Are Those Old Vegetable Seed Still Good?

Amy Batog

Late Sown Peas

Get sowing for some winter greens and veg like Beetroot, Spring Cabbages, Lettuces, Spring Onions, Chicory, Fennel and Rocket.

Georg Arends was a German nurseryman who bred many perennial plants. His business was successful until the second world war and has been regenerated to be one of the oldest in Europe. It still remains within the Arends family.

With all that in mind, I made my annual frantic call with some urgent tomato questions to today’s guest, Craig LeHoullier in North Carolina, the NC Tomato Man as he’s known on social media, author of the classic book, “Epic Tomatoes” (affiliate link). Craig knows more about these cherished fruits than almost anyone I’ve ever met. He even shares that in live sessions each week on his Instagram account where you can ask your questions and get solid answers. I asked Craig how he’s doing and what we should all be doing to bolster a bountiful harvest and also about which fruits to save next year’s seed from anyhow and other tomato questions. Read along a

Rugs can define a space. Aside from the paint on the walls, they’re most likely any room’s largest source of color, which means they really set the tone for the space. A rug’s pattern, too, is an important influence on the atmosphere of a space. An intricate floral might make the perfect backdrop for a formal living room, while a loose, abstract design could signal a laid-back, family-friendly lounge.

I recently had a call from a South Carolina resident who lost power for more than 24 hours and wanted to know whether the foods in her freezer would be safe to eat. This is a very common problem in South Carolina winters and could easily affect you in the coming months.

Choosing to start vegetable plants from seeds allows gardeners the freedom to try varieties that are not readily available as transplants, such as heirloom varieties. It also allows gardeners to get transplants ready and, in the ground, quicker than they might be found in the garden center. Not only does starting transplants from seed save time, it also saves money. For example, ten heirloom tomato plants started from seed is much cheaper than buying those tomato plants from a retail store.

Gardening in the winter is somewhat challenging but doable. Many of the greens, some of the root vegetables, and herbs can be planted in the fall and will grow through the winter months. The saying is that greens are better after a frost.

Proper soil preparation when growing vegetables is the key to successful and bountiful harvest but if you neglect to do this, it can greatly hinder the cultivation of demanding plants.

It was the gold-leaf version of a ‘Scarlet Runner’ type of bean in the pages of Territorial Seed’s catalog that set me off down the yellow-brick road. ‘Golden Sunshine’ bean has the typical red hummingbird-friendly flowers and green pods but on a 6-foot plant (somewhat less enthusiastic than the green original).Next I met up with a gold-podded filet bean—an extra-long haricot vert type called ‘French Gold’ that isn’t vert at all but solid or. Renee’s Seeds offers this beauty, a pole type that’s new for 2010 and promises 7-to-9-inch pods for “especially choice eating.” Sold.Romano-type, or Italian-style beans are my favorites, typically, so when I happened on ‘Gold of Bacau’ bean a

MY OLD FRIENDS ‘MARMADUKE,’ ABOVE, and ‘Little Brother Montgomery’ and all the other fancy-leaf begonias I grow for double duty–garden display in spring and summer, houseplant service all fall and winter long–are tucked in safely with me, thank you, but neither they nor I are happy about it, truth be told. Low light and dry indoor air and a dry, frigid outdoors as the only alternative aren’t the happiest of times, but onward we trudge.