusters, toxic to cats and dogs.

Zinnia

Zinnia elegans

Days to maturity: 8 weeks

Timing: Direct sow after last frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun

Traits: vibrant colours, perennial in temperate areas, cutting flower.

Petunia

Petunia spp.

Days to maturity: 6-8 weeks

Timing: start indoors 10-12 weeks before last frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun

Traits: great in containers and baskets, lots of variety in colour and flower types, fast-growing.

Annuals From Seed to Direct Sow

Many annual flowers can easily be started from seed and enjoyed that same year. Sow these flowers directly in your garden outdoors in the spring and watch them bloom in no time!

Spider Flower

Cleome spp.

Days to maturity: 10-11 weeks

Timing: direct sow 3-4 weeks after last frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun

Traits: exotic looking flowers, attracts beneficial insects and hummingbirds.

Purple Hyacinth Bean

Lablab purpureus

Days to maturity: 12-13 weeks

Timing: direct sow after the danger of frost has passed

Sunlight requirements: full sun

Traits: vining plant, fast growth, showy seed pods.

Cornflower

Centaurea cyanus

Days to maturity: 10 weeks

Timing: direct sow just before last frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun to partial shade

Traits: papery blooms, cut flower, attracts pollinators.

Cosmos

Cosmos bipinnatus

Days to maturity: 8-11 weeks

Timing: Direct sow after the last frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun

Traits: attracts pollinators, cottage flower, daisy-like blooms.

Sunflower

Helianthus annuus

Days to maturity: 10-13 weeks

Timing: direct sow after last frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun

Traits: tall flower great for borders, many varieties available, cut flower.

Love-in-a-Mist

Nigella damascena

Days to maturity: 12-13 weeks

Timing: direct sow 1-2 weeks before last frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun to partial shade

Traits: hardy, lacy foliage, cut flower, seed heads used in dried flower arrangements.

Phlox

Phlox drummondii

Days to maturity: 7-9 weeks

Timing: direct sow once the ground is workable.

Sunlight requirements: full sun to partial shade

Traits: great for containers, variety of colours, very low maintenance.

California Poppy

Eschscholzia californica

Days to maturity: 8-12 weeks

Timing: direct sow after the last frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun

Traits: drought tolerant, self-sow, bright orange colour.

Borage

Borago officinalis

Days to maturity: 8 weeks

Timing: direct sow after the last frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun to partial shade

Traits: edible flower, drought tolerant, companion plant, attracts pollinators.

Annuals From Seed to Start Indoors

Here are some other great annuals from seed to start indoors before the growing season. They have longer growing times to reach maturity and need a head start indoors.

Ageratum

Ageratum houstonianum

Days to maturity: 8-10 weeks

Timing: begin indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun to partial shade

Traits: looks good in mass plantings, long bloom period, unique blue colour.

Scabiosa

Scabiosa spp.

Days to maturity: 13-14 weeks

Timing: start seeds indoors 4-5 weeks before the last frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun

Traits: attract pollinators and hummingbirds, cut flower, long bloom time.

Scabiosa stallata

Vinca

Catharanthus roseus

Days to maturity: 12 weeks

Timing: start seeds indoors 10-12 weeks before last frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun to partial shade

Traits: fast-growing, drought tolerant, toxic to animals and people.

Celosia

Celosia plumosa

Days to maturity: 12-16 weeks

Timing: start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun or partial shade

Traits: wide range of bright colours, heat tolerant, cutting flower.

Celosia cristata ‘Twisted Orange’

Impatiens

Impatiens spp.

Days to maturity: 12 weeks

Timing: start seeds indoors 6-10 weeks before the last frost

Sunlight requirements: partial to full shade

Traits: shade lover, bedding plant, prolific bloomer, large range of colours.

Salvia

Salvia longispicata

Bloom time: early summer

Timing: start seeds indoors 10-12 weeks before the last frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun to partial shade

Traits: attracts bees, great container plant, deer and rabbit resistant.

Salvia ‘Sally Fun’

Verbena

Verbena x hybrida

Days to maturity: 13 weeks

Timing: start seeds indoors 12-14 weeks before last frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun

Traits: fast-growing, long bloom time, some varieties are toxic to pets.

Begonia

Begonia spp.

Days to maturity: 12-15 weeks

Timing: start seeds indoors 12 weeks before the last frost

Sunlight requirements: Partial sun to full shade

Traits: shade lover, low maintenance, long bloom time.

Begonia ‘Megawatt’

Geranium

Pelargonium spp.

Days to maturity: 16-20 weeks

Timing: Start seeds indoors 10 weeks before the last frost date

Sunlight requirements: full sun to partial shade

Traits: great container and bedding plant, long bloom period, lightly scented, mildly toxic to pets.

Regal geranium

Lobelia

Lobelia erinus

Days to maturity: 12-16 weeks

Timing: start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before transplanting outside to temperatures of 10 °C or warmer

Sunlight requirements: full sun to partial shade

Traits: trailing plant, available in true blue and other colours, attracts pollinators.

Pansy

Viola tricolor var. hortensis

Days to maturity: 12 weeks

Timing: start seeds 10-12 weeks indoors before last frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun to partial shade

Traits: edible flower, variety of colours available, cold tolerant and hardy.

Snapdragons

Antirrhinum majus

Days to maturity: 8-12 weeks

Timing: start seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before planting after last frost

Sunlight requirements: full sun to partial shade

Traits: available in a wide range of colours, cutting flower.

Frequently Asked Questions About Growing Flowers From Seed

What is the best time to plant flower seeds?

Some annuals from seed require cold stratification to grow. This means it’s typically best to plant them while there is still a chance of frost or in autumn.

Otherwise, most seeds are best planted after the threat of frost has passed or started indoors. Most seed packets will tell you when to start the seeds. For an early start, many gardeners can begin starting seeds 6-8 weeks before the last frost.

How do you start a flower from a seed?

When seed-starting flowers indoors, you’ll want a good quality seed-starting soil mix. You can use many household items as seed starting containers, such as egg cartons or toilet paper tubes.

Moisture is necessary for the seeds to germinate. Keeping the soil damp with a greenhouse dome on top will keep the environment humid. Once the seeds have germinated, they will need lots of sunlight either from a sunny windowsill or a grow light.

For more detailed information on starting seeds indoors, view this post.

What are the easiest flowers to grow from seed?

If you’re looking for easy, then look for annuals from seed that you can directly sow. Beyond supplemental watering and the usual thinning, they should require less maintenance compared to those that need to be started indoors. If you’re a beginner, avoid starting perennials from seed.

Should I sow flower seeds directly?

Direct sowing is the easiest way to grow flowers from seed, but not all flowers are well suited for it. Avoid direct sowing if the seed requires high soil temperatures to germinate or requires a long time to reach maturity.

On the other hand, some flowers don’t like to be transplanted and are best to be only directly sown. Most seed packets should advise on whether or not to direct sow or begin seeds indoors.

Calendula Costa Mix

More Flowers to Add to Your Garden

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Stephanie Rose

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February 12, 2024
What to Do in the Garden in February – Gardenista

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What to do in the garden in February–is this some kind of a joke? Here’s a thing I like to do in February: sit by the fire and look at the garden through a window.

However. If you (or I) can find the motivation to throw on a coat, a hat, gloves, a heavy woolen scarf, thick socks, boots, and lip balm–this is what I wear to brave the chilly weather in Northern California; if you live in New England or Colorado, you might want to add a layer of thermal underwear and a second coat–we will be well rewarded for our efforts in springtime.

If you live in a warmer climate, your to-do list for February garden chores will be different from what you can accomplish in colder regions. (For instance, in my USDA zone 10a garden, where the ground does not freeze, I can weed even in cold months. In winter, before weeds spread, is an ideal time to get rid of them.)

Here are a few things we all can do in the garden this month.

1. Prune trees.

Above: See more of this colorful winter landscape in Landscape Ideas: Blazing Color with Red Twig Dogwood, 5 Ways. Photograph by Britt Willoughby Dyer.

Winter is the best time to prune deciduous trees. After trees lose their leaves in late autumn, their structure and shape are revealed. It’s easier to see which branches are growing inward (get rid of those) or crossing others (get rid of those too). Winter pruning will encourage new growth in spring. During this dormant period, insects and diseases that could harm fresh-cut trunks or branches also are dormant.

An exception to this rule is spring-flowering trees. Wait to prune those in late spring after their flowers fade. If you prune them now, you’ll be cutting off this spring’s blossoms.

2. Prune shrubs.

Above: A standard pair of Niwaki Garden Shears (“the very best option for an all-round pair of garden shears– ideal for hedges, shrubs, box clipping and topiary,” says pruning expert Jake Hobson) is $85.50. Its long-handled shears (which measure about 29.5 inches, about 8 inches longer than the standard size) are $92 a pair. Photograph via Niwaki.

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February 1, 2024