Dear gardener friends,

“Seven enemies await outside every man’s gate” —ancient Japanese proverb

Gardeners too have quite a few of them. The increasingly erratic weather is one. No rain in the spring of 2007. No drops in the summer either. Even our usually abundant free-flow well water flowing into the creek stopped many times. The sparrows cancelled their yearly visit; instead we were continually munched on by platoon after platoon of mosquitoes. My eyes had turned bloody red seeking potential sacrifice victims for the Rain God, Chaac. Unfortunately the only one I could found was frayed and too unwilling.

Doris, from Ladysmith, B.C., tells me she is a keeper of the most dreadful of adversaries: the NGS, or Non-Gardening Spouse. Her Nanking Cherry seeds germinated, standing like little soldiers in a row until the NGS, in a riding mower, chopped them off. May I add whipper-snipper too, please?

Yes, indeed. We were surrounded by raccoons, skunks, chipmunks, hungry birds and numerous hues of insects. Being near the water, we have our local cedar seedling carry-away artists: beavers. I can live with them — the pesky pests give my life zest to fight. Being small and organic, hand picking insects is no problem, make my aging eyesight alert. The NGS will learn how to keep to the lawn, or eventually retire to a rocking chair and plasma TV heaven.

But there are some pests that are harder to fight. The conglomerates are continuously introducing new genetically modified seeds to the market. They are also the producer of Agent Orange, PCBs and other harmful chemicals and fertilizers. Hard working humans had almost perfected such basic food crops as soybeans, mustard, wheat, etc. It was these plants they altered into GM seeds. Commercial seed catalogues are crowded with hybrid varieties as well. This means you have no freedom, but must keep buying these seeds year after year, at the mercy of the supplier. Not a very good move, you say? That’s why I need you.

This is a tiny and more conservation-oriented garden. Cultivated by hands and knees to produce hardy, fresh open-pollinated seeds. I wish you a bountiful harvest and hope you will share your open-pollinated seeds with your friends and neighbours. Some day in the near future your seeds will be very valuable, when the rest of the world has totally switched to GM, or perhaps if a natural disaster forces one of the huge seed suppliers to cease operations.

Are you in Ottawa or the Valley?

Here are the events I’ll be in this spring. Please e-mail me at yuko@yuko.ca if you’sd like more information or directions. Hope to see you there!

Seedy Saturday Ottawa

March 1, 2008 from 10 a.m. till 3 p.m.

Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre, Britannia Park

I will sit at the Seeds of Diversity Canada table answering your questions.

The Seventh Annual Heirloom Tomato & Perennial Plant Sale

Saturday and Sunday, May 10, 11, 17, 18 from 8 a.m. till 2 p.m. in my garden. Download the flyer, or e-mail me for more information.

Thank you very much for your flower pot donations! I also greatly appreciate any 600 to 750 mL yogourt containers for tomato seedlings.