Helping thousands of gardeners successfully start seeds. Practical & forgiving, with tips you can use today plus deep dives into the cutting edge of seed news. A must read for the seed curious.
Solstice ritual
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The rain held off last night as we burned our solstice affirmations in my friends' backyard fire pit. As we said goodbye to the sun on the longest night of the year, we each tossed in a slip of paper where we had written something from this past year that we'd like to let go. It was a wonderful ritual, that in different circumstances might have been solemn. Our group, however, was about 1/2 kids, and as soon as the affirmations were burned, all sorts of experimental items from the garden began to sneak their way into the fire. Today is the solstice. Tomorrow the days get longer. The rain finally arrived last night, but it's very warm. It hardly feels like December. Two nights ago, riding home on my bike in the dark at 5:30, I heard crickets all through the neighborhood. After the warmest fall on record in many parts of the west, our solstice feels less like winter, and more like an uncanny blend of spring and fall. Damp and mild with fall color and bright green grass and weeds, all at the same time. The darkness of the solstice doesn't change, though, no matter the weather. It's a funny thing to take comfort in, but for me I find it very grounding. There is so little you can predict, but the rotation of the earth around the sun? You can count on that. Not only do we know that the solstice is today, broadly speaking. It was at exactly 7:03 am Pacific time this morning. We turned the corner, just a few hours ago. What comes next is, for the most part, mysterious, but we do know that tomorrow will be longer than today. This will be my last newsletter for 2025. I'll be back to writing the newsletter in the New Year, and have lots of garden planning & seed starting posts and webinars lined up for you. Until then, Happy Solstice, and Happy Holidays. Anne P.S. Thank you so much for all your kind condolences about our lost kitty. When you’re ready, here are some more ways I can help you grow a thriving garden from seed: 1. Plan your seed-starting schedule with our free printable planner. 2. Download the free Orta Seed Starting Handbook with all the basics you need to succeed with seeds. 3. Take the guesswork out of watering with Orta Self-Watering Pots. (Find discounted factory seconds here!) 4. Join the Orta Seed Club to have 5 hand-picked, unusual & high-yielding varieties delivered to you every season. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up to get the best emails about gardening from seed!
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Orta Kitchen Garden Newsletter
Helping thousands of gardeners successfully start seeds. Practical & forgiving, with tips you can use today plus deep dives into the cutting edge of seed news. A must read for the seed curious.
I get so excited to see if new seedlings are sprouting, don’t you? Checking in on the babies multiple times a day? It’s like “a watched pot never boils,” but with seeds. Imagine my delight when, just 3 days after sowing them, I caught my tomatoes in the act of sprouting. Then, just 3 days later I had 100% germination! Pure delight. No worrying about watering or doing it wrong. Now what? Fertilize Over the next few weeks, I’ll fertilize weekly, weakly, 😉 to give these babies a little boost...
If you've been on this list for a while, you know that while my main topic is seed starting, I have several other, adjacent topics that find their way in here. Today is dedicated to one such. I've always been interested in food - cooking, eating, trying new flavors and recipes. My mom says that even as a kid, it was clear that I would grow up to cook because I was always hovering around, interested in what she was up to in the kitchen. Food is what got me into gardening and seed starting in...
Sometimes when you're thinking about seeds it can be overwhelming. So many choices! Which seeds should I buy? And what gear do I need to start them? Am I doing it wrong?? It's March, and it's time to be starting seeds, or at least thinking about it. And *also* youth soccer is getting going again, and the dishes need to be done, and someone has to cook dinner, and argh! April 15 and taxes are right around the corner, and are all your summer camp/travel/childcare plans sorted out yet? and,...