Leek Seeds and Rose Cuttings

I harvested most of my leeks I grew in our antique clawfoot tub outside a couple of months ago but saved some of the woody stalks. They looked like pompoms on green poles to me so I placed lots of them in vases. Now months later I’ve refreshed those containers with new beauties and have salvaged the oldies to plant next year. They now droop and look more like Cousin It from the Addams Family, but their seeds will do just fine in an arable potting mixture in my greenhouse window inside the cottage next spring. 

I never knew how to save seeds to plant until I moved to New Zealand years ago. Here everyone I know is much more practical and knowledgeable about growing vegetables and flowers. Lots of people have a small raised bed to toss these seeds or seedlings into so they can enjoy the harvests slowly as the plants mature. Although I’ve bought in all my seedlings this year, I normally plant out a few varieties I like from seed in the limited space of my lounge window, which works perfectly well. This year because of so many disruptive factors, this process just didn’t happen. But I’m still glad to salvage these seeds for next season. 

In the same vein, I got some roses the other day at the feed store. Well actually I got given the secateurs to cut them. Not to be too greedy, I didn’t cut many. A few weeks back the owner of the shop had promised me cuttings after I’d complimented her on how gorgeous the front roses were. Thinking that perhaps she’d pruned them by now I went back there the other day. Wrong. 

It's way too soon to prune them anyway. She may not know that but I do. Anyway, I will get some cuttings at some future time but still disappointed I asked her if I could take a couple and she handed me the clippers. None of this would have ever happened in LA. But here we live in a rural area in an agriculturally rich region and people do things quite differently. I truly believe though that this would be very similar in smalltown America or smalltown anywhere, especially in farm country. People seem to have more time for each other and really talk when they get the chance. Even everyday brief conversations can lead to some interesting exchanges. And even in the big cities here, that are small in comparison to what’s around the world, people are usually too engrossed in their own lives to notice others. 

This is a very big reason why we choose to live in the hinterlands. Life isn’t fancy here but it’s very real. The good news is though that people everywhere are beginning to start growing their own food, wherever they can find the space and if townies like me can learn how to do it then anyone else can too.

And last of all, here’s a shot of the eggs I must hard boil this afternoon. The hens are laying like the clappers although I can barely find them in the wilds of our gardens outside.  I hear one clucking that distinctive sound now. Gotta go try to find the nest.