How to Grow Cosmos from Seed: Pink Garden Cosmos, Orange Sulphur Cosmos & Cutting
Direct sow cosmos after frost into warm soil, cover lightly, keep fertility modest, and choose the species and height that fit the garden.
Read the full guide
Alliance of Native Seedkeepers
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Seed growing guides, seasonal planting calendars, seed-saving knowledge, field notes, and stories from a Native-led seed company in rural North Carolina.
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Today’s pour
How to Grow Calendula from Seed for Cool-Season Color and Cutting
Calendula is a cool-season annual best direct sown around the last frost or started indoors 6 to 8 weeks earlier. Sow 1/4 inch deep, space plants for airflow, cut or deadhead regularly, and use...
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Wood Ash, Coffee Grounds, and Kitchen Scraps: What Belongs in Garden Soil?
Learn where wood ash, spent coffee grounds, and kitchen scraps belong, how to compost them safely, and what should never touch a seed bed.
Read the full guide
Now steeping
How to Grow Cosmos from Seed: Pink Garden Cosmos, Orange Sulphur Cosmos & CuttingHow to Grow Calendula from Seed for Cool-Season Color and CuttingWood Ash, Coffee Grounds, and Kitchen Scraps: What Belongs in Garden Soil?How to Grow Milkweed from Seed for Monarch HabitatSlugs and Snails in the Garden: Identification, Habitat, and Seedling Protection
Answers worth keeping close
Essential seed and growing guides
Start with a direct answer, then go deeper into timing, crop choices, troubleshooting, and seed stewardship.
Growing Guides
How to Grow Cosmos from Seed: Pink Garden Cosmos, Orange Sulphur Cosmos & Cutting
Direct sow cosmos after frost into warm soil, cover lightly, keep fertility modest, and choose the species and height that fit the garden. Read the guide
Essential Seed & Growing Guide
Wood Ash, Coffee Grounds, and Kitchen Scraps: What Belongs in Garden Soil?
Learn where wood ash, spent coffee grounds, and kitchen scraps belong, how to compost them safely, and what should never touch a seed bed. Read the guide
Seed Starting & Germination
Slugs and Snails in the Garden: Identification, Habitat, and Seedling Protection
Use a 48-hour refuge-board test to confirm slug and snail pressure, find the damp source zone, protect vulnerable seedlings, and choose targeted controls without... Read the guide
What to Plant Now
Types of Lettuce: Looseleaf, Butterhead, Romaine, Crisphead & More
Choose lettuce by texture, head form, heat tolerance, harvest rhythm, and the way the crop will be used in the kitchen. Read the guide
Growing Guides
How to Grow Broccoli from Seed: Spring, Fall & Side-Shoot Harvests
Start broccoli young, protect seedlings, time head formation for cool weather, and leave the plant for side-shoot harvests. Read the guide
Growing Guides
Growing Lemon Balm from Seed: Germination, Containers, Harvest, and Keeping It in Bounds
Surface sow lemon balm, grow it in a draining container or managed bed, cut it back for tender leaves, and remove flowers before seed... Read the guide
Growing Guides
Growing Chamomile from Seed: German vs. Roman Chamomile, Harvest, and Seed Saving
Surface sow chamomile, keep the seedbed lightly moist, identify whether you are growing annual German or perennial Roman chamomile, and harvest flower heads repeatedly... Read the guide
What to Plant Now
Onion Seeds, Sets, or Transplants? Choose the Right Start for Your Climate
Choose onion seeds for variety range and transplant control, sets for speed, or purchased transplants for convenience—but first match the onion’s day-length class to... Read the guide
Growing Guides
Types of Garlic and How to Plant It: Hardneck, Softneck, Elephant Garlic, and Climate Fit
Choose garlic by climate, scape production, storage, and bulb structure; plant clean cloves in fall, protect drainage, control weeds early, and cure bulbs completely... Read the guideFresh from the pot
Latest field notes & Alliance stories
New articles and useful knowledge from the Alliance.
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04 
How to Grow Milkweed from Seed for Monarch Habitat
A practical guide to choosing regionally appropriate native milkweed, preparing seed, establishing first-year plants, reading insect activity, and building complete monarch habitat with season-long nectar and pesticide-free management.
Read the full guide -
05 
Slugs and Snails in the Garden: Identification, Habitat, and Seedling Protection
Use a 48-hour refuge-board test to confirm slug and snail pressure, find the damp source zone, protect vulnerable seedlings, and choose targeted controls without treating the entire garden.
Read the full guide -
06 
Types of Lettuce: Looseleaf, Butterhead, Romaine, Crisphead & More
Choose lettuce by texture, head form, heat tolerance, harvest rhythm, and the way the crop will be used in the kitchen.
Read the full guide -
07 
How to Grow Broccoli from Seed: Spring, Fall & Side-Shoot Harvests
Start broccoli young, protect seedlings, time head formation for cool weather, and leave the plant for side-shoot harvests.
Read the full guide -
08 
“World’s Biggest Little Seed Store” Grand Opening in Downtown Colerain
Grand Opening on March 21!
Read the full story -
09 
Growing Lemon Balm from Seed: Germination, Containers, Harvest, and Keeping It in Bounds
Surface sow lemon balm, grow it in a draining container or managed bed, cut it back for tender leaves, and remove flowers before seed if you do not want a wider patch.
Read the full guide -
10
Growing Chamomile from Seed: German vs. Roman Chamomile, Harvest, and Seed Saving
Surface sow chamomile, keep the seedbed lightly moist, identify whether you are growing annual German or perennial Roman chamomile, and harvest flower heads repeatedly at peak bloom.
Read the full guide -
11 
Indigenous Peoples' Day - Looking Back & Looking Ahead
Our earliest days were full of cultivating our own gardens while visiting our relatives in North Carolina, Virginia, DC, Pennsylvania, and New York to distribute seeds and talk story. We shared interests in growing...
Read the full guide -
12
Onion Seeds, Sets, or Transplants? Choose the Right Start for Your Climate
Choose onion seeds for variety range and transplant control, sets for speed, or purchased transplants for convenience—but first match the onion’s day-length class to your latitude.
Read the full guide -
13 
Introducing Coffee in Colerain, Our Successful Soft Opening, Seed Sale!!
6 year maturity rate That's how long it has taken us from first hand packing seeds in our small living room apartment to now learning an industrious seed packing machine in our first brick...
Read the full story -
14 
Types of Garlic and How to Plant It: Hardneck, Softneck, Elephant Garlic, and Climate Fit
Choose garlic by climate, scape production, storage, and bulb structure; plant clean cloves in fall, protect drainage, control weeds early, and cure bulbs completely before storage.
Read the full guide -
15 
How to Grow Zinnias from Seed: Planting Time, Spacing, Pinching & Mildew Prevention
Plant zinnias after frost in warm soil, match spacing to mature height, water at soil level, and use succession sowings for a longer run of healthy stems.
Read the full guide -
16
How to Grow Marigolds from Seed: French, African, Signet & Mexican Mint Types
Identify the Tagetes species first, then sow after frost, match spacing to mature height, keep fertility moderate, and treat companion-planting claims realistically.
Read the full guide -
17 
How to Grow Nasturtiums from Seed: Pots, Trailing Types, Edible Flowers & Seed Saving
Direct sow nasturtiums after frost in well-drained, modest soil. Match the variety’s bush or trailing habit to the space, and avoid high-nitrogen fertilizer.
Read the full guide -
18
Potential Delays Due to Weather 1/21/2025
Eastern North Carolina is bracing for a rare winter storm, with significant snowfall expected to impact travel and daily operations. Our region’s infrastructure isn’t built for such conditions, as it's often more practical to...
Read the full story
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