And it's not just the corporations that have been hit with difficult questions about how the world's genetic resources are being handled. Recently, the Seed Savers Exchange, a repository for heirloom seeds, sent seeds to the Svalbarg Global Seed Vault. Kent Whealy, the co-founder of the Seed Savers Exchange, said the donation could undermine the intellectual property rights of indigenous seed savers because the Svalbarg seeds could potentially be bred and patented without fairly compensating the traditional, regional seed savers who gave them to the Seed Savers Exchange. Damping-off is a disease caused by several types of fungi that affect seedlings, leading to their collapse and eventual death. To prevent damping-off, ensure that your seedling trays or pots are clean, well-draining, and the soil is not consistently wet. Avoid overwatering and maintain good ventilation around your seedlings. Leggy Seedlings Avocados are also called alligator pears! Why? Avocados have rough, green skin like alligators and are shaped like pears. The fruit has such a smooth, creamy texture that they were once eaten only byroyalty.

These are just large trays of individual “modules” into which you sow your seeds. I like using root trainers for many of my seeds as they allow for easy transplanting. Propagator It’s easier to start with pre-moistened mix, as peat-based mixes are harder to wet down uniformly if they dry out in pots. Although peat has a very high water-holding capacity once it’s wet, it actually repels water when it’s dry. Go figure. After transplanting, seedlings need nutrients. Some commercial soil- less mixes have fertilizer already added. Many compost-based potting mixes often provide enough fertility to keep seedlings healthy until seedling root systems fill the pot entirely, at which point they need to be repotted in a larger pot with more media. If you are using a mix without fertilizers, you will need to add supplemental nutrients. To fertilize, use a soluble house plant fertilizer with the dilution recommended by the manufacturer weekly after the seedlings germinate. Remember that young seedlings are easily damaged by too much fertilizer, especially if they are under any moisture stress.I’m really keen for the children to understand the natural world around them and so I was thrilled when a copy of the beautiful book, It Starts With A Seed by Laura Knowles and wonderfully illustrated by Jennie Webber (Words & Pictures) arrived a week or so ago. Rather than diving in to freelance work when I arrived home, I decided to disconnect. I felt I had to switch off from everyone and everything. I needed solitude. To simply be still with my thoughts. Brave move you might say, as I was feeling pretty vulnerable after the week I was having. Perfect opportunity to get lost in those thoughts again and let the negativity talk me out of doing the course. I’m a great believer in all situations and experiences being used for good, no matter how negative they are. Your story could help other people going through the same thing. Who knows what branches could grow from one story. If it helped one person, I’d say the pain that experience caused was worth it. It makes us all stronger and better people.

Featured in: Garden Design's Top 10 Garden Trends for 2022 ("Taking Your Food from Start to Finish") GETTING STARTED WITH SEEDS Keep it simple: Discard or thoroughly wash any pots that previously housed diseased plants. Avoid using leftover soil from the nursery container you brought home, as it might harbor weed seeds and bad bacteria. Here goes - 3 parts sieved compost: 2 parts coir: 2 parts vermiculture and a sprinkling of blood and bone. In many cases, they ridiculously resilient (under the right conditions – once heard a story of date palm considered extinct…. Turns out a seed held within a pyramid & then years in an academics drawer, then gifted to another professional was viable ! The seed was ‘woken up’ 2000 YEARS after being harvested & stored. So in this case this ‘extinct’ palm lives on) Over time I just drifted along with life as normal, living with fear, people pleasing while constantly busying myself as I strived to be successful, at least towards what I believed success was.A “helicopter” sycamore seed flutters down to the ground, and here our story begins. As the illustrations show the seed taking root, growing shoots then branches then leaves and bark, the rhyming text describes each stage of the new tree’s life cycle in poetic verse. At last, a mighty sycamore has grown, providing shelter to a plethora of woodland animals. Finally, as the tree grows and disperses seeds of its own, the story of a seed begins again. To raise quality plants, start with good quality seeds from a reliable seed supplier. Choose varieties that are adapted to your area. Once the roots are at least 3 inches long, transfer the avocado seed to an 8-inch terracotta or clay pot with drainage holes. Fill the pot with sandy potting soil (a cactus soil can work). Plant the seed in the middle of the spot and ensure the pointed end is facing up! The top of the seed should be level with the soil surface but not cover the stem. Water thoroughly. Place near a brightwindow. The words in this song made me feel stronger again, like I was prepared to face anything. They stirred up an energy inside me and I was buzzing. Complete contrast to how I was feeling an hour before! Create pictures of trees using different media to represent spring, summer, autumn and winter (you could use leaves collected on your woodland walk to do this).