Soil, compost & garden systems
How to Plan a Cut-Flower Garden from Seed
Plan a cut-flower garden by choosing productive varieties, arranging reachable rows, staggering sowings, and matching stem length, harvest window, and vase use.
Alliance of Native Seedkeepers
Brewed in Colerain, North Carolina
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The practical library
Growing Guides & Planting Advice
Find crop guides, planting calendars, seed-starting help, soil guidance, pest diagnosis, harvesting information, and practical seed-saving instructions.
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163 articles
Pests, diseases & troubleshooting
Fungus Gnats in Seedlings: Identification, Prevention, and Control
Fungus gnats breed in consistently moist organic media. Identify the adults and larvae, correct watering and sanitation, and use monitoring or biological controls to break the cycle.
Seedkeeping, foodways & history
What Makes a Seed Heirloom? History, Open Pollination, and What We Carry
Heirloom describes a variety with history and continuity, usually maintained through open pollination. It does not automatically mean organic, native, ancient, or genetically uniform.
Seed starting & germination
Direct Sow or Start Indoors? A Crop-by-Crop Decision Guide
Decide which crops to direct sow and which to start indoors by weighing root sensitivity, season length, soil temperature, transplant age, and the weather waiting outside.
What to plant now
Frost Dates, Hardiness Zones, and Planting Windows: What Each One Tells You
USDA hardiness zones describe average annual extreme minimum winter temperature and mainly help estimate perennial survival. They do not provide a last frost date, soil temperature, summer heat profile, or enough information to schedule annual crops by themselves.
Seed starting & germination
How to Grow Lavender from Seed: Stratification, Patience, Drainage, and Winter Survival
Lavender seed can germinate slowly and unevenly. Use fresh seed, a well-drained medium, patient temperature management, strong light after emergence, and a dry-crowned planting site suited to the species and climate.
Seed saving & varieties
Winter Squash Varieties: Acorn, Butternut, Delicata, Hubbard, Kabocha, and Cushaw
Acorn and delicata types are relatively compact and quick. Butternuts are versatile and often store well. Kabocha types have dense sweet flesh. Hubbards and cushaws can become very large and need a long season. The label winter squash describes mature harvest and storage, not winter planting.
Seed starting & germination
How to Grow Echinacea from Seed: Stratification, Establishment, and Long-Term Care
Prepare Echinacea purpurea seed with fall sowing or cold-moist stratification, sow shallowly, keep it evenly moist, and expect many plants to spend their first season building roots.
Seed starting & germination
Types of Flowers to Grow from Seed: Annuals, Biennials, Perennials, and Garden Uses
Choose flower seed by life cycle, bloom timing, height, use, pollinator value, cutting quality, and whether the species prefers direct sowing or transplanting.
Seed starting & germination
How to Grow Yarrow from Seed: Germination, Spacing, Division & Seed Saving
Surface sow yarrow in a fine mix with light and even moisture, then grow mature plants in full sun and lean, well-drained soil.
Soil, compost & garden systems
Seedling Heat Mats: When Bottom Heat Helps—and When It Hurts
A seedling heat mat warms the root zone, not the leaves. Use it for crops that germinate more reliably in warm media, measure the mix with a thermostat or probe, and remove or reduce bottom heat after emergence unless the crop still needs it.
Seed starting & germination
How to Grow Poppies from Seed: Surface Sowing, Cool Weather, and Transplant Sensitivity
Grow poppies from tiny seed by sowing shallowly in cool weather, keeping the surface evenly moist, thinning early, and avoiding unnecessary root disturbance.
Soil, compost & garden systems
The Best Seed-Starting Mix: What It Needs, What to Avoid, and How to Use It
Seed-starting mix must balance air, water, cleanliness, and fine texture. Garden soil is usually too dense for trays, while an overly wet mix can exclude oxygen and encourage damping-off.
Seed starting & germination
Winter Sowing Seeds Outdoors: Which Species Benefit and Which Do Not
Winter sowing uses outdoor cold and moisture to condition suitable seeds. It works best for hardy species and stratification needs, not for every warm-season crop.
Soil, compost & garden systems
Build a Seed-Starting Calendar from Frost Dates, Soil Temperature, and Days to Maturity
Build backward from transplant or harvest, use crop-specific temperature, and include hardening and fall slowdown rather than counting only packet days.
Seed starting & germination
How We Test Seed Germination: Samples, Conditions, Normal Seedlings, and Records
A meaningful germination test uses a representative sample, crop-appropriate conditions, a defined count, and a distinction between normal seedlings, abnormal seedlings, hard or dormant seed, and dead seed.
Soil, compost & garden systems
Raised-Bed Soil Mix: How to Fill a New Bed and Rebuild a Tired One
New raised beds need a stable soil blend, not a temporary pile of fluffy organic material. Tired beds usually need diagnosis: settling, compaction, nutrient imbalance, salt buildup, poor drainage, or loss of organic matter. Add what the soil test and structure require.
Pests, diseases & troubleshooting
How to Grow Hollyhocks from Seed: Biennial Timing, Rust, and Towering Stems
Hollyhocks often build a leafy rosette the first year and flower the next. Give them sun, airflow, a firm support, and early rust management instead of crowding them against a damp wall.
Seed saving & varieties
How Long Do Seeds Last? Storage, Longevity, Testing, and Replacement
Seed longevity varies by crop, initial quality, moisture, temperature, packaging, and storage history. A germination test is more reliable than discarding seed only because a calendar says it is old.
Seed starting & germination
How to Establish a Native Wildflower Garden from Seed
Establish a native wildflower garden by choosing locally appropriate species, controlling existing vegetation, preparing a firm seedbed, sowing at the right season, and managing weeds for several years.
Seed starting & germination
Cold Stratification for Seeds: Why Some Seeds Need Winter Before Spring
Cold stratification is a species-specific period of cool, moist exposure used to reduce physiological dormancy. A dry seed packet sitting in a refrigerator is not automatically equivalent because moisture, temperature, duration, and aftercare all matter.
Soil, compost & garden systems
Worm Composting: How to Build and Maintain a Vermicompost Bin
A vermicompost bin needs appropriate composting worms, moist bedding, moderate temperatures, oxygen, and food added at a rate the colony can process. It is not the same as filling a box with garden earthworms.
Seed saving & varieties
How to Read a Seed Packet: Count, Lot, Test Date, Maturity, Depth, and More
A seed packet combines legal labeling, lot traceability, quantity, planting guidance, and marketing. Learn which lines identify the seed, which trace the lot, and which are flexible garden recommendations.
Soil, compost & garden systems
How to Read a Soil Test for a Vegetable Garden
Read pH, organic matter, phosphorus, potassium, and recommendations together. Apply amendments to the tested area and do not add nutrients simply because a product is popular.
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