Penn State Schuylkill Seed Bank & LIbrary
Another Product of Schuylkill Sustainability
Spring is almost here. Seeds are available to help you get your garden started. If you are interested, look at the list of our offerings and then email our curator Mary Ann Smith with your requests and an address to send them. I hope to get them out quickly, but sometimes get bogged down with classes and family stuff.
Happy Spring!
Best wishes for a productive garden!
Though it’s been a while, we’re still here. Just the other day a little critter didn’t see his shadow signaling an early spring. Have you considered any new seed options for your garden? We’re here to help if you just want to give something a try. We have many varieties and I’m updating the site on some of the changes we have.
If you have questions, please reach out to Mary Ann Smith.
Though much of the northeast just received a new blanket of snow, “National Plant a Flower Day” yesterday should get us thinking about spring. Snow or no snow, summer gardens require plants that are typically started indoors. Early season Brassica sp., like the broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, get started indoors in January and February (most of us are late too) and then go outside in the coming days. Tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers should be getting ready for their indoor starts. If you have a window with decent sunlight, seeds can get started in small trays or even cardboard egg cartons with seed starting blends. A grow light can help those who lack the sunny window or who unfortunately have to share that area with a four-legged friend. In the coming days and weeks, many plants can get started inside and some outside, but you can get a better sense of these timelines using a planting calendar for your area.
If you still need seeds, please check out our list of current varieties and put in a request. We’re happy to send seeds out at any time of the year, though we do try to avoid weather extremes.
Good luck with your gardens.
A big thank you to Herman’s Gardens Seed Donation Program for a wonderful seed donation. Thanks to this grant program we now have a more robust offering of seeds. A list of these seeds is provided below. Many of the seeds have descriptions on the Seed Savers webpage. You can find these and all of our seeds under Available Seeds. We are offering all to the community and will be testing some on site within the Penn State Schuylkill Community Garden.
As temperatures have soared into the 50s, 60s, and even 70s, snow has melted and gives a peak back at the garden. Though we are not half way into March, it is time to start thinking about early cool weather plants. Some plants really thrive in cool temperatures and a light frost may actually make them sweeter. Members of the Brassica family, like cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, actually love cool weather and will start to suffer as we get to typical “gardening” season. Also peas and spinach like this earlier part of the growing season, so don’t be afraid to think about getting these seeds and plants ready for the garden to extend your season.
Depending on where you live, it might also be time to think about starting seeds for your typical summer garden. The Old Farmer’s Almanac has a planting calendar that can look up suggestive times to start seeds and transplant them in your garden. Of course, paying attention to your weather is also an important factor, since a late winter frost (or snowfall like the madness of last year) can easily ruin a crop. Penn State Extension also offers a number of resources for how to start or expand your garden. Living in the northeastern part of the state (just outside Scranton), I tend to go by my wise father’s advice that we never really start planting until after Memorial Day and Father’s Day is actually a great time to get out there. However, some of that advice does cut into the season for those of you near the Schuylkill campus.
If you are thinking about getting a jump start on planting, make sure to check out our current seed bank offerings.
Happy Gardening!
Mary Ann
Wow. 2020 has flown by – okay not fast enough for most of us and not in really any good way. Now it is December and up here in Scranton, we have snow. We had around a foot of snow. (I couldn’t find my yard stick so I have been measuring in terms of my dog, Eddy – the snow was 1 Eddy high – just to his back so his head could poke above a snow a little.)
Yet… gardening season is not over. There are lots of things that can be done for our gardens. Now you might be thinking, “Oh Gosh, she’s gone crazy. There’s snow outside. How can you grow things?”
Well, yes, the outdoor growing season here in the north is well over. There is snow basically everywhere and only a hope of a little relief on Christmas Eve (50 degrees baby). It is currently 36 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Brrr. I 
see the outline of my garden but not much more. It’s already a few days after the storm and this is my yard. So, I do not plan on spending much time out there. I had placed some cardboard and paper on top of the beds to keep the weeds down (not like they can grow much with that much snow on top), but when it finally thaws, I want to keep the system healthy with this mulch. And you’re right, in the north, like my home here in Throop (just down the hill from Penn State Scranton and far from my people in Schuylkill), it is too cold to grow things outside.
Where could I be gardening? Answer: Anywhere in the house that has an ounce of light coming in. Though it is cold outside, our homes are warm and plants bring us benefits. The convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and are pleasant to look at. If we consider herbs, these plants can bring in other nutrients and also add some needed flavor to our meals.
I actually brought in as many of the pots that I could from the yard. Our house is under renovation, so a big Christmas tree was not going in the window, so it has become a great place for my garden to live. To add some holiday cheer, I even added one of the light sets from my mini tree to the garden.
They are mainly herbs from this summer that surprisingly lasted through several frosts and cold spells. Sage, lemon balm, spearmint, peppermint, parsley, Greek oregano, lemon thyme, lavender, and two pineapple plants are pictured here. I also have my rosemary, Italian oregano, avocado tree, and two lemon trees inside. The avocado and lemon trees were started from seed this year and were part of the food system previously. (Even if they never produce food, they are pretty).
So what can you do? A small pot in a window can be a ray of hope to spring. The seed bank still has lots of seeds to help. You can still email us for some seeds and grow it this winter. You just need to have temperatures in the mid 60s to get started (a little cooler works for some but just takes longer). I have basil starting and also some catnip (as a treat for our cats – who like to hide in the plants but have not eaten them – apparently more fun to pop out and scare the daylights out of me).
If you are considering some plants, make sure you are keeping your animals in mind (if you have them) and let’s keep fur babies safe this season.
Keep a little green in your life this winter. Happy Holidays! Let’s pray for a much better and Blessed New Year! Happy Gardening!
Hi all,
After a strong season of growth, harvest time has come, and in most of our areas, gone. It has been a difficult year with the pandemic, economic turmoil, and political unrest, along with an election that has not been completely resolved, our harvest at home can bring comfort. Hopefully, you have had a number of fruits or vegetables come out of the garden and can see the bounty and beauty of the earth come into your life.
If you requested seeds and planted them this year, please send us some photos. We would love to see how your garden and harvest went. If you have some seeds from your harvest, keep some for yourself and send some back to us at Penn State Schuylkill so we can continue to share.
We have no plans on stopping and hope to expand. Remember, you can request seeds year round as you prepare plans for your garden. Some plants can do well as indoor plants, especially herbs, so check them out. For 2021, we also hope to offer native pollinators so you can start a native pollinator garden. You can check out our Native Pollinator Garden.
We wish you all a very blessed holiday season.
Happy Gardening!
Hi all,
Hope that the summer heat is helping and not hurting your vegetables. I know for my family that keeping up with the watering can be a task sometimes, especially if you all of a sudden remember – “Oh no, I have to water the plants.” Then you look at the clock and it is already 10am, and you sigh as you know that outside it is going to be warm to say the least.
Well, autumn will soon be here. The temperatures will cool down, especially for us in Pennsylvania as a northeastern state. Up where I live in Lackawanna County it will be a little cooler than in Schuylkill, but have no fear, there are still plants that you can grow by seed this time of year. Some plants actually like the cooler weather. The biggest factor to consider is the sunlight requirements and days required for growth from that particular vegetable. Many of the winter squash that we started earlier this year hopefully (fingers crossed) have some fruit on the vines. For our more northern climates, it is a little too late to get them started and get a productive harvest before the snow flies. However, a more summer squash, like zucchini, could be started now and still give a harvest as we continue. The biggest piece there is to watch for potential early frosts, which could damage these more delicate plants. Even some cucumbers can do well in the more southern parts of the state. Cucumbers actually do like the cooler temps, though we often think of them as a hot summer crop.
The crops to focus on though are members of the Brassica family, like cabbage, collards, broccoli and cauliflower, who love the cool to cold temps and actually can be better tasting with a frost. Lettuce also loves the cool temperatures of fall. Also, radishes, beets and carrots can thrive in this next season and can help extend your growing season. Also, you can do small pots of herbs that you can start outdoors and bring indoors as the temperatures drop. Basil, oregano and thyme are great potted plants that can also love being in your home during the winter.
Within the Penn State Schuylkill Seed Bank & Library, some great choices for fall include the following options:
Herbs, as I mentioned, are great indoor plants and do not need large containers to thrive. Within the seed bank, we have some additional options:
So if any of these seeds sound of interest to you, then please email Mary Ann Smith, mvs14@psu.edu with your requests and we’ll get them shipped to by mail to you.
If you’re looking for a quick science project with the kids, growing some small root vegetables or herbs can provide a great basis for many children, while also providing an educational setting to explain how our food grows and then makes it to the table.
I’ll soon be sharing some methods for saving seeds, so keep an eye out for those updates as well.
Happy Gardening!
Hope you had a wonderful Independence Day. It’s hard to believe at times that it is already July. Many flowers are in full bloom and even the first fruits of summer crops are beginning to show themselves. You might think that planting season is over – BUT… the fall planting season is upon us.
You may say, “Fall planting?” Though the entire plethora of crops are not necessarily available, many plants appreciate the cooler weather. As the Penn State Schuylkill Seed Bank & Library has many seeds, some great choices for fall include the following options:
Also, you can start some plants to bring indoors during the winter. Herbs are great indoor plants and do not need large containers to thrive. Within the seed bank, we have some additional options:
So if any of these seeds sound of interest to you, then please email Mary Ann Smith, mvs14@psu.edu with your requests and we’ll get them shipped to by mail to you.
Happy Gardening!
Hi all,
June 1st. Where did the spring go? Well, it is a great time to continue or even start gardening. Many things in the garden can still get started with seed. Take watermelons, for example, on Saturday night, I actually set some for germination. (Check out my post on germinating indoors on Schuylkill Sustainable.) Watermelons can take about 75-100 days from germination to harvest and that leads to mid-August to September for harvest. It is not ideal, but it will give me late season watermelons.
If you are like me and thought about the garden as the pandemic struck, then you did not start plants early from seed. Don’t worry there is still time. The biggest thing is trying to get a sense of how long your particular plant takes to harvest and Penn State Extension can help with that issue. Also it is wise to see when your crop wants to grow and be harvested. I realize that sounds very weird, but crops have been selected for certain climates and weather patterns, so taking them out of that part of the season can reduce productivity. Additionally, some insects that the plants are more susceptible to can be more problematic when plants are out of their season. It’s nature’s way of keeping things in order. For some simple help, I suggest looking at either the Urban Farmer’s calendar for Pennsylvania, which has a USDA zone map and then the zone schedules for PA, or West Coast seeds regional calendars. The Farmer’s Almanac is also useful, but it’s main page does not give ending dates for planting which is more so what you might need right now. This is another link from the Farmer’s Almanac with a “Last Planting Date for Second-Season Crop” document.
The Penn State Schuylkill Seed Bank and Library is here to help with seed needs. Remember with school being out, please email Mary Ann Smith at mvs14@psu.edu with your requests and mailing information. Several seeds of each type will be packaged and sent to you by US mail. Hopefully, in the future, we’ll be able to have you come by campus to do seed or small plant pick ups and even visit our community garden.
Some of the more viable plants at this time would be:
If you’re interested, please reach out. Email Mary Ann Smith at mvs14@psu.edu with your name, address and the seeds you’re interested in (refer to our available list) and we’ll send some out via the US Mail. We’re excited to help bring your gardens dreams a bit closer to reality. We hope you had the opportunity to see us in the Republican Herald.
Take care and go green until next time.
Happy Gardening!