BY KOKHEONG MCNAUGHTON
“If the bee disappeared off the face of the Earth, man would only have four years left to live.” – Albert Einstein
The Los Alamos Seed Stewards are a group of local volunteer gardeners who are responsible for collecting, sorting, cleaning, and packaging seeds that they have saved, as well as seeds that are donated to the Seed Library project by the community, and ready them for filing and eventually being checked out by library patrons.
Some of these seeds are not suitable for packaging for one reason or another. The Seed Stewards have put together a bowl of wildflower and semi-wildflower seed mix, using mostly native seeds with some non-native ones that have adapted to our climate, carefully avoiding non-native invasive species. These seeds are offered back to the community to encourage them to grow their own wildflower gardens. Patrons of Mesa Public Library may help themselves to jars of these seeds and plant them in their own gardens, or in containers on their balconies if they don’t have gardening space.
How to Grow a Wildflower Garden
- Put a scoop of mixed wildflower seeds in a jar
- Add some dry sand
- Shake them all up
- Scatter them on top of the snow after a snowfall
- Sit back and wait for spring
The sand helps the seeds settle into the snow and there they remain dormant until it’s time for them to sprout.
If you are interested in becoming a Seed Steward, please contact KokHeong McNaughton (text 505-920-6808 or email kokheong@comcast.net)