I’m stuck this morning.  I want to write about gardens and seeds and compost and bright green growing things, but it’s too early.  Literally and figuratively.  Literally, because I write these blog posts before the sun comes up and figuratively, because it is only February 13.  The ground is frozen hard and solid.  Yesterday, people were skating at the Ice Pond on Woodland Road and I was only a little frost-bitten from walking on the trails behind the Victory Garden.  It’s even too early to start seeds with my grow-light.

Sigh.

Speaking of seeds, the ones I ordered from Seed Savers Exchange (SSE) arrived on Saturday.  I’m not quite done with my seed ordering, but I like the old-fashioned seeds offered by this particular company.  Located in Decorah, Iowa, they are committed to preserving heritage heirloom seeds.  In 2010, I saved seeds from my peppers and marigolds and they did germinate and grow in 2011.  Here are some of the marigolds I planted in my row of tomatoes.

I also planted these same saved marigold seeds below the Victory Garden bulletin board.

It’s easy to save seeds; I just waited for the flowers to die, pulled off the dead heads, let them dry, took them apart, and stored them.

This year there are two particular plants I’d like to grow with the intention of saving their seeds.  They are “Small Shining Light” watermelon and “True Red Cranberry” pole beans.  I’m not sure what Uncle Bob is going to say about the watermelon; he laughed at me when I told him I was going to plant melons last summer.  He helped me plant them anyway.  They grew, though, and they were delicious.  And he ate them.

As Uncle Bob would say “We’ll see.”