Lettuce Unite! Richmond Grows Seed Lending Library Newsletter

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Richmond Grows Seed Lending Library Newsletter

Lettuce Unite!

August-September 2020| Issue #21

Upcoming Classes

Seed Saving in a Time of Crisis

Mon., Sept. 14 6-8 PM Register

Free, Online

Resources

New to Gardening

Nuevo en jardinería

Planting Times

East Bay Gardeners Forum

Join our online community on Groups.io, EastBayGardeners+subscribe@EastBayResilience.groups.io. This is a place to ask questions and share resources with other East Bay gardeners.

Little FREE SEED Libraries will close September 30!

We'll reopen again mid-April.

What Will You Save?

Saving Lettuce Seeds: Seeds will be good for 3 years.

★ How to: Save Bean Seeds (An Easy Step by Step Guide)

Saving Bean & Pea Seeds: Watch video above. It's easy-peasy. Seeds will be good for 4 years. You can put beans in a glass jar and freeze for several days to kill any possible bean weevils. Take out of freezer, put on a tray to dry for a few days as moisture can collect on beans when you remove them from the freezer.

Share saved seeds with the community! What will you save? Let us know so that we know what seeds we'll have available next year for the libraries.

New to Seed Saving?

These plants are super easy to save:

Arugula
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Peas
Beans
Coriander / Cilantro
Parsley
Nasturtiums

Parsley, Coriander, and Arugula: Let the plants bolt - that's when the plant sends up a flower stalk. You can see the seeds of the parsley, coriander and pods with arugula seeds. When they start to look dry, cut them off and put them in a labeled, brown paper bag to dry a bit more. Then clean and store for next year. Share with others. Consider donating to the Little Free Seed Libraries. Let us know if you are willing to save and share any of these to be shared out in the community.

Increase Genetic Diversity: It's best to save from multiple plants to increase genetic diversity. Above is one plant may be more drought or pest resistant. You never know! So increasing the number of plants, increases the likelihood that your future crop will survive.

Cilantro / Coriander bolting. Let it form seeds and start to dry, then cut off and put in a labeled, brown paper bag to completely dry out.

Save those Tomato Seeds!

If you've never saved seeds before tomatoes are super easy to save. If you planted an heirloom or open-pollinated variety then next year's plants will come out "true-to-type", which means they look like the parent plants. If you save seeds from.a hybrid, you'll get a tomato but the color, shape, and size may be completely different. It is best to save seeds from a number of plants of the same variety. It's recommended to save seeds from 5 plants, but one is okay if that's all you have.

Squash, Cucumbers, & Melons

Learn to Hand-Pollinate

Squash, cucumbers, and melons are insect pollinated. To maintain the variety you have, you be the bee!

Go out in the afternoon and look for male and female flowers that are orange and look like they are about to open. Tape the male AND female flowers shut. (See image.) Use wide painters or masking tape.
Go out early the next morning. Remove the male flower & take off the petals. Use it as a paintbrush to pollinate the female flower. Then tape the female closed.
Put a ribbon around the hand-pollinated female flower so you remember which one was done.

‌

Excellent video on hand-pollination!

Crisis Gardening Videos

Here is an uplifting series of videos on Crisis Gardening from Good Life Permaculture in Australia. There are 10 videos in this informative series. Here is a link to the finale, but check out her other videos.

Here is a blurb from her: Grow veggies you can eat within 8 weeks! Six methods you can use for your backyard, courtyard, balcony, or kitchen bench. Learn more.

Crisis Gardening *Finale*: How to grow green manures AND a better world

Grow a Row for the Community

Is your household dependent on getting seeds or starts from a nursery? With the rush on seeds this year, you may want to learn to save seeds. (Take our free Seed Saving in a Time of Crisis class.) Our community as a whole is vulnerable to similar shocks. You can make a difference in our community by joining our Grow a Row Program. These are people that commit to growing a row of something all the way to seed for the community. No previous seed saving experience required.

Seeds are the foundation of our food system. Help create access to seeds and healthy vegetables to our community by being a Grow a Row Seed Steward. We'll provide the seeds and information about seed savings or you can also save something that you are already growing in your garden.

Little Free Seed Library Community Partners

Does your community need seeds? We are looking for community partners (ex. church, nonprofit, neighborhood center) to help us get seeds into the Richmond community in the spring. We can provide seed and also offer online gardening and seed saving classes to support your community. Resources are in English and Spanish and we'd love to be able to offer information in other languages if folks can volunteer with translations. Most of our lLittle Free Seed Libraries are in community markets, but we also have a box on the fence at The Latina Center and inside of Rich City Rides, a worker owned cooperative bike shop.

A Little Free Seed Library doesn't need to be fancy. We typically provide 4 types of seeds at each location. ff you belong to an organization or are a member of a religious group and would like a little free library, let us know. Together, we can keep seeds in the hands of the people. Here are host resources. .Please review if your organization or institution is interested in hosting a Little Free Seed Library, then fill in this form.

Donate

Providing access to seeds and gardening and seed saving information is a the core of our mission. Help keep seeds in the hands of the people by donating today. We are a 100% volunteer-run and community-supported nonprofit. Your donation goes directly to supporting seed access and education.

I support local seeds!

What to Plant Now

Click on the Planting Times Guide to see the complete list.