Seeds for Spring





  I've received numerous seed catalogs in the mail the past few days, so I became inspired to dig out the seeds I already have to take stock. One container holds corn and squash seeds, along with a few cobs of Potawatomie corn. Favorites come from Native Seeds S.E.A.R.C.H. The catalog is beautiful. Seeds from SEARCH are primarily suited to the Southwest. Kansas can be quite wet and humid, so the seeds I use from SEARCH are planted in raised beds with plenty of manure and compost.

In cold weather I like to revisit my garden plan for the Indigenous Food Garden. This basic plan is for an acre and was intended to be created on the campus of KU (until a "microburst" caused too much campus damage and monies had to be diverted to repairs instead). My gardens in Baldwin are spread out. Check out the How to Create a Garden page of my website, the American Indian Health and Diet Project

1. Entry 2. Decorative Native Grass 3. Pumpkins and Gourds 4. Bush Beans 5. Tomatoes 6. Tomatoes 7. Sunflowers 8. Raised bed Gardens (onions, herbs, peppers, strawberries, watermelon) 9. Compost 10. Three Sisters (several types of corn and squash) 11. Picnic Table 12. Peppers 13. Containers (tomatoes, peppers) 14. Potato Mounds 15. Sign Kiosk 16. Benches 17. Arch 18. Bird Feeders

Planning for Spring in Winter

I finally painted some garden signs for my butterfly plants and one of these days will sand and paint the gourds that have dried (below). I grew a combination of bottle and dipper gourds.

New Year's Eve 2010

A dreary New Year's Eve in Kansas. Still, there is plenty going on. Birds are visiting the feeders and yesterday was warm enough (60 degrees) to thaw the compost in the bins. I added mulch and water.

below: My TCU Horned Frog patiently waits in the butterfly garden for warmer weather.