Gardening 101 with Shannie from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Episode 15: I took notes so you didn’t have to….We talked about the following in this episode….Today we are answering all of your gardening questions with Shannie from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
When it comes to keeping plants alive and growing plants, well….let’s just say I personally have room to grow in this department and many things to learn, Pun intended! No really, I have the best intentions when it comes to my house plants and gardens but man oh man I just can’t seem to get the right mix of sun, water and shade because yours truly has killed many a plant in my life time. But the best part is, I don’t give up! I really do want to be a good gardener and grower of things and I feel like after talking Shannie I am hopeful for my garden this year.
Shannie and I spoke about a lot of things but one of the most important was how they are doing more of the underserved communities nationwide. If you know a community who really would benefit from their help or if you have some great ideas of more ways they can be involved in the BIPOC Community please contact them at, seeds@rareseeds.com. Also it’s not too late to order your seeds for your own garden from Baker Creek!
We touch on the Seed Saving Community a handful of times in our talk. The seedsavers.org website describes seed savings as, “Since 1975, Seed Savers Exchange has protected the biodiversity of our food system—and our planet—by preserving rare, heirloom, and open-pollinated varieties of seeds in our seed bank at Heritage Farm and encouraging gardeners and farmers worldwide to grow, harvest, and share heirloom seeds as well as recount the inspirational stories behind them.” If you’d like to learn more about it or want to be apart of it you can find more information here.
Shannie has so much incredible information with all things gardening. You can really hear the passion come through when she’s answering all of your amazing questions. From what she said throughout the podcast it sounds like the following would really help make a “recipe” for success when it comes to our gardening…
Figure out your first and last frost dates for your town which can be found here on the Farmers Almanac.
Take a look at where your garden will be in your yard or porch. How much sun does it get daily? Take note of what kind of sun you are also getting..i.e. direct or slightly shaded…
Invest in good soil and compost, maybe look to a local farm to see if they might have some for sale or a local garden center.
READ THE SEED PACKETS!!! Turns out there’s a lot of information on those little suckers and rather than just tossing the seeds in the dirt and hoping they come up, read the seed packets. And then plant the plants according to the information on the packets.
Don’t over crowd your garden space. This is my biggest problem. I get SO excited about growing so many things that I ALWAYS overcrowd my garden in hopes to get as many veggies and herbs as possible. I also do this when I order any type of asian take out. I always want a bite of everything and then ALWAYS order way too much. I just get so excited! Anyway, back to gardening.
If you are using raised beds make sure they are nice and deep about 18” if possible.
Companion Planting is a big deal and super cool! What plants go with what and even help each other! There is a ton of information on there but I think the Farmers Almanac does a nice job here of explaining it more.
You can do succession planting, “In agriculture, succession planting refers to several planting methods that increase crop availability during a growing season by making efficient use of space and timing. ... Two or more crops in succession: After one crop is harvested, another is planted in the same space.” from Wikipedia. The Spruce does a great job of explaining this more here. If you have a smaller garden to work with this is a great way to get more out of your space.
Now you’re growing things like crazy and need some recipes to use up your veggies! It can be overwhelming when you have a ton of lettuce one day and then the following week it’s just herb city! Shannie had some great ideas of how to use up lettuce when you are burnt out from salads!
Lettuce Wraps from Damn Delicious or Skinnytaste
Fresh Rolls are a great way to use lettuce and maybe some other little extra pieces of veggies floating around in your fridge.
For herbs, I am huge fan of freezing them. I have done this in a few different ways over the years and all seem to work. If you are going to put them right in a pan then you can chop them up, maybe even mix some together like parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme or keep them all separate too, which ever you prefer and then place them in a clean ice cube trays, cover them with olive oil or whatever cooking oil you like to use and freeze them. Once they are frozen solid I pop them out, put the cubes in labeled baggies and place them back in the freezer. When you need some fresh herbs just pop a cube out and into the pan. I have also done the exact same thing and used water instead. The only downside to the water method is you do need to let these thaw out before you use them. I like to put the cubes in a small strainer over a bowl and let them melt while I do the other prep for the meal.
I also love making Pesto, Chimichurri, Chermoula, Zhoug and gorgeous Indian Green Chutney! They are freeze beautifully and really brighten up any dish! Especially in those long winter months when you are craving sunshine and warm weather food.
Is fermenting your thing? If it isn’t, well maybe it should be. Lacto-Fermented veggies of any kind are awesome! They taste great and are good for your belly! Check out this website for more information and to get you started on your fermenting journey!
And last but not least…canning! If you are new to canning, here’s a great article on Canning 101. Personally this is something I love to do with friends and family. Get a canning party going, have some drinks, laughs and enjoy everyone’s company. That’s how we do it in our household and for some reason the canned food always tastes better when there’s more love and laughs happening around it. Just sayin!
Oh and one more thing before we go….here’s a link to edible flowers. Like I said I would stick to the ones that are prepackaged in the grocery store in the plastic clam shell style containers that are next to the fresh herbs. Please don’t go and pick your own flowers and here’s an article if you are interested in further reading on the subject.
Now go forth and cook some amazing food!!
Beth Fuller is a Boston based Food, Product and Lifestyle Photographer. One of the best ways to support the podcast and Beth is to write a review wherever you listen, like the podcast on your favorite platform and please keep Beth in mind for any photography projects as a gal has got to pay her bills!
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xoxo
Beth
