Plant some seeds

By Becky Nelson
Bramblings
Good seed makes a good crop. 16th century proverb

A bout a dozen seed catalogs have made their way through the mail to our farm. Each catalog has a bold and beautiful cover with lots of perfect vegetables in an array of colors. If you could eat with your eyes, these would be a beautiful feast. As we enter the new year, I can only hope our gardens will produce vegetables as beautiful as we see on these catalogs.

Inside the catalogs are lots of choices with varying days to harvest from planting time and wonderful descriptions of the magnificent fruits that will be produced. I always enjoy reading the fun and suggestive names of these “new” vegetable varieties. There are always the regal and beautiful names: Green Gold, Red Knight (pepper), Purple Majesty (bean), Excelsior (cucumber). Then there are the quirky: Cool Customer (cucumber), Spritzer (lettuce), Roadster (tomato), Honeynut (squash) and then the downright head scratchers: Flashy Trout (lettuce), Red Snapper (tomato), One Too Many (pumpkin). Some of the names are familiar and steady and known, some are new and different. We always have to think long and hard about whether to stay with the same-old, same-old or try something new.

Not only is shopping the seed catalogs entertaining, but it is also full of hope. Last year was dismal. The growing season was much like our weather this week…damp, gray, wet, discouraging. When I look at the seed catalogs, I start getting encouraged an excited about what is to come.

I feel much the same about New Year celebrations. Out with the old, in with the new. Out with the discouraged, in with the excitement. Out with the losses, in with the growth. Out with the gray, in with the bright. With the mailbox also filling up with political fliers, we are looking at planting seeds of a different sort, as well.

The dark days of early winter are always hard for me. The holidays are exhausting, and with the exhaustion comes some guilt if I take time to myself, a bit of depression as the short days take their toll on my psyche and a bit of trepidation as the year closes and the new year looms. Though full of promise, the new year brings some uncertainty. We farmers are always at the whim of mother nature, and a tough spring like we had last year is always a possibility. Of course, we could have a perfectly seasonable springtime and the crops following could be bountiful. Uncertainty is also on the political front, with the world seeming on the edge of blowing up and our own national troubles looming large. There is hope on that front, as well, but the seed choices and the political choices all bring some risk.

One concern when choosing seed is that we have good seed to make a good crop. The seeds we buy from several companies have already been tested, and most have close to 100% germination rate. This, however, is in ideal conditions, so throw in a late frost, a soggy May or a dry May, and things can easily go awry. We try not to use seed left over from past years, as the germination rate decreases over time as any moisture or excessive temperatures endured by the seed can affect the viability. Time for new.

2024 is going to be a year of new things. We are working with others in the family to shift the production methods of several of our enterprises. We are working with a couple of agencies with grant funds to make our water supply more resilient for our livestock. We are looking at all aspects of the business to make it more profitable and resilient in uncertain times. We are working hard to work less hard, looking forward to loosening the reins and turning toward semi-retirement in the not so distant future. We will be welcoming another grandchild into the fold. We are looking at hosting some activities and festivities at the farm so our neighbors/customers can see where and how their food is produced. It is time to plant some seeds and hope they flourish, both literally and figuratively.

2024 is an important year in our political system, as well, with opportunities for we the people to plant new seeds and grow on the national and international stage. Check those seed catalogs and decide whether to stay with the same-old or try something new, both with the political fliers and the seed catalogs. No matter what you choose, make sure you choose good seed.