31st Annual Conference of the Seed Savers Exchange

This past weekend my friend Janet and I drove out to the small town of Decorah, Iowa to attend the 31st annual conference of the Seed Savers Exchange. If you are unfamiliar with this organization as I was until a few years ago you will be amazed at the awesome work they are doing.

The mission of the Seed Savers Exchange is:

"to save North America's diverse, but endangered, garden heritage for future generations by building a network of people committed to collecting, conserving and sharing heirloom seeds and plants, while educating people about the value of genetic and cultural diversity."

Besides wandering through the hollyhocks, lettuces, kale, phlox and conversing with the ducks, turkey, chickens, horses, cows and other assorted creatures I managed to attend 4 keynote addresses and five additional workshops in a day and a half of intensive information sharing.





Craig LeHoullier is a tomato expert from Raleigh, North Carolina who grows a variety of tomatoes in his driveway. He inspired me to try growing out some Juliet tomatoes, to see if it is possible to stabilize this particular hybrid so that one day it will be an heirloom. The good thing about these types of conferences is meeting other like minded people. I now have the name of someone who is already working at ensuring Juliet continues into the future so I hope to connect with her to help in this project.

Woody Tasch from Slow Money gave a presentation about the movement to bring investors and local food producers together which reflects the new economic, social and environmental realities of the 21st century.

Jeff McCormack entertained us with numerous stories that surround the world of plants. Oral history is an important aspect of connecting people with plants and plays an important role in the continued diversity of the plants we grow. Dr. McCormack is publishing a book 'Bush Medicine of the Bahamas' that will be available in August. This is one book that is definitely on my reading list.

Matthew Dillon gave a delightful presentation about the role of the Organic Seed Alliance in the preservation of our diverse heritage of locally grown seeds and the work being done to ensure that we have a future of healthy seeds.

I also managed to tour several of the gardens, meet and greet various farm animals, and hear Rosalind Creasy talk about the edible landscape. She suggested growing flowers with vegetables since small flowers like alyssum attract other pollinators besides bees which are great for your vegetables. Don't be surprised to see lettuce growing next to the nasturtiums in my front yard next year!

I did manage to attend a session about the library, a wonderful collection of both old and new material. Soon these materials will be listed in the OCLC catalog available at most libraries. This session provided a bit of relief since the library was inside the office building which was air conditioned. Decorah was experiencing the same heatwave as Michigan, but somehow or other I managed to listen and learn without wilting.

Gourds and Lilies

People who know me know that I am not exactly the artistic type. I did, however, manage to take a dried swan gourd from the plant I grew last year and create a birdhouse that is now hanging from one of my apple trees. It doesn't look too bad from far away. What I did was clean it to remove all the black spots after it had dried out. Then, using an exacto knife I cut a circle to create a hole. I cleaned out what was inside, then spray painted it blue. Then I drilled a hole at the top, slipped florist wire through, tied a knot and that was it. Not too bad for an amateur.

Tis the season for lilies and daylilies. I have several varieties of each and they are in full bloom right now. The oriental lilies last a bit longer than the daylilies, but the daylilies have plenty of blossoms and will continue to give color for awhile. They look better when I remove the spent flowers, but they seem to mind this heat less than I do. So who knows when I will get out there to do it. Certainly not today!

Clematis

This is one vine that is worth growing for the sheer volume of flowers on it. The variety I have is Jackmanii and believe it or not, it is blooming for the second year in a row! I haven't managed to kill it yet. If I keep the roots a bit shaded and give the vine itself plenty of sun maybe I will see blooms next year as well. I have it growing up an obelisk. If the flowers cover it completely I will have achieved something. I am always happy to achieve something. One inch at a time...

I Think it's Summer

This past May was probably the rainiest May I can ever remember. A cold and rainy spring. I wasn't sure if summer would ever come. And when I was at the Farmer's Market last Friday I still wasn't entirely sure about summer. There was a chill wind in the air and I was glad to have my sweatshirt.

But if the weather isn't sure I guess I can count on my flowers to tell me that summer is really here. The lavender and the roses are at their peak right now so I am declaring that summer has officially arrived.




I need to pick this lettuce soon as the weather is slated to turn hot by the Fourth of July weekend. Lettuce does not like the heat. In that respect it resembles a certain gardener I know.

I usually think of Purple Coneflower as a plant that blooms in August. But the flowers are starting to bud so I know they will be in full bloom in July. The buds are pretty too!

I save these red cannas from year to year, digging them up in fall and storing them in a paper bag in my closet which is the coldest place in my house. It may not be the garden correct way of doing things but it works for me. I had so many cannas this past year the Master Gardeners used them in our garden at the Children's Zoo.

Finally a red lupine in my garden. I seem to have no trouble with the purple and white variety but I can't seem to get the red ones to grow. So I don't know if this one will return next year or not, but for now I am quite pleased.

This is the first lily of the season. I absolutely love lilies of all colors, but I am very careful around them. When I am weeding I wear old paint clothes since they seem to stain my clothes. It takes me awhile, but I do learn from past mistakes.

And fortunately there are many more lilies on the way. Now for a homegrown tomato! Summer will be just about perfect then!

Garden Friends

Most insects in the garden are fairly harmless. There are some pests, aphids and Japanese beetles to name a couple, but the majority of the smallest garden creatures are just doing their own thing and are not interested in destroying your plants. Some of them are actually good to have around as they prey on the pests or pollinate your plants. So as far as the bees in my garden go, it is a live and let live policy I go by. I don't bother them and they don't bother me.




This is the season for lavender and how I love the smell! Now if I can manage to cut a few flowers and keep the cat away from the vase my day will be good.




The delphiniums blossomed this past week at my house as well. I give them a good dose of compost each spring and that seems to keep them happy. I also find that the fish wire trick keeps them upright and not flopping on the ground. I cut a long piece of fish wire, tie it around the plant and like magic they stay upright! The fish wire is pretty near invisible too!

If you have never been to the Saginaw Rail Trail then by all means check the place out. It is enjoyable by foot, rollerblades or bike and you may catch sight of some wildlife. Wild daisies and phlox are in bloom out there now. I enjoy watching the progress of the wildflowers throughout the summer. This is the perfect place for doing this!

Cranesbill, Angelica and Garden in a Jar

This past weekend the Birkams and entourage gathered for a family reunion on the banks of Lake Huron just north of that spectacular sunrise city, East Tawas. My contributions to the family festivities were oatmeal rhubarb crisp made with this year's first crop of rhubarb and salsa which I canned last fall with last year's tomatoes, garlic and peppers. One of my cousins (or entourage--the brain doesn't quite remember whom to credit) told me I should market it as garden in a jar. Well, I don't intend to market it, just eat it. But here it is in all its tomato splendor.

The perennial geraniums are in their glory these days. Here is a variety called Patricia which I have never had any problems with and pretty much stays where I planted it. These plants have taken over from the spring daffodils and tulips and eventually will be replaced by the mums come fall. But for now they are the stars of the show.

I have two Angelica plants in bloom right now. Angelica is a biennial. These plants set seed two years ago, grew all of last year and are now in flower. Soon they will die and drop more seed which will hopefully germinate. I have been growing Angelica fairly successfully for several years now. These flowers are spectacular and are definitely worth the effort.

Vegetables Everywhere

This past week I managed to plant many seeds, mulch the seeds I had already planted with straw, and yes, get the tomatoes and peppers into the ground. Here the snap peas are looking healthy and ready to climb this trellis.

I like to protect the tomato, pepper, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower plants that I put in the ground since the cutworms tend to find them. When they do, there is nothing left. These collars of old margarine containers work just fine. The soda bottle works fine with a cone for watering as well. And the cage will keep the tomatoes off the ground which is where I want them.

I am also using a floating row cover for the brassicas. I have plenty of cabbage moths around, which look pretty flying around, but since they like the leaves of the brassica plants I am trying to give the plants some protection.

I use the water from my rain barrels and water with a watering can to save money and to try and keep the leaves of the tomato and peppers plants dry. I want to water them at the roots since it is through the roots plants take in water and nourishment.

Here is a tomato growing in a smart pot I bought from Gardener's Supply Company. I also have potatoes growing in similar bags. A way to extend the vegetable garden to my deck. Easy picking when I want to cook!