For people who want to grow more food with less work. 🌱 This is my weekly newsletter loved by 38,000+ subscribers—here's what one of them had to say: "These are not the regular run-of-the-mill garden-based emails. You actually touch on more unusual tidbits that encourage me to keep growing and learning."
seeds not germinating? here's why
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Why aren't those seeds germinating? I think I ask that 1,182 times a season. Sometimes it's a bit unrealistic when it's only been two days 😆 but two weeks later... we might have a problem there. And the problem has nothing to do with old seeds. (Already checked that using this handy seed expiration chart, which I refer to every year when I do my seed inventory.) Sometimes, seeds just need a little encouragement to get going—and it could mean subjecting them to the cold or even nicking them with a blade! One such seed that's notorious for taking its sweet time germinating is milkweed. And by that, I mean it'll germinate in ohhh, say... 11 months if you sow your seeds this weekend. That's because milkweed seeds need to go through a cold/wet period (similar to what they'd endure outside) before they emerge. So if you're sowing milkweed seeds this season, know that they'll just tuck themselves in all nice and cozy for summer/fall/winter, and sprout when warmer weather arrives the following spring. (I wrote a whole guide on growing milkweed if you aren't sure what type to plant in your garden.) Let's say you come back to this email next year and think, Oh shoot! Forgot to get those milkweed seeds in the ground! Well, there's a trick to getting them to sprout without winter (and I share that in today's blog post). Seasonal TipsI just signed a BIG order of books this week! 😄 My latest book, The Route 66 Cookbook, came out last October, but THIS year is the 100th anniversary of the famed American roadway. Known as the Mother Road, it linked the midwest to the west coast and lived many lives: as a migration route during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, a major military artery during WWII, and a free-spirited leisure highway in the 1940s–50s before it was decommissioned and replaced by the interstate system. I recently learned something new about it though: Route 66 isn't the first paved transcontinental highway like I'd originally thought. That title goes to the Lincoln Highway, which spanned over 3,300 miles from New York to San Francisco from 1913 to 1926. Later that year on November 11, 1926, Route 66 was established as part of the country's new federal highway system. (I'm actually really curious why the Lincoln Highway never enjoyed the same sort of fame and nostalgia of Route 66. Granted, the appeal of Route 66 stems from its chrome and carhop era, and I'd guess things weren't nearly as exciting in the early 1900s. I did find out that the Lincoln Highway celebrates its 250th anniversary this year. Now I'm intrigued to follow the route on a map and see if I need to add a Lincoln Highway road trip to my life list!) Anyway. If you live anywhere on or near Route 66, you've probably started hearing about all the celebrations taking place this year. (Some are happening in the next couple weeks!) Concerts, parades, festivals, car shows... there's so much going on along the route in every state it passes through! I highly recommend doing a search for "Route 66 celebrations near me" to see what pops up. I wish I lived closer to some of these events! Exploring the entire length of Route 66 was one of my favorite road trips ever, and as I discovered while writing the book—it's not all hot dogs and hamburgers along the highway. You can see what the book's about on my site here, and maybe even grab a copy (signed or not) for yourself or a friend! |
Garden Betty
For people who want to grow more food with less work. 🌱 This is my weekly newsletter loved by 38,000+ subscribers—here's what one of them had to say: "These are not the regular run-of-the-mill garden-based emails. You actually touch on more unusual tidbits that encourage me to keep growing and learning."