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saving seeds
Reprinted by permission from Coping with Turbulent Times newslet-
ter, c/o III, Box 4630 SFA Sta., Nacogdoches, TX 75962.
$5/four issues, $1 & SASE for sample.
SAVING SEEDS: THE GARDENER'S GUIDE TO GROWING & SAVING VEGETABLE
& FLOWER SEEDS (revision of '78 Growing & Saving Veg. seeds),
Marc Rogers, '90, 185 pages 6x9 (wide margins), $10 + $2.75 p&h
in '92, Garden Way, 105 Schoolhouse Road, Pownal VT 05261. 800-
827-8673. Free catalog of 250 + titles: gardening, animals,
cooking, crafts, building.
With petunia seed over $10,000 and tomato over $2,500 per
pound, Marc Rogers concluded that seeds aren't cheap. Seed
saving can cut costs, and reduce dependence on seed companies.
And, by careful selection "you can produce plants best suited to
your climate and your growing conditions." This book gives
directions for saving seeds of 48 vegetables and 61 flowing
ornamentals.
"Watch your plants throughout the growing season.... It is
the whole plant, rather than an isolated fruit, that you should
consider...." Save seed from early-bearing plants, to encourage
that trait. Mark your seed producing plants with a ribbon, or
stake, so they're not accidentally harvested.
Seeds picked before they're mature won't have enough stored
nourishment for a good start, or even to last the winter. (Seeds
"carry on their basic life processes even while dormant, but at a
very low rate.") Fruits, such as tomatoes, peppers, and
eggplant, should be allowed to get "a bit overripe, before seed
is collected." Harvest melons for seed and eating at the same
time.
Tomato and cucumber seeds separate from the pulp easier
after fermenting in a little water. Stir a few times daily to
discourage mold. The good seeds will sink to the bottom. After
4-5 days rinse them and spread to dry,
"Most seeds, in most climates will dry adequately for home
storage if spread on paper towels or newspapers in an airy place
for a week." Turn seeds and replace paper several times if
necessary. Larger seeds take longer. If conditions are damp and
you use artificial heat, don't go over 100(better 90) F.
Fungi are almost inactivated at 50 F, and bacteria at under
about 18% moisture, therefore, "keep your stored seeds dry and
cool. ... Long-term storage in the refrigerator or freezer is
your best bet ..."
Silica gel (at drug, camera, craft, or hardware stores) may
be used as a desiccant. Most "is treated to turn color when it
has absorbed its maximum of moisture." It may be repeatedly
oven-dried for reuse.
"It's hard to go wrong growing peas or beans for seed", thus
they are perfect for beginning seed savers to start with, says
Marc.
Scientific as well as common names are given for all plants.
Address and catalog price given for 50 seed companies, large and
small. The U of MN's Source List of Plants is mentioned as
listing "over 20,000 varieties...commercially available in N
America." For info about the Seed Savers Exchange, Marc says to
send a SASE to RR3 Box 239, Decorah, IA 52101. Their 418 page
Garden Seed Inventory ($17 1/2 ppd) describes 5,000+ non-hybrid
veg. varieties from 240 catalogs. County extension agents may
know of local/regional seed exchanges.
Review by Julie Summers, who's also in DWELLING PORTABLY (sample
$1, POB 190-sr, Philomath, OR 97370); SURVIVALIST SIG (sample $1
1/2, POB 20188-js, Cleveland, OH 44120); & COLTSFOOT (wild edible
plants, sample $2, RR1 Box 313A-js, Shipman, VA 22971).
From: danwinter@igc.apc.org (Dan Winter)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Soil Remineralization Forum
Message-ID: <1453300624@cdp>
Date: 28 Apr 94 01:05:00 GMT
Sender: Notesfile to Usenet Gateway <notes@igc.apc.org>
Lines: 152
From: Dan Winter <danwinter>
/* SOIL REMINERALIZATION & SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE */
/* written 4pm 4/26/94 by David Yarrow in en.agriculture */
For Immediate Release
Forum
Soil Remineralization and Sustainable Agriculture
SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND, APRIL 14, 1994 -- An invitation has been
issued to join a one-day forum to explore the potential of soil
remineralization for sustainable agriculture. The Forum will be held on
May 24, 1994 (with a dinner the evening of May 23 at the USDA,
Agricultural Research Service Center, Beltsville, Maryland.
Natural stone and aggregate materials and fines produced from crushed
stone, sand and gravel contain a broad spectrum of minerals and trace
elements that can be applied to soils. Potential benefits are increased
yields and long term soil fertility that is sustainable and
ecologically sound. There is also a potential for
pest control, co-utilization with sewage sludge or wastewater technologies,
bioremediation of soils and other areas of sustainable development. The
effect on nutritional content of remineralized crops is an important
factor in the examination of the value of remineralization. The main
emphasis of the one-day Forum will be on sustainable agriculture.
These issues should greatly interest all those concerned with
environmental and economic sustainability, especially for agriculture
and forestry, creating long term soil fertility and enhancing the
nutritional content of food. The Forum will take a look at the results
of remineralization around the world, as well as prior and current
research. The diverse audience will also explore its future potential,
and the possibility of forming partnerships involving government, industry,
farmers, and universities which will contribute to future exploration of
remineralization and sustainability. The effects on soils and plants
will be examined along with effects on human nutrition.
Perspectives on soil remineralization will come from those that have
advocated remineralization; the aggregate and stone industries, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Bureau of Mines. Speakers will
come from the fields of agriculture, geology, forestry, nutrition, and
the environment. Presenters will include:
* Mr. Greg Watson, Northeast Director, Nature Conservancy
* Dr. Robert Bruck, State University, North Carolina
* Dr. William Fyfe, Pres., International Union of Geological Sciences
* Dr. Bernadette Marriott, National Research Council
The Forum is being hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture/
Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Bureau of Mines, National Stone
Association, and National Aggregates Association.
For registration, contact
Engineering Division of National Aggregates Association,
900 Spring Street, Silver Spring, MD 20910; 301-587-1400, Fax: 301-585-4219.
The Forum will be held in the main auditorium, Building 003, on the
west side of US Route 1 just north of the Capital Beltway (I-95) on
Circle Drive at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. The dinner
the evening before (and lodging if needed)
will be held at the nearby Holiday Inn, College Park, also located on
the west side of US Route 1 at 10000 Baltimore Blvd. Phone 301-345-6700
for reservations.
Conference sponsors are:
U. S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
Dr. Ron Korcak
Bldg. 004, Room 119, BARC-West, Beltsville, MD 20705
U. S. Bureau of Mines
Dr. Aldo Barsotti
810 7th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20241
National Aggregates Association
Mr. Richard Meininger
900 Spring Street, Silver Spring, MD 20910
National Stone Association
Mr. Larry Quinlivan, Mr. Charles A. Pryor, Jr.
1415 Elliot Place, NW, Washington, DC 20007
Workshop Agenda
Forum on Soil Remineralization
Monday, May 23, 1994
Building 003, USDA/ARS
Noon to 5:00 p.m. - Poster Set-Up
5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Registration, Holiday Inn, 10000 Baltimore Blvd.
7:00 p.m. Buffet Dinner at Holiday Inn
Guest Speaker - Mr Greg Watson, The Nature Conservancy, Boston, MA
Tuesday, May 24, 1994
Auditorium, Bldg 003, USDA/ARS, Beltsville, Maryland
8:00 - 10:00 a.m. Session I
Soil Remineralization - An Overview
Moderator - Dr. Ron Korcak
8:00 Welcome
8:10 - 8:20 Goals of the Workshop
Dr. Ron Korcak
Fruit Lab., USDA/ARS, Beltsville, MD
8:20 - 8:50 Soil Remineralization Around the World
Ms. Joanna Campe
Editor, Remineralize the Earth, Northampton, MA
8:50 - 9:05 The Aggregates Industry
Mr. Rick Meininger
Vice Pres. of Research, National Aggregates Asso., Silver Spring, MD
9:05 - 9:20 Industry/Association Interactions
Mr. Robert Able
Chair, Remineralization Task Force, NAA, Collins, NY
10:00 - 10:30 Break
10:30 - Noon Session II
Remineralization in Agriculture & Forestry
Moderator: Mr. Rick Meininger
10:30 - 10:45 Soil/Plant Interactions
Dr. Ron Korcak
USDA/ARS Fruit Lab, Beltsville, MD
10:45 - 11:10 Use of Mega Industrial Byproducts in Remineralization
Dr. William Fyfe
Dept. of Geology, Univ. Western Ontario, London, Ontario
11:10 - 11:35 Soil Remineralization and Forestry
Dr. Robert Bruck
Office of Outreach & Extension, NC State University, Raleigh, NC
11:35 - Noon Sustainability: A Geologists Perspective
Dr. Ward Chesworth
Land Resource Sci. Dept., Univ. of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario
Noon Lunch
1:15 - 3:00 p.m. Session III
Diversity and Remineralization
Moderator: Mr. Larry Quinlivan
1:15 - 1:40 Effects of Rock Dust on Soil Microbiology & Plant Nutrition
Dr. David Miller
Biology Department, Oberlin College, Ohio
1:40 - 2:05 Microbial Realm in Relation to Rock Powder Blends
Mr. Bruce Tainio
Tainio Techniques & Technologies, Cheney, Washington
2:05 - 2:30 Potential Benefit of Soil Remineralization:
Selenium in Human Nutrition as a Model
Dr. Orville Levander
Vitamin & Mineral Nutrition Lab, Beltsville, MD
2:30 - 2:55 Geophagy and Human Nutrition
Dr. Bernadette Marriott
National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC
3:00 - 4:00 p.m. Break & Posters
Session IV
Posters - Case Histories
4:00 - 5:00 Session V
Conference Synopsis
Moderator: Dr. Aldo Barsotti
4:00 - 4:20 Synopsis & Needs - An Industry Perspective
Mr.Jim Schmitt
Granite Rock Co., Watsonville, CA
4:20 - 4:40 Research Needs
Dr. W. D. Kemper
National Program Staff, USDA/ARS, Beltsville, MD
4:40 - 5:00 General Questions and Answers
5:15 - 6:15 Planning Task Group and Speakers
+ - - - - - - - - C O M M E N T A R Y- - - - - - - - - - - +
The impetus which gave rise to this Forum was a 30-page proposal I
prepared in June 1992 for Mr. Robert Able of Gernatt Gravel Co., largest
gravel producer in NYS. Mr. Able presented the proposal to the National
Aggregates Assoc., which enthusiastically adopted it. Then the USDA,
Bureau of Mines, National Stone Assoc. got excited and signed on to the
concept.
So, two years later will see the first national level conference on
the use of finely ground rock powders as an amendment to regenerate worn
out farm and forest soils. For the first time a gathering of PhD's,
bureaucrats, industry reps, and eco-activists will review the existing
information on this essential bioremediation process and consider the
next steps for its broad scale application to the environment.
Unfortunately I won't be there. In August 1992 I was electrocuted by
6000 volts and fell 15 feet to break my back. Totally broke, confined
to bed and wheelchair, consigned to a medical trash can, and in daily
pain, I can't attend to see what will bec ome of my initiative.
+ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - +
-- for a green and peaceful planet,
David Yarrow, turtle from Salt Lake
1227 Dorset St., So. Burlington, VT 05403; 802-865-1218
"be earthwise, not clockwise"