5/12 Edible Gardening 101

I Want ALL the Seeds

In order to not bankrupt our household, I try to focus on how many seeds or seedlings I need (not want! ) to plant for a yield that will feed my family of 6. Your yield will depend on weather, pest, soil nutrition and seed quality. There are lots of resources out there that take you through yields ex: each potato plant will give approx. 4 lbs of potatoes at maturity. One I use frequently is Melissa K Norris’s Family garden plan. She does all the work for you .

I usually plant 4 zucchini or summer squash plants from seeds. Some years they are so prolific I am literally giving it away, and others I have just enough to make zucchini bread all winter.

I always like to plant a little more than I need. You can always freeze it, give it away, trade it, or sell it.

Keep track of what seeds you have and what you need to buy. Seeds are not good forever so avoid stocking too many of them up. If you aren’t sure if your seeds are still good, you can do a germination test. Dampen a paper towel and place a sample of ten seeds on it and fold over. Keep it damp and you should see them start to germinate in a few days.

Where to Buy Seeds/Seedlings

This is important. And MY GOODNESS IT’S SO FUN !!!You want seeds to grow where you live, which seems simple. However if you buy from a company that does not have a test garden in our climate, you will not be getting the hardiest seeds. They may or may not grow well here, and who needs to waste money and time on that?