🚜 We've Moved!

Plus: A garden update and I share how I am collecting wildflower seeds.

Life Update

Well, we have officially moved. We are back at the farm - our family’s first home.

It’s easier to make sense of things when you look back. The dots become clearer, and patterns emerge. You can see what destiny has written. Starting in college, I began a journey of pursuing my passions. Even when that pursuit didn’t make perfect sense and even if I didn’t always know the next step beyond the one in front of me. I don’t universally advise that strategy. I also think pursuing what you believe in, what you care about, what brings you energy, is a move in the right direction. One isn’t always afforded that luxury. Which is why I’m thankful for my journey. If I’m able to pursue my passions, I will. To not do so would be a waste of my humanity.

I’m excited about our move back to the farm. We are moving back because we feel a strong pull. It feels like a calling. It’s another step in the right direction. Where this path leads only time will tell. We have ideas, but our palms are open.

Garden Update

I feel ashamed to say our garden is basically empty. It has one vibrant celery plant, one oregano plant, a few scraggly green bean plants, and three good-looking basil plants. It may sound like a lot, but it’s not.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I planned on having a full garden until this fall. And then Morgan and I traveled to Guatemala. Upon our return, we found our spring crop of kale, broccoli, and cabbage decimated by rats. Then, after three months of growing beautiful tomatoes from seed, our tomatoes fell victim to the rats. They broke the limbs and ate every flower and tomato on our four plants. We harvested 3 tomatoes in all. At this point, it was early July. I was defeated. I knew we would be moving soon, so I decided I would plant the rest of the garden in green beans. We’d grow ‘em. Can ‘em. And eat ‘em. I got some bean seed from Lowes (not deliberately, I was just there and saw the seed aisle). I came home, pulled back the mulch, and seeded the beans directly into the garden. Of the 30 beans I planted, 6 came up. 2 were eaten a couple of days later and the other 4 lived long enough to put on some true leaves.

Guys, I don’t know what to say. I’m unsure if the seed was bad or if rats ate the sprouts. After losing my spring garden crops, my tomatoes, and now my beans, I’ve lost the desire to figure it out. After all, we’ve moved. I’ve been dreading saying goodbye to our little garden that I built from the ground up. The recent struggles have made it easier, but it is still hard.

(Post Script note: The rats are exterminated. Also, they never made their way into our house.)

One of my favorite shots from the garden on Woodmont.

I’m not sure when our garden will be ready at the farm. I’ve got work to do to get it ready. I look forward to sharing our plans and progress with you all.

Collecting Wildflower Seeds

I’ve written previously about my recent native wildflower escapades. Many of the spring and summer wildflowers have dropped their petals and have set seeds. I made it a point to visit all the different patches routinely throughout the summer so I would be ready to collect when the seeds are ready. My goal is to collect enough for my personal planting, for spreading at the Graham Farm and Nature Center, and to share with others who may be interested. I have never collected wildflower seeds before, and like most unfamiliar things, it felt intimidating. But in reality, it is not too hard.

For most wildflowers, once the flowers start to fade, the plant will begin to put its energy into seed production. Typically, the seeds will be behind where the blooms were. As the petals fall off, the buds will begin to turn brown and dry out. At this stage, you are good to cut the stems. Once cut, you can bundle them together and place them upside down in a brown paper sack. The sack helps with moisture control. You want your seeds to stay dry. As the seeds mature, they will fall out into the sack. A few taps and shakes here and there will help the process along. After a few months, you should be good to open the sacks and collect your seeds. And… it is that simple! I think. This is my first time doing this so I’m sure there are some things I’m missing.

I know we have readers that are more knowledgeable than I am on this topic so please chime in and comment if you have advice for collecting wildflower seeds!

Some flowers develop seeds in pods. Milkweed is a good example. After the flowers fade, the plant will begin developing a seed pod. Once dry, the pod will be full of seeds.

The first picture is a swamp milkweed blossom. The second is the seed pod of a milkweed variety called "butterfly weed." The last picture is a seed pod of common milkweed.

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