Finding Keepers
great expectations
Embrace the season with a bountiful assortment of local seeds perfectly adapted to the Southwest.
Indian Ricegrass is a good choice for a sandy meadow reclamation grass, and birds love it. Plants of the Southwest 6680 Fourth Street NW, Albuquerque, NM, 505/344-8830; and 3095 Agua Fria Street, Santa Fe, NM, 505/438-8888 or 800/788-7333, plantsofthesouthwest.com.
Botanical Interests native plant seeds, from left: Rocky Mountain Penstemon, Chocolate Flower, Gaillardia, Flax Blue, and Coreopsis. Agua Fria Nursery 1409 Agua Fria Street, Santa Fe, NM, 505/983-4831.
These individual and mixed seed packets are good choices for a high, dry climate. Clockwise from top: Low Desert Mix, Wild Hyssop, Wine Cup, Hummingbird Trumpet, Narrowleaf Yucca, and Prairie Zinnia. Plants of the Southwest 6680 Fourth Street NW, Albuquerque, NM, 505/344-8830; and 3095 Agua Fria Street, Santa Fe, NM, 505/438-8888 or 800/788-7333, plantsofthesouthwest.com.
Four excellent choices for a New Mexican vegetable garden, from left to right: Desert King Watermelon, NuMex Sandia Chili Pepper, Hopi Blue Flour Corn, and Cocozelle Bush Zucchini. Seeds of Change P.O. Box 15700, Santa Fe, NM 87592, 888/762-7333, seedsofchange.com. You can find Seeds of Change at local natural groceries, local nurseries, and lawn and garden stores in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos.
Hopi Blue Flour Corn seeds. Seeds of Change P.O. Box 15700, Santa Fe, NM 87592, 888/762-7333, seedsofchange.com. You can find Seeds of Change at local natural groceries, local nurseries, and lawn and garden stores in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos.
This article first appeared in Spring 2009 Su Casa
When forced indoors by winter weather, gardeners settle in and plot their next move. They draw schematics of their ever-evolving gardens or pore over seed catalogs and think about warmer seasons to come.
This spring New Mexico’s seed companies have a lot to offer. Seeds are one of the most alluring of nature’s creations by virtue of the miracle they contain: a tiny kernel that can transform into a beautiful flowering plant or shrub, a flavorful herb, or a vegetable that will produce enough to feed you through the winter. Consider also the seed packet, that beautiful rendition of things to come. Many New Mexico seed distributors don’t use traditional packaging—they have turned to sustainable products. From Manila envelopes and paper bags to spare recyclable plastics, these seed packages can often go straight into the compost after you’re done planting.
When selecting your seeds, remember that water is the primary consideration for planting in the Southwest. Plants that thrive in a high, dry climate are the obvious solution. No longer a new idea, xeric gardening has evolved into a subculture of seed collectors who use GPS systems and the Internet to share information and exchange seeds.
These days you can purchase the seeds of a rare plant that grows on the south-facing side of a hill in southern Arizona or a tiny alpine plant that prefers the moist north-facing side of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Agua Fria Nursery in Santa Fe is a great spot to find these treasures. There they can also tell you if the plants of your dreams will actually grow where you live. Agua Fria Nursery sells several blends that follow Mother Nature’s recipe, including Aspen Meadow Rx Mix, which naturally protects the fragile aspen roots. The nursery also sells a Piñon Juniper Wildflower Mix and Lazy Driveway Flower Mix, which includes a combination of annual flowers that will reseed and bloom all summer. (Call or visit the websites of these companies to order a catalog.)
Seed collectors have long been stockpiling seeds from around the world and storing them in seed banks to preserve plants’ biodiversity. The founders of the Seeds of Change company expanded on this idea. Twenty years ago, they began collecting a diverse group of seeds, and rather than storing them away, they sought to disperse them among gardeners, thereby keeping them alive. This notion expresses a belief in humans as proliferators of nature instead of the darker and more popular view that we are here only to wreak havoc. The variety of seeds collected by Seeds of Change makes what used to seem impossible suddenly attainable—growing watermelon in northern New Mexico, for instance. Seeds of Change also sells a mixture of seeds that attract beneficial insects, a very different approach from the insecticide aisle at big-box stores.
“All of our seeds are open-pollinated,” says Natalie Smith at Plants of the Southwest. “That means you can grow the plant, collect the seeds, and start the whole process over without ever buying another seed from us.” This policy helps gardeners make a connection with nature, which exemplifies the goals of nurserymen and women who practice permaculture and sustainability as a business method. The people at Plants of the Southwest collect all of their seeds within 500 miles of their nursery. They have a large selection of soil stabilizers and dryland grasses, including the popular buffalo grass. You can plant cover crops to add nitrogen and organic matter to your soil and grow your garden in better, richer earth.
Seed production involves an aspect of hopefulness that serves us well. The growers’ message is the same as that of the seed itself: take something elemental, nurture it, and watch it thrive. You can feed your family, you can feed your soul, and you can help save the planet. It’s all there in a small envelope.