NEWS & VIEWS
CITIZENS AGAINST RUINING THE ENVIRONMENT (CARE)
HAS BEEN WORKING TO PROTECT THE WILL COUNTY ENVIRONMENT FOR OVER A QUARTER CENTURY
ABOUT THE SEEDS The seeds offered at the seed exchange have either been donated (we LOVE donated seeds) or offered to us at a reduced cost. They are not seeds being sold in 2024 by seed companies; rather, they’re unsold seeds from previous years. In Nature the survival of a species is of vital importance. If a plant produces 100 seeds, but all 100 of those seeds are immediately destroyed due to a severe drought, fire, or some other catastrophe, the species will not survive. If the seeds can remain viable for more than just one year the species has a greater chance of survival. Seeds remain viable (capable of l i f e o r n o r m a l g r o w t h a n d development) for quite some time. By doing an internet search for “seed viability charts” you’ll find many charts showing how long different seeds remain viable. To quote Charles Darwin: “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” Seeds are perfect examples of that. The vast majority of seeds available at the Seed Exchange are organic, some are heirloom, and all are non-GMO and open pollinated. You will be able to chose between vegetable, herb, and a few flower seeds. Last year CARE offered native seeds for the first time. They were well received so we decided to go ahead and make them a regular part of our exchange. Check them out —- they’re great!
HOW THE SEED EXCHANGE WORKS The cost of supermarket food these days makes growing your own food both healthy and financially prudent. CARE is pleased to offer an array of seed options that, in addition to the old familiar varieties of foods, will also introduce you to some new varieties. The seed exchange is typically located in the large meeting room on the library’s second floor. After you sign in with CARE you will enter the room with all the seeds. The seeds will be grouped by type: all tomato seeds will be in one place, all cabbage and cabbage related seeds in another place, and so on. CARE relies on everyone to make sure the seed packets stay with their proper group. Envelopes and pencils will be placed on the seed tables, but please feel free to bring your own pen or pencil and use it throughout your visit. When you see a packet of seeds that interests you take just a few of the seeds from the packet and place them in one of the envelopes. Then label the envelope with the name of the seeds you’ve put in the envelope. Use one envelope for each type of seed. Just remember to carefully label the envelopes with the seed’s name. If you don’t label the envelopes you may forget what type of seed is in each envelope and that could definitely lead to a very interesting garden layout. In the past we began having problems with people taking entire packets of seeds. That is NOT acceptable. You are free to take a few of the seeds from packets that interest you but always leave some for the people that come behind you. By following that rule there should be plenty of seeds to go around. We offer good, clean seeds obtained from reputable sources. We would like to establish a community of local gardeners who get together to swap seeds, gardening tips, perhaps a recipe or two, and offer lots and lots of support and encouragement to fellow gardeners — especially to all the newbies out there. Please let us know if you’d be interested in joining such a group. Remember when we talked about seed viability? Well, another way for plants to guarantee the survival of a species is to produce lots and lots of seeds. Tomatoes, peppers, green beans and so on are full of seeds. When the seeds you plant come to fruition you can select two or three of the tomatoes or peppers or whatever it is you’re growing and harvest their seeds for the next year’s garden. By following that practice you will have enough saved seeds for your own gardening needs with some left over to share with fellow local gardeners. There will be people at the seed exchange happy to share tips on how to save seeds. For more incentive to jump on the seed exchange bandwagon check out Seed Collectors Heaven - Trade and Share Facebook page. Also, if you have no previous gardening experience you should know you’ll have much better luck with tomatoes, peppers, beans and many other vegetables if you start them indoors, and NOW is the time to start doing that. If you are new to gardening there will be people at the seed exchange to give you info on starting your seeds indoors. In a pinch you can also check out all the YouTube videos on the subject.
SAY “HELLO” TO THE NATIVES!!! CARE is now offering a collection of seeds for plants that are native to Will County and its environs. The names of all the plants are listed to the left. All these native seeds were donated by Prairie Moon Nursery in Winona, MN (Thank you very much, Prairie Moon Nursery). Some of the plants, such as the Common Milkweed, Purple Coneflower, and Rose Mallow, you may already be familiar with. Others, such as Wild White Indigo, Hoary Vervain, and the Western Indian Physic, you may have never heard of. We strongly recommend you visit the Prairie Moon website to see pictures of the plants and learn about their habits and needs. Simply go to prairiemoon.com and enter the plant’s name in the search bar at the top of the page. In the field beneath the space bar a thumbnail photo along with the name of the plant being searched will appear. Click on the thumbnail photo and all the info on that plant will become available. Please check to see if there are any special germination requirements, such as cold moist stratification, for the seeds you are interested in. If so, go back to the search bar, enter “germination”, and follow the instructions. This collection of seeds is mostly for plants found on or near the prairie, but there are also a few woodland species thrown into the mix. We like to think we have something for everyone. For example, if you happen to live on a wooded property that abuts a forest preserve and is occasionally visited by deer, we most definitely have seeds for you: Wild Geranium, Tall Bellflower, and Jacob’s Ladder. These plants not only love the shade and prefer medium to medium dry soil, they’re also deer resistant! Native plants are hearty and will, if left to their own devices, stick around for quite some time. As an added bonus they’re able to withstand prolonged periods of drought with no problem. Check out “native plant root systems” on the internet and you’ll see how they manage that. Granted, they definitely aren’t to be considered a human food crop, but they are beloved by insects and the insects will attract birds and other wildlife. Best of all, these native plants are bright and beautiful and will gladly help color your world. Please give them a try; we think you’ll like them.
Aromatic Aster, Common Milkweed (associated with the endangered Monarch Butterfly), Cream Gentian, Hoary Vervain Jacobʼs Ladder, Little Bluestem, Pale Spiked Lobelia, Purple Coneflower, Purple Prairie Clover (a favored superfood for the federally endangered Rusty Patched Bumblebee), Rattlesnake Master, Rose Mallow, Sneezeweed, Tall Bellflower, Western Indian Physic, Wild Geranium, Wild White Indigo, Yellow Coneflower