Chelsea Boos – NE Edmonton/Treaty 6 Territory, lands of métis, nehiyaw, niitsitapi, nakota sioux, saulteaux, dene, tsuut’ina, and inuit since time immemorial.
Anise Hyssop, Mouse Melon, Nasturtium, Heirloom Green Beans, Blue Hubbard Squash, Prairie grasses, and Zinnia (summer 2024)
Seeding the nasturtium, green beans, Blue Hubbard and Cucamelons last Winter, I jealously watched the warm, moist soil take in the little dry shells and transform them into new life. I felt like that seed, hungry for green again. The seeds are asleep for a few days (legumes), maybe a few weeks (squash), before they become sprouts, full of youthful energy, able to push themselves up out of the decaying medium they find root. I found inspiration to keep on keeping on, as I watched them grow, undeterred by lack of light and water when the timer failed or I stayed away too long. Despite neglect, the captives would outgrow their plastic prisons and be placed in the fresh earth after the fateful sign of spring in so-called alberta, the blessed May long weekend .

Green beans, nasturtium, and squash plants would withstand June hailstorms, scorching July heat, and months of drought, to produce a couple of funny little fruits that may or may not make viable seed, true to type. I take solace when i hear it said in my seed mentorship farm club that, a bad seed growing year is a good seed selection year. We are growing the heirlooms of tomorrow. Late Spring planting of Zinnia, anise hyssop and prairie grasses saw these tough plants growing strong, forming buds, flowers, and then seed heads into October. Resilient as they are, they will not withstand being uprooted by passing animals in the front yard. I recount failures and triumphs altogether as data, contributing to another year of experience and learning. I will dry, store, and resow the precious seeds for next year. merry part until we merry meet again.