Signs of spring: Growing season is already underway

Published 3:44 pm Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Crazy Charlie, a disoriented bird that flew at my friend’s house windows every year, used to be the definitive sign of spring for her.

For my husband, it’s the frogs. Their chirping and croaking usually start a couple of weeks before the more obvious signs. My own indicator may not be quite as reliable on timing, but it’s just as exciting as the frogs — and I really like hearing those first few frogs.

My sign of spring is the Snoqualmie Valley Seed Exchange, and it happened two Saturdays ago. You can read about it in this issue, or here, because I feel  compelled to thank the organizers for such a unifying event. This was the fifth year, the third for me, and I’m still impressed by how it all comes together. It’s an all-volunteer effort, free to attend and all about helping people to, if not become more self-reliant and grow their own food, at least know that they could.

People take what they want from the seed exchange, and share what they want, too. That includes seeds, information and doctrine. No one insists on organic fertilizer for your squashes, but a few people will recommend not only organic, but the specific ratios for the minerals, too. You won’t find any mass-produced seed manufacturers there, but you will find the Territorial catalog, the Seed Savers Exchange, and even at the vendor booths, as much information being given out for free as advertising for products.

Every year, even those that I don’t take the (also free) classes at the exchange, I come home with a half-dozen new ideas, and about a dozen new varieties of seeds to try — usually at least one silly thing that is less about food and more about fun. This year, it was organic catnip, and the herb savory, which I understand can be used in place of salt.

To be clear, I’m not a gardener; I’m an aspiring gardener. My successes are limited mostly to tomatoes in pots and raspberries that I honestly don’t think anyone could kill. My successes in seed saving, and in weed control (with or without chemicals) have been limited, but I’m always willing to try again.

I guess that’s the whole point of the seed exchange. Hope springs eternal, and, with a little luck and the right advice, so will my garden.

Well done, Chamber

While I’m in the process of thanking people, I also wanted to give a belated congratulations to the Snoqualmie Valley Chamber of Commerce for their outstanding effort last month. In less than a week, they pulled together a huge, and hugely successful tailgate party at the Snoqualmie Valley YMCA, drawing hundreds of people from throughout the Valley.

It was, by all accounts, a great time, and a lot of fun to cover.