Seed Pods

Four square organic rotation and seed saving was once a necessity, now it is a link to the past and a way of the future.

Hello Everyone.

It seems like just last week when I collected beans that had grown too plump to eat, now the pods have turned dry and crackly. This month, I am slipping them open to reveal seeds, tiny gifts to save and grow again next spring. Like a good sourdough bread starter, seeds can easily be shared with other gardeners. Maybe that's why I am so obsessed with heirlooms seeds.

Seed saving was once a necessity, but also a link to the past. Some of the heirloom seeds that we grow today were brought to the United States by immigrants who smuggled seeds inside the lining of coats, suitcases, and hatbands or sewn into the hems of dresses. Handed down from family to family, seeds were something small they could bring to connect them to their homeland.

If I can't be in the garden, I might as well be teaching. It's the perfect time of year to ponder next year’s garden and sketch out ideas on paper before the seed catalogs arrive. Next month, I’m teaching a class on [garden design] to share what I’ve learned about design principles to make the design process simplified into six easy steps.

One system I especially like to teach is the organic rotation garden, known as the four-square garden, shown above. It starts by thinking about plant families, rather than simply plants. When plants are grown in the same location year after year, they can be weakened by soil-borne diseases. Grouping all the legume family (beans & peas) in one plot; leafy greens ( lettuce & spinach) in another; fruits and flowering plants ( tomatoes, eggplant, squash) and the root crops ( carrots, beets, potatoes) simplifies the process of figuring out where to plant your plants every year.

Grouping plants by plant families also makes it easier to save seeds at the end of the season. Saving your own seeds saves you money, but is a generous way to share your garden with others.

The history of the four square goes back seven centuries, to the first English cottage gardens when landholding aristocracy offered four square parcels of land to the working class who had been decimated by the plaque during the thirteenth century. In these four squares, they could grow food for their families, as well as supply the upper class with grains, herbs, berries, fruit, and livestock. This practical and productive four square design continued to evolve through the centuries, then flourished when more aesthetic elements were introduced during the Renaissance era such as espaliered trees, ornamental flowers, and fragrant herbs.

What I like most about teaching garden design and seed saving, is that it's all about sharing, both the knowledge and the thrill of growing something new. Learn more about many of the heirloom seeds you can grow, for the best flavor and fragrance, and join me at one of my upcoming classes. Sending you best wishes, from my garden to yours.

As Always,

Ellen O.

Author of The Complete Kitchen Garden and The New Heirloom Garden. For Gardeners Who Love to Cook. www.ellenogden.com