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■ farm and garden march


Best days according to Moon phases.


Best planting days Above ground crops . . .


Root crops . . . . . . . . . . . . Seed beds . . . . . . . . . . . . Kill plant pests . . . . . . . . .


Best fishing days  Best . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


 Good . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Poor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


11-12, 16-17, 20-22 1-2, 6-7, 27-29, 30 1-2, 20-22, 29-30 8-10


Folksy Tips, Hints & Wisdom


Find the Bad Seeds Before You Plant Them


id you save seed packets from prior gardening seasons? Here is a system to test your garden seeds and see if they can be used for the next gardening season.


D 20-22, 29-30 1-2, 8, 11-12, 25-26


6-7, 9-10, 16-17, 24, 27-28 3-5, 13-15, 18-19, 23, 31


Best days to do other stuff Begin diet to gain weight . . . . . . . . . . . .


Begin diet to lose weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . Begin logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Breed animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Make sauerkraut, can, or pickle . . . . . . . Cut hair to discourage growth . . . . . . . . Cut hair to encourage growth . . . . . . . . Cut hay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Destroy pests and weeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . Go camping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Graft or pollinate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harvest above ground vegetables . . . . Harvest below ground vegetables . . . . Go to the dentist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Plant above ground vegetables . . . . . . . Plant below ground vegetables . . . . . . . Prune to discourage growth . . . . . . . . . . Prune to encourage growth . . . . . . . . . . Quit smoking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Set posts or pour concrete . . . . . . . . . . . Start projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wean animals and children . . . . . . . . . . .


Ideally, you kept the seed packets in a dry place without humidity. Some folks keep the packets in a container


in their refrigerator. When you are ready to test the seeds:


1. Just wet a couple of paper towels with warm water, wring them out, and carefully spread them in the bottom of a glass baking pan.


15, 25


2, 10, 30 6, 7


2-3, 29-30 2-3, 29-30 10, 28 15-16 12-13 12-13


4-5, 31 20-21 15-16 6-7


24-26 20-21


2-3, 29-30 4-5, 31 12-13


2, 10, 30 6-7


12-13 2, 10, 30 —from the Old Farmer’s Almanac


2. Make rows of seeds on the paper towels, writing down each variety on a corresponding piece of paper as you go.


3. Put ten seeds in each row (so you just have to add a zero to the number that sprout to get the percentage of germination), but just use five seeds if you do not have many seeds left in a packet.


4. For tiny seeds, do not worry about counting; just use a smear and when they sprout, estimate the percentage of germination.


5. Get rid of packets with virtually no seeds left; get rid of seeds that you do not want to grow again.


6. In making the rows of seeds, separate similar ones so that you don’t get them confused.


7. After all the seeds are laid out, put a piece of plastic wrap over the pan, make sure it is sealed all the way around and—being careful that the seeds do not roll—put the pan on top of the refrigerator.


8. Leave seeds for a week, re-moistening with water in a spray bottle if the plastic wrap comes undone and the towels dry out.


9. Then check germination rates. Get rid of any seeds that do not germinate at a rate of at least 50 percent.


How Long Do Seeds Last?


Testing seeds, as outlined above, is a good way to see for yourself which ones remain viable for five years or more and which ones won’t make it to the next growing season. ■


10 | march 2013


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