Broke for the holidays: Planting the gift of seeds
Filed under: Home, Reduce Reuse Recycle, Simplification
It was sticker shock that had me talking my six-year-old into helping me gather sunflower and calendula seeds from our yard a few weeks ago. A few dozen sunflower seeds had been nearly $3; same with the calendula, seeds so impossibly lightweight that the paper packet must have weighed four or five times its contents.And there we were, gathering the dried curly seeds from the spent flowers, filling the little jar I'd brought outside to overflowing, requiring me to get a half-pint jar to house the wildly abundant cosmos seeds.
"We'll give them as Christmas gifts!" I said exuberantly, and since then, my son has been industrious, helping me gather seeds from bachelor buttons, onions, and calendula. When I do laundry, I find sunflower seeds in his pockets. They're the good ones -- infrared, a startling and gorgeous almost black-red flower -- so I save them.
Calendula and cosmos grow like weeds here in Portland, so it's easy this month to gather them and sort by color (if any of the flowers are still growing on the plants from which you harvest seeds) and store them in airtight containers. You'll want a relatively cool place; if you keep them in the fridge, be sure to find a moisture absorber to include in the container. Buy small envelopes or, even better, recycle spice jars and old manila envelopes into homemade wildflower seed packets. Have your kids help you decorate the envelopes. Flower seeds are not just a welcome gift (at least in my house) that will grow into beautiful flowers, but these species are all beneficial to other plants, mostly edible, and attract honeybees. What's more, you can sneak a little science into your holiday preparation. It's way better than going to the mall!




Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-24-2008 @ 1:28PM
Jamie said...
What a great idea!!!
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10-27-2008 @ 11:57AM
Josh said...
Too bad it's too late for me to start growing those! =P
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11-12-2008 @ 6:18PM
Wanda said...
I thought your readers would enjoy this indoor container gardening growing activity I do with my students and family in the Fall/Winter. To get your children excited about gardening and more sensitive to plants and nature, consider having them grow a plant that they will never forget -The TickleMe Plant! This is the plant that will close its leaves and lower its branches when tickled. How cool is that!!. This growing experience allows kids to learn the basic skills needed for gardening. Parents that are interested in sharing their love of plants and nature with their children, can get more information and supplies by visiting http://www.TickleMePlant.com TickleMe Plants can be grown indoors year round. If you know any students or teachers that would enjoy this exciting gardening and nature experience, share this information with them and they will thank you. This kits are a great green holiday gift as well!
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