Last summer after getting my garden going fairly well, I got very sick and had to abandon all the work I had done. The garden was left to it's own devices, to survive or not at the whim of the weather and bugs. As upsetting as that was, I learned several things from it. I used all heirloom seeds to plant the garden last year so that I could gather seeds for the next year when the plants were done. Heirloom plants are those that reproduce through open pollination, making it possible to gather seeds from the plant in the fall and replant those seeds the following year. Hybrid seeds are genetically modified and usually sterile, meaning you have to buy new seeds every year.
Despite the fact that my garden was left untended, some of those plants continued to grow within the tangle of weeds, to the point that they set seed.
Fast forward to this year, and lo and behold I have lettuce! Some of the potatoes that were missed when some my friend Sue came out to salvage what she could from the garden in the fall (Sue is the greatest friend a person can have), hibernated through the winter and began to sprout as soon as the weather warmed up this year.
Beets reseeded on their own, and all different varieties of beans did too, but I had to defer to my husband's tiller and tractor after realizing that my health just doesn't allow me to go out and slog dirt and weeds all day anymore. If you have permanent beds and can keep ahead of the weeds, letting heirloom plants go to seed can be an easy way to propagate from year to year. Okra is another happy reseeder that always welcome in my garden. I even have some squash coming up in my mulch pile.
And don't forget perennial crops like asparagus, horseradish, jerusalem arthichokes, and all the mints, fruit trees and bushes. Keep planting, my friends, and reap the rewards of food insurance.
Despite the fact that my garden was left untended, some of those plants continued to grow within the tangle of weeds, to the point that they set seed.
Fast forward to this year, and lo and behold I have lettuce! Some of the potatoes that were missed when some my friend Sue came out to salvage what she could from the garden in the fall (Sue is the greatest friend a person can have), hibernated through the winter and began to sprout as soon as the weather warmed up this year.
Beets reseeded on their own, and all different varieties of beans did too, but I had to defer to my husband's tiller and tractor after realizing that my health just doesn't allow me to go out and slog dirt and weeds all day anymore. If you have permanent beds and can keep ahead of the weeds, letting heirloom plants go to seed can be an easy way to propagate from year to year. Okra is another happy reseeder that always welcome in my garden. I even have some squash coming up in my mulch pile.
And don't forget perennial crops like asparagus, horseradish, jerusalem arthichokes, and all the mints, fruit trees and bushes. Keep planting, my friends, and reap the rewards of food insurance.
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