The Art of Seed with K Greene
Do you have all your seeds for the next growing season?
This time of year is when many gardeners peruse, study, choose, and order seeds from the many purveyors who send out catalogs each winter. My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, and I, sow thousands of seeds in my greenhouse every year. We order seeds from our favorite sources, but I also get seeds from friends, find them during my travels, and save them from years past. Growing from seed is an affordable alternative to purchasing plants, but one can also choose from a greater variety of seeds than what's typically available at a nursery. K Greene is the co-founder and creative director of Hudson Valley Seed Company, a national seed business and regional seed farm devoted to producing seed and celebrating seeds through art. Yesterday, K spoke to members of The Bedford Garden Club about the importance of seeds and his passion for preserving them.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- Before we know it, the gardens will be bursting with color once again. This is my large flower cutting garden in early June, when so many vivid lupines and other flowers are in bloom.
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- Here is a section filled with poppies – those colorful tissue paper-like flowers that look stunning both in the garden and in the vase.
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- Poppies produce open single flowers gracefully located on long thin stems, sometimes fluffy with many petals and sometimes smooth.
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- These are poppy seed pods – what’s left on the stem once the flower blooms and the petals fall off. As the seed heads turn brown with ripeness, it’s time to cut them and harvest the seeds.
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- Here, the top is cut off to show all the seeds. These seeds can be tossed randomly in the garden to self-sow the next year. Each seed pod can hold more than 200 seeds, which, in nature, eventually shake out on their own as the winds blow.
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- Look at all those seeds – tiny bluish-black poppy flower seeds.
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- Much bigger are the sunflower seeds. These are ready to harvest when the foliage turns yellow, the petals die down, and the seeds look plump. Some of the seeds on this flower have already been eaten by birds, but there are many that can also be harvested and saved for planting.
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- Aside from purchasing our seeds, every year Ryan collects the flower seeds from plants we like best, separates them, and stores them in a cool, dry, and dark location.
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- We grew all of these pumpkins and winter squash from seed also – again, some bought and some saved from fruits I’ve enjoyed over the years.
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- Many are from heirloom seeds. Heirlooms are old-time varieties, open-pollinated instead of hybrid, and handed down through multiple generations of families.
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- Pumpkin and squash seeds are planted directly into the ground between the last week of May and the middle of June. They take between 90 and 120 days to grow.
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- Yesterday, K Greene traveled down to Bedford and spoke about the “Art of Seed.” He explains the cycle of seeds – seed germination, seedling formation, growth, development, pollination, fertilization, and ultimately the formation of fruit and more seeds.
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- He explains the diversity of seeds, their beauty, and the importance of saving those seeds that may otherwise disappear. K says seeds evoke stories and are much more important than just their commodity – they pass down a rich history and value from generation to generation. Here, K shows members a bowl filled with seeds, showing the varied sizes and types.
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- In this slide, K shows how seeds have changed over the years – how wide the variety options were a century ago, and how much they have lessened in the years following. More effort is needed to understanding the origin of seeds, the science of seeds, and ways we can preserve them.
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- One way to raise awareness for the importance of seeds is through art. K feels seed packages communicate a particular seed’s story. At Hudson Valley Seed Company, K and his partner, Doug, pair up with various artists who resonate with individual seeds and interpret their stories.
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- Hundreds of artists apply each year from across the United States, sharing their works. Here is one submission for Honeynut Squash. (Photo from K Greene)
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- And here it is folded up and packed with seeds inside. This art pack tells a story tens of thousands of years old. Look closely and see the mastadon. Mastadons, wooly mammoths and prehistoric elephants, ate and spread the seeds of ancient wild squash across North America.
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- This art pack was done for a beet blend showing how diverse the mix is. (Photo from K Greene)
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- Here are other art packs from this year. This initiative has led to the commissioning of more than 250 works of art as well as a traveling gallery show called “The Art of Seed.”
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- K is passionate about the company’s original mission of “protecting seeds, increasing seed diversity, fostering an ethical seed landscape, and celebrating the art of seed.” I hope this inspires you to look more closely at the seeds you sow and appreciate the wonderful purveyors who save and develop them from year to year.
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