Seeds

In defiance of the wintry weather I bought some garden seeds this morning.  I stopped into Cohoon's Elevator to pick up bird seed and was drawn to the seed racks.  Inspired by our success with gourds and pumpkins at work last year I picked up both large woody gourd seeds and colorful gourd seeds, as well as mini and jack-o-lantern pumpkins and radishes.  Also large leaf and sweet basil. I plan to grow the gourds and pumpkins on trellises here at home.  The basil will be split between here and work, the radishes at work.  The large woody gourds have a different flower from the typical gourds.  I grew large gourds years ago in a friend's garden.  In exchange for growing space she received half the gourds.  The fruit is very different from the colorful gourds sold in stores.  The shell is very hard covered with a thin skin.  The skin may mold a bit, but a little bleach and scrubbing keeps everything nice and clean.  Small gourds don't always dry well.  Some of them shrivel up, others just mold and turn to mush.  If you can get them dried out cleanly they have a thin shell that can be cut into dippers or designs.  I have a space in front of a south window where I will start them in a few weeks for planting out in May.