When to plant your garden

It’s easy to get overexcited, but some seeds aren’t ready to be sown.

Year-round gardening has never been easier with indoor planters and greenhouses. But there’s nothing like a traditional garden, which provides fresh flavors and a chance to enjoy the outdoors. Just be aware that many plants grow best when planted at a certain time of the year.

Best in Spring

Start transplanting plants that started indoors each April, and start seeding projects too. Germinating plants need the extra time in the ground. Beets, beans, carrots, corn, lettuce, cucumbers, melons and onions should be planted in April. Cabbage is one of the easiest things to grow; it’s not too late for peppers and tomatoes, either. If all goes well with peas, they could ready for harvest by May.

In the High Country especially, make sure you pay attention to the weather as frost can commonly occur into late April!

Early Summer

Unfortunately, a check of planting zones shows that many Americans live where April still brings freezing temperatures. That could mean waiting, or being prepared to cover your plants when wintry weather threatens. Most of these plants will thrive in May, if the temperatures where you live mimic those from April elsewhere. Plant beans, squash, melons and cucumbers as temperatures continue to warm in May.

Hottest Months

Some plants simply love summer’s heat, including zucchini and summer squash. Plant them in June, with an expected harvest late in July or in early August. Choose bean varieties like Kentucky Wonder, Contender or Topcrop in June and they may be ready to eat before mid-July. Lettuce and car - rots can be planted until very late in the summer. Planting a larger garden that needs a tractor or other heavy equipment? Blue

Ridge Tractor has served the Northwestern area of North Carolina since 1949. Factory trained service techs insure accurate re- pairs of various equipment for farming, lawn care and commercial mowing. More information can be found at www.blueridgetrac.com.

Local seed libraries provide free seeds, promote secure food system

BY JILLYAN MOBLEY

Since 2017, Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture has partnered with the Watauga and Ashe County Public Libraries to provide a catalog of fruit, vegetable and flower seeds with a mission to promote food security, community resilience, a culture of sharing and the expansion of locally acclimated seeds.

Housed in repurposed card catalogs, the Ashe and Watauga County Seed Libraries offer free, open-pollinated and heirloom seeds to community members who can take seed packets, and grow and enjoy their own gardens. Patrons are encouraged to save seeds from those plants to eventually return some to the library. Anyone can access the Seed Library as no registration or library card is required.

Seed libraries exist in communities across the country as a resource. In addition to increasing food security and access to produce, seed libraries can be an important step in “developing a network of seed savers to create

CONTINUED FROM PAGE locally adapted varieties to respond proactively to climate change or loss of gene integrity due to GMOs or to preserve genetic diversity,” according to the Public Library Association.

According to the Public Library Association, saving and sharing seeds can help people become more self-sufficient and independent, build meaningful relationships with neighbors, and empower people to participate in building a stronger and more secure food system.

“It benefits the program if more people participate in it. The idea is if you’re growing a seed, you’re acclimating it to your climate, and depending on if you’re selecting varieties that do better and are more resistant to the blight that we see in humid areas, you’re creating, ideally, a seed bank that in turn could help with food sovereignty in the long run,” Seed

Library volunteer Monica Gowan said. “The idea of a seed library is that you’re helping your community grow things that grow well in your community so that you can continue to grow that food and your community can continue to acclimate that variety of food to your climate for your community.”

To improve chances of success for future growers, seeds should be open-pollinated, mature, dry, clean, labeled and saved from a variety of properly isolated healthy plants. Gowan said the library is open to hosting community workshops on seed saving and anyone experienced and interested in hosting can contact her at agnesminifarm@gmail. com.

Local seed libraries can be found at the main branches of the Watauga and Ashe County Public Libraries in addition to the Little Free Seed Library located at the Western Watauga Community Center. For more information, visit www. seedlibrary.brwia.org.