Beans, Peas, Seed Conference

My roommate printed out this zine created by the Seed Ambassadors Project all about seed saving. There is a cool organization in Port Townsend dedicated to saving heirloom seeds called Seed Dreams that I mentioned in a previous post. All of this, and it's September so I've got my mind wrapped up in saving seeds. I'll be saving some runner beans and peas from the yard. Honestly I don't really enjoy eating them and just prefer to watch them vine up their tendrils. So I'd rather save them then eat them.

 

The peas which were planted before I moved in are perfectly dried out on the vine. I will cut them at the soil level and leave the roots in place so that nitrogen is fixed. I will wait until the beans dry out then do then remove those plants so I can put in fall crop. Or perhaps garlic.

 

 

Here is one lonely pod of what remains from a planting by the side of the house. The seeds did not take so well there because the soil is in poor condition.

 

In other news, I'm very excited to attend the Dandelion Seed Conference this weekend, being organized by the Olympia Free Herbal Clinic, where I have secured work trade for the entire cost of participation. Seed saving will not be a topic in those workshops. But I will find so much inspiration there from established herbalists regarding healing and community building, I cannot think of a better way to spend a weekend for learning.