Look at these beauts! Fantasia rainbow carrots from #farmfolkcityfolk seed from #bcecoseedcoop 🥕

Coming to #burnabyfarmersmarket tomorrow 9-2 Burnaby City Hall!

The seed thresher! David has made this seed thresher which is often the first step to cleaning seeds!

The chains break up the chaff surrounding the seeds so the pure seed can be separated from all that extra stuff!

You can also use a paint stirrer attachment with a tight fitting lid on a bucket

🌱 We’re holding a seed swap & a workshop with @farmfolkcityfolk on how to clean your seeds for better storage & germination!

🌱 Meet us June 21st 10am-1:30 at burnaby farmers market at Burnaby City Hall parking lot.

🌱 Bring any seeds you want to clean or to swap!

#gardening #seedsaving

For large tomatoes - cut them sideways (logitudinally) to separate top & bottom for easy seed access (pictured below).

For smaller cherry tomatoes - cut an X on the bottom & squeeze the pulp & seeds out.

Much like food - seeds have ‘best before’, but no expiry date

After that you can still plant them - but the germination rate will decrease

Allium seeds like onions have a shorter life - they are best sown within a year

Tomatoes can be sown within 7 years with little drop in germination
#Gardening

Garden beds like this are a prime choice for hugelkultur

You put a layer of logs on the bottom, then sticks, then dry leaves, then your soil

As the wood breaks down it creates a huge water sink that absorbs when it rains, then releases moisture back in to the soil during dry weather

#gardening

By using this follicular fertilizer you basically strengthen the tree’s natural immunity so it can fight off more pests on its own

This can be used multiple times throughout the active growing season

Crop rotation is hugely important for keeping the land fertile among many reasons. Some plants take specific nutrients from the soil - and other plants return them! 1/

#organicfarming

Can confirm

Pollinators work hard and show up and contribute

Billionaires exploit workers and steal wages

#PollinatorsNOTBillionaires

Clay is really difficult to work with - pretty much zero plants like it and it can take a few years of amending to see a noticeable difference

My recommendation is to remove some of the heaviest clay areas if possible. Then dig in compost and peat moss - much more than you would think

#Gardening

Calendula is a flower from the aster family that attract pollinators like butterflies & bees, and many beneficial insects like ladybugs, lacewings, and hoverflies 🐞

It is often used as a companion plant to repel nematodes, asparagus beetles, tomato hornworms, and also rabbits 🐰

Can you grow all the veggies you need for your family? Probably not

Is it still worth it? Yes

You will get better tasting & fresher food

Focusing on high producing varieties will minimize effort & save money over time

#VictoryGarden

Finally a reason for why I’m so terrible with names 😩

This is our first year where we
-classify for farm land tax status
-have won a diversity grant
-will be applying for government grant funding
-are getting ducks for pest control & will not have to rely on external fertilizer

Lunaria is sometimes called Money Plant because of its beautiful shiny silver/white dried seed pods 🌱 They are easiest to start from seed in late Winter/early Spring and will bloom in their first year if started early enough 🌺

A look at our pollinator garden from 2024

Every year this garden is slightly different - as new & different amounts of seeds germinate, and as perennials mature and spread

It’s a Spring surprise I always look forward to 🐝

Did you know each seed has a different optimal shelf life?

After that, germination rates start to fall

You can still plant old #seeds - but it’s a good idea to plant some extra if the seeds are past their prime 1/2