little spears of happiness

Let it be noted, I am a bad seedsaver. Bad. There was a time 10 years ago, when I was a carefree postgrad with a half day farming job, and an only slightly overdue thesis, that I would lovingly bag and hand pollinate my cross-pollinating heritage veg if I grew more than one variety, select the best plants, harvest and carefully dry seed for replanting.


Then I got a job, built a house in the middle of nowhere, made several women miserable, and somehow never found the time to grow stuff properly again. Now finally I have a happy, lovely woman who doesn't view plants as competition, and a more settled house, and it's time to start again. Except 10 years seems to be too long to keep seed in less than perfect conditions. So most of what I'm growing at the moment is mould. And since most of the varieties are not available here in South Africa, and only Australia has stricter anti-seed-import laws, this is something of a disaster.

In these dire circumstances even an F2 hybrid named UC157 from the local nursery is acceptable if it will actually grow. Luckily the thumb still seems to be green and this fresh seed is doing better than the old stuff. And nicely poetic to be using the very packaging I am trying to avoid as a covered germination tray.

Can't see anything? Look closer.

ooooooooohh! I'm sure it'll be no time at all before I'm harvesting great armfuls of spring asparagus and perfumed pee will be a daily happiness.