The Populuxe Seed Bank

So on this eve of Christmas eve, I just wanted to post a quick update (and photographic evidence!) that the seeds – all of them – including the new additions for 2010 are home safe and sound.

The next week or so I’ll be cataloguing, separating, storing, and figuring out quantities that will be up for sale in the yearly fundraiser for the seed bank/what will be given away. The last week of 2010/the first week of 2011 will have a post up saying what is available, and will contain a full list of the new additions for now, just as a teaser, I’ll list a few of the fantastic varieties:

… That’s it for now, but there are many more to come. Stay tuned, and have a Happy Christmas everybody!

Did you know that you can readily request seeds from most government-run seed banks? Canada and the US in particular will ship outside their borders, and as long as it doesn’t violate any laws within your country. Read the how-to I created for the Seedchat.com website here.

I know, I’ve been saying it for about three months now, but after a very, very long wait, the seeds are finally coming from their old home in the Kootenays to their new home here on the warm west coast (seriously warm – a week before Christmas and we’ve only had a handful of frosts!).

They are still in the Kootenays, but they’ll be home this week. When they get here I’ll immediately start raking through them, labelling, packaging, germinating testing, and updating the website and the database (so the .pdf here on the site will be all updated and nice). I’ll determine what I have to give away, what will be sold in the seed bank’s yearly fundraising drive.

It’ll be easier to determine as well what needs to be grown out for 2011.

I have some new and rare varieties coming to me from Plant Gene Resources Canada (our Canadian government run seed bank) that’ll be grown for 2011 as well, more on those when they arrive.

So keep your eye on this page, because there are a lot of updates coming up over the next two- to three weeks!

When bringing in to store or eat dry crops (like peas, beans, or grains) put them in the fridge for a week, the freezer for another week, then, back in the fridge for a week before you let them sit on the shelf at room temperatures. Often pests such as weevils can hide in the seeds unknown to you for weeks until you see them start to do their damage by eating your whole crop. Placing them in the freezer kills any potential eggs.

Starting today I’ve decided to begin a brand new thing here on the ol’ blog for all you seed lovers that I’m calling STOW (or “seed tip of the week”, yes I did fudge it a bit to make a better acronym).

Every Sunday I’ll just be posting a little tip for seed savers and seed starters that’ll hopefully, at some point help you along your seed travels.

Let’s begin!

To make your own desiccant packet, take rice or evaporated milk, fold a piece of paper towel or cloth around it and seal with tape or glue. Place with your seeds, and voila, home made desiccant. Replace these once every six months to keep them working at maximum efficiency.