Catch The Movie: Growing Cities At The Learning Garden

Hey, on the 15th at the Garden we are showing GROWING CITIES - deets below. Dress warm and/or bring a snuggle bunny!! Good flick. 

Los Angeles Community Garden Council and Seed Library of Los Angeles invite you to see documentary, 

GROWING CITIES outside, under the stars at The Learning Garden located on the campus of Venice High School.

GROWING CITIES, tells inspiring stories of urban farmers, innovators, and everyday city-dwellers who are challenging the way this country grows and distributes its food from rooftop farmers and vacant lots, Americans are growing food like never before.

Watch the trailer: http://www.growingcitiesmovie.com/the-film/

Saturday, November 15th @ 4:45pm

The Learning Garden: http://www.thelearninggarden.org/

@ Venice High School

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/growing-cities-movie-at-slola-tickets-13866548219

Cost: $10 donation at the door is appreciated. Coffee and tea will be provided.

Address: 13000 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066

Entrance: Through the gate off Walgrove.

Parking: Plenty of free parking on the street; Walgrove or Venice Blvd.

Map: http://slola.org/contact/how-to-get-here/

DRESS WARMLY!  Even on warm days, Venice gets chilly at night!  

david

A New Seed Saving Seminar With David King!

It's about time.  Last January we had a seed saving seminar with SLOLA Chair and Founder, David King that was thoroughly enjoyed by every one.  We have finally pinned the dates down and are very pleased to announce our next offering: 

Essentials of Seed Saving

Generations before us understood the importance of saving seeds. It was an essential part of the lives of all our ancestors. This vital connection was lost as we began to purchase our seeds from seed sellers. In recent times, the specter of GMOs and monster corporations controlling the seeds they created and the very real prospect of seed corporations having control over our food supply.

October 20, 27 and November 3, 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM, at

The Learning Garden,

SE corner of Walgrove Avenue and Venice Blvd.

310.722.3656 or greenteach@gmail.com

Saving our own vegetable biodiversity today provides us

• those old open pollinated varieties that taste good.
• a wider range of vegetable varieties and more control over what we can have.
• a closer participation in the cycle of life. In our gardens.
  
• a hedge against personal financial misfortune.
• a safeguard against food shortages.
  
• our own way to mitigate against climate change and it's impact on agriculture.
• the means to fight our shrinking biodiversity.
  

Upon completing this short course, participants will know why we urgently need to learn how to save seeds, the basics of saving most vegetable seeds, optimum conditions for seed preservation, how to preserve the genetic lines of different types of seed and short-cuts and tips from someone steeped in the seed saving ethic.  

David King began his time in the garden at his Grandfather's knee back in northeast Kansas.  He has been an avid gardener for most of his life and has taught gardening and horticulture at UCLA Extension and UC Cooperative Extension.  He has been with The Learning Garden at Venice High School for over ten years and is the Chair of the Seed Library of Los Angeles. He has written the LA Garden Blog for over three years as well as several columns for periodical publication.  A course of information, delivered with passion and humor is guaranteed.

Date Enrolled

Before10/13/2011 $40.00 After 10/13/2011 $45.00 At The Door $50.00

This Saturday Is the Growing Food Class!

In a photo by Barbara Treves from last weekend's seminar, "Essentials of Vegetable Seed Saving," Gardenmaster David King holds a couple of screens for separating out chaff from seed that's being saved.

This Saturday, the usual first Saturday of the month class, Growing Food In Southern California meets in The Learning Garden on the Chi Patio from 9 AM to Noon.  We'll cover finishing off our cool season gardens and starting our tomatoes and basil for the coming hot months.  The weather should be absolutely delicious for gardening this weekend so we'll spend some time out in the garden planting and checking out the harvest from this last season!  If we have folks with fruit trees we'll show how to best prune fruit trees at this time of year and all the other tasks we need to get out of the way in our gardens!  Remember, if you want a good tomato, pepper and cucumber crop this year, now is the time to start and we'll show you exactly what works!

Class is $25 and you'll probably have some take home material from the class (plants, seeds or harvest!)  Hot tea and coffee will be served - bring your cup! 

Calendar of Events: January and The Immediate Future

In a rare moment between the rains, the sun shone on these Detroit Dark Red beets with an intense brilliance begging a photo.  Sadly, the luminosity of the brilliant beet leaves is not transmitted by the photograph.  Stare at them intently and picture something akin to a purple halo on them and you will approximate the sight.

Welcome to 2011 at The Learning Garden!  This promises to be an exciting year for us, if we don't float away; there are many different exciting events on the drawing books!    Herewith is the calendar of the start of 2011: 

January 15^th – (time and other details are TBA); Pruning Workshop for Los Angeles Master Gardeners – Lora Hall, master teacher of all kinds of gardening wonderfulness leads an all-star cast of teaching assistants who will shepherd everyone through the pruning of fruit trees using the actual trees in The Learning Garden. Instead of a book. I know, it's an interesting concept.

January 15^th - 2nd Meeting of the newly formed Seed Library of Los Angeles (SLOLA); a new community based effort to ensure a safe supply of open-pollinated heirloom vegetable varieties, unpatented and unowned by faceless, profit based companies.  Membership is $5 and members can check out seeds (like library books) for free, returning fresh seed to the library at the end of the growing season. A new blog for SLOLA is coming soon!

January 29^th - Essentials of Vegetable Seed Saving, 10-3 (vegetarian lunch included) If you are concerned about GMOs in your food, saving our own seed is the only sure way to fight back.  $40 if prepaid – see article below for more details on this exciting seminar.

February 5^th – What To Do And When To Do It, Growing Food In Southern California, 9-Noon, our monthly checklist and how to gardening class, taught on the patio at The Learning Garden. Coffee and tea are made to keep you warm. Always, the topic is driven by questions in the class, but this is a good time to prune your fruit trees and plant new ones, also, believe it or not, SUMMER is right around the corner – learn the secrets to your best garden ever! $25 'at the gate,' no reservations required.

February 5^th - New Volunteers Orientation on the patio; 1:00 to 2:00 PM. Reserve your space with Sheri Powell-Wolf at her email address: sheri(at)compostteana(dot)com. Free.

Late February will see a Plant Propagation Seminar (along the lines of the Seed Saving Seminar on Jan. 29th) with seed sowing, perennial division, taking cuttings from shrubs and trees (growing plants without seed) and the almost forgotten arts of grafting and budding.

March 5^th - What To Do And When To Do It, Growing Food In Southern California, 9-Noon, our monthly checklist and how to gardening class, taught on the patio at The Learning Garden. Coffee and tea are made to keep you warm. In March, we'll definitely be in summer's flow, tomatoes, peppers, basil, eggplant, beans and all kinds of goodies have to be considered.. . What do YOU want to grow? $25 'at the gate,' no reservations required.

March 5^th - New Volunteers Orientation on the patio; 1:00 to 2:00 PM. Reserve your space with Sheri Powell-Wolf at her email address: sheri(at)compostteana(dot)com. Free.

We anticipate another exciting workshop in March as well. 

Ongoing Events In The Learning Garden

(* All events are 'weather permitting' by which we mean, if you need your tall 'Wellies,' a heavy jacket or a row boat, the weather is NOT permitting.  On the other hand, we are gardeners and a little rain doesn't throw us into paroxysms of anxiety; precipitation under a quarter of an inch is usually met with horticultural stoicism.)

Friday --12:30 PM, The Garden Feast, a potluck with staff and volunteers (and anyone else who show up with a good attitude) at our picnic tables.  The food is always fresh, delicious and abundant.  It is the essence of the SLOW Food Movement, so come prepared  with a tasty bite, a healthy appetite for the bounty of others  and a desire for eclectic conversation.

Saturday – 9 AM Henry Jun Wah Lee hold his Medical Qigong classes – contact Henry for more information at 323-540-4180.

Sunday --10 AM Seth Leon has an informal Harmony Style Qigong practice on our Chi Patio. It is free.

Our webpage is worth a look and you can like us on Facebook! If you like...

Hope we see you in the Garden soon in 2011!

david

The Learning Garden and SLOLA Present: Essentials of Vegetable Seed Saving!

Genetic diversity is evident in these ears of corn, all from the same batch of seed...  this richness must be preserved!

Happy New Year everyone! 
 
The Learning Garden at Venice High School is offering an exciting new seminar for January 29th, 10:00 to 3:00 (lunch included!): Essentials of Vegetable Seed Saving.
 
Seed saving has become a 'must-know' skill as people have recognized how utterly essential seeds are to our ability to survive. 
 
Generations before us understood the importance of saving seeds. Saving seeds to plant in the coming year was essential and, long before science showed the why of it, humankind understood we could select the best plants and improve the varieties we depended upon. This vital connection was lost as we began to purchase our seeds from seed sellers making the need to save seed seem less relevant. In recent times, we are confronted with GMOs and monster corporations controlling the seeds they created and with that came the very real specter of seed corporations having control over the food supply.

Saving our vegetable biodiversity today provides us

• those delicious open pollinated varieties that were bred to taste good.
  
• a wider range of vegetable varieties that aren't often available through catalogs.
  
• a closer participation in the cycle of life.
  
• a hedge against our own personal misfortune of losing a job or other financial setback.
  
• a safeguard against food shortages caused by natural or man-made disasters.
  
• with our own means to mitigate against global climate change and it's impact on agriculture.
  
• the means to fight our shrinking biodiversity.
  

Seed saving enhances the gardening experience even more because good gardeners become better gardeners and some will go on to create unique open-pollinated vegetable varieties – adapted to this place!

This is the seminar you need if you are concerned about -

• the presence of GMO's in our food. 
• the preservation of old 'heirloom' vegetable varieties. 
• equal access to good clean healthy food for everyone regardless of economic status.
• our ability in Los Angeles to produce vegetables acclimatized to our local (and very unique) climate.
• the future of seeds and food!
  

You will learn

• to plan for your seed saving – things to do to enable success.
• how different plants are pollinated and what that means to saving seed . 
• to identify different plant families and how that affects the seed saving process. 
• the best time to pick for the best seed viability.
• to ensure your seed is kept pure from other varieties and unwanted characteristics.
• to clean and dry different seeds and other processes for optimum storage.
• the equipment and essential supplies you will have to have if you want to save some seeds and what you won't need for MOST seeds.
  

Taught by The Learning Garden's Gardenmaster, David King, this seminar will emphasize how to do it and practical examples will show everyone how to best save the more common vegetable seeds with information on saving all kinds of seeds included.  

David King is an experienced lecturer, well known for practical seminars that are accessible and informative.  The lively lectures, full of quirky humor, move through the topic, getting to the heart of the matter without a lot of extra jargon, but with the data you need to get out and save some seeds!

Lunch will be served enable participants to join in community over the break (12 to 1:00 PM). Pamela Nears, an accomplished organic and 'fresh from the garden' chef, will treat all with a vegetarian stew and other menu items (price included in your registration) that will nourish and enhance the garden experience. Coffee, tea and water will abound.

Weather permitting, the seminar will be held outside.  The Learning Garden is usually cooler than any other place in Los Angeles, thanks to the three large trees shading the patio, please dress warmly in January - although if it is too cold, we will be indoors.

Early registration helps us plan and will save you money.  Registration at the door is on an 'as available' basis - seating is limited and we expect to fill!

  
Use the PayPal button below to enroll now.  If you have diet concerns (other than vegetarian) please make a note on your registration and we will work something out.

Members of Seed Library of Los Angeles (SLOLA) will receive a $10 discount - all other attendees will become members of the Seed Library of Los Angeles; $10 of your registration fee goes to SLOLA for your membership automatically.


Thank you, 
david

Today, January 25th, the seed saving seminar filled to maximum capacity. Leave a comment below and we'll make a point of taking a waiting list and notify you if a space becomes available or if we schedule a second seminar in the very near future...  Thank you and I hope we can winnow a few seedheads together soon.

david

Looking Forward to SLOLA's Future

A friend of mine shows off a Christmas Lima Bean, named for the bright red and white seeds.  A productive Lima bean that persists right through our winters, 'Christmas' is on my list of seeds that I hope SLOLA will save - what is on YOUR list?  

Right now SLOLA (the Seed Library of Los Angeles) is in a formative stage and we have committees that deal with some things that aren't so interesting for most of us. We have to have rules/bylaws; we need to set standards and create protocols with structure – and we have to do it from whole cloth in order to make this vision of a seed library work and make it work for the generations to follow – if we set something in motion and fail to make it strong as an organization and institution, we could see all the work go for nothing if the seeds cannot be kept with pure genetic lines maintained and attention to all the little details wherein the Devil resides.

But... If you are at all like me, seeds are one of my playgrounds and I love to fiddle with them. When I'm not planting them, I'm dreaming about them and I'm making lists of what I'll plant later this year or what I hope I will be able to plant soon or maybe some rare heirloom that I can't find will obsess me for days until I either find it or give up trying.  I grew up in Kansas and during the winter, with snow over the garden, I would page through the seed catalogs, memorizing the ones with the descriptions that captured my imagination, making long lists of the ones I wanted Grandpa to buy.  He saved his seeds, so really never did take second note of my long lists, but I learned a lot from those seed catalogs and the fascination of a house-bound ten year old gardener for seeds is still with me today.

At the December meeting I asked everyone to come back to the January meeting (the 15^th) with a list of 25 vegetable seeds they would like to see be a part of the collection of seeds that SLOLA offers. I hope you've been playing with this list; I have! I have about already over shot twenty five, so anyone needing additional suggestions, I'm ready to supply you with several to give you a full list!

But after I had made the list, I began to daydream about the future of SLOLA; a time when there is no real bylaws committee and the database committee is ad hoc, coming together only to solve a problem or to work out a better solution as warranted.

When that time comes, I see a Potato committee, a Lettuce Committee, a Pepper Committee and a Corn Committee and committees for every seed for which there is an interest in carrying on specific traits or creating newer cultivars. Each committee is looking at that plant and the different varieties available and perhaps even making new open-pollinated cultivars that improve the plants we can grow in the Los Angeles Basin. Perhaps in a few years, the L A area could be awash in the just-released “Bonilla Potato” or the “Spitz Red Leaf Lettuce!” Maybe there will be a super-productive red-skinned (and fleshed!) potato called “Rose Spuds” or a “Souper Soup Bean!"

The possibilities could be even more productive than the hybrids we see today – the only reason hybrids have become so much more productive than open-pollinated seeds is the amount of research that has gone into them – and that productivity has been at the expense of other, arguably just as important qualities, like taste or ability to grow and produce well in the micro-climate of the LA Basin. What has been done with hybrids can be approximated with open-pollinated plants. Corporations won't do it because there is no profit in it for them that justifies the research and trials – but a seed library can and should put efforts into breeding more productive stock for our areas.

But we will also need people who have mechanical skills to create appropriately powered machines to help us keep our seeds and make them even more available to more people. I have pondered for years the idea of a bicycle powered grain thresher, a device that would pound the wheat kernel free from the husk that holds it and winnow out the debris of the husk leaving a person with a wheat berries to be ground. Already my mind is turning to a similar contraption that will remove all the corn seeds from a cob without burning blisters into a person's hands.

It's not just wheat seeds that need threshing – several other vegetables can be hard to break out of coverings – and who knows? - maybe one day SLOLA will offer some varieties of wheat that do well in Los Angeles – or perhaps rice or other grain – they do comprise a large part of our diets.

But first veggies. Then I'm very keen on herbs – culinary and medicinal and flowers – edible and medicinal - and even those flowers that are not edible and 'only' good for the spirit, like my favorite, sweet peas. They are 'food for the soul' as some wise person a few years ago said. 

The idea that one day we can have a small catalog of seeds available to members that will cover all the major vegetables and a few of the not so major ones as well, is tremendously empowering and exciting. I can't even think of this for a few minutes before I get all enthusiastic and I want to run out and plant another row of something that needs to be saved and dream of a future of a secure food supply, made secure by a few people who saw and acted on their uncommon common sense..

Times that are tenuous are often the times of greatest creativity. Certainly, in a turbulent economic time, faced with the greed of behemoth companies like Monsanto and others, a determined band of Los Angelenos came together to fight back the only way they could; by planting a seed of something that could grow.

I remember the old line: "Hope will never die as long as seed catalogs are printed.” Perhaps we can say, “Hope is ours to plant and harvest; we tend our own hope and hold our own destiny in our hands,” once again like our forebearers once did and we can claim their independence because of the seeds we have planted today.

Long live SLOLA!!

Here's MY current seed list of seeds I want to save first, subject to change as I think of more, in no particular order:

1. Queensland Blue Squash
2. Cannelini Bush Bean
3. Flammé Tomato
4. Tango Lettuce
5. Drunken Woman Lettuce
6. Merlot Lettuce
7. Merville des Quatre Saison Lettuce
8. Nutribud Broccoli
9. Burpee's Golden Beet
10. Five Color Silverbeet Chard (AKA Rainbow Chard)
11. DiCicco Broccoli
12. San Marzano Tomato
13. Cherokee Tomato
14. Pencil Pod Wax Bean
15. Royal Burgundy Bean
16. Parris Island Cos Lettuce
17. Jalapeno Pepper
18. Corno di Toro Pepper
19. Scarlet Nantes Carrot
20. Chioggia Beet
21. Purple Top White Globe Turnip
22. Copenhagen Market Cabbage
23. Winningstadt Cabbage
24. Country Gentleman Corn
25. Golden Bantam Corn
26. Garden Peach Tomato
27. Fiber Flax
28. White Cherry Tomato
29. Gossypium arborense
30. Gossypium hirsutum
31. Gossypium barbadense
32. Christmas Lima Bean
33. Albino Beet
34. Bulls Blood Beet
35. Calabrese Broccoli
36. De Cicco Broccoli
37. Mammoth Red Rock
38. Early Snoball Cauliflower
39. Bloody Butcher Corn
40. Mexican Wedding Corn
41. Stowell's Evergreen Corn
42. Armenian Cucumber
43. Long Red Florence Onion

Hope your list is just as long and varied and I hope we can have all of these in our inventory by this time next year... Oh..  And Merry Christmas (Lima Beans) to you and yours!

david

SLOLA Is Real!

It was a bitter cold afternoon, and I honestly don't know if my goosebumps were from the cold or being awed at the participation and dedication of the people who braved the cold to come out to The Learning Garden's Chi Patio to form the Seed Library of Los Angeles (SLOLA).  We elected officers and established a $10 membership fee.  It is hoped that this will be a lifetime fee, but we have no history to go on.

The meeting went smoothly - perhaps the cold inspired folks with more  to say to moderate their comments? - and we all left with a real sense that we had 'done something' to make Los Angeles a better place to live, a more sustainable, yes, even 'resilient', city.  It was as though we had offered a stone from David's sling at the Goliaths of the seed industry who have pushed the home gardener further and further from their demographic. 

We meet again on January 15th at 2:30 in the afternoon.  Part of our agenda will be ask all members to sign the Safe Seed Pledge and promise to learn to grow their plants in a way that will help us provide a long term solution to the crises of our loss of genetic diversity and to keep alive these valuable older seed varieties that gardeners can save to grow next year and be independent of the seed industry that pushes more and more hybrids on the average gardener.

This was an exciting meeting and already we have twelve initial members.  When I handed over my ten bucks, I felt almost as though I signed another Declaration of Independence.  All these wonderful people out in the cold to insure a safe seed supply in Los Angeles just made me absolutely giddy!

Please come out and be a part of this vital community effort to help save the seeds of history to feed us today and tomorrow.

david

Events Upcoming at The Learning Garden

Events upcoming at The Learning Garden - Please mark your calendars!! The picture shows our 'booth' at the recent Homegrown Culver City.  You could have been there; it was a lovely day in the park with a lot of very wonderful people!

13 November – Westside Produce, drop off at 9:00, sorting and repackaging begins at noon with pick up and distribution at 1:00. Excess produce exchange. We are in the quarantine zone for the Mediterranean Fruit Fly – if you live outside of the quarantine area, please do not participate in the exchange to allow the quarantine to be most effective. A quarantine is one of the most ecological ways to deal with destructive pests and The learning Garden fully supports the quarantine.

25 November – Thanksgiving 11:30 AM to whenever we are sufficiently past full. For the 6^th year in a row The Learning Garden extends an invitation to the clients and staff of Program for Torture Victims to enjoy this quintessential American holiday on our patio. We do this potluck style, so please bring whatever dish you feel is the very embodiment of Thanksgiving. We have the turkey lined up as well as mashed potatoes – everything else is open for anyone to bring. You can't have too much of anything on Thanksgiving! In keeping with our ecological policies, please bring your own plates and service ware.

04 December – 9:00 AM to Noon – Growing Food in Southern California On our patio, David King, Gardenmaster, will teach growing food in our unique climate – all the up to date information you'll need to enable your garden to the best ever! What do you do in December and January in a climate that doesn't freeze? Here's where to find out and get tips from a successful gardener with over 40 years experience of doing it organically. $25 and the best $25 you can spend on your garden in LA. More information?  Email the Gardenmaster. 

04 December – 1:00 to 2:00 PM - New Volunteers Orientation on the patio. Reserve your space with Sheri Powell-Wolf at her email address: sheri(at)compostteana(dot)com.

04 December – 2:00 to 3:30 PM – The initial planning meeting for the Seed Library of Los Angeles (SLOLA). We will meet on the patio or in a campus room if weather forces us indoors to begin the plan for SLOLA, laying the groundwork for a viable seed source for all of Los Angeles that defies the insidious nature of copyrighted genetic material and keeps food in the hands of people, not corporations. If you have in interest in this, join us in making the seed library the best one in the country for all of us in Los Angeles. More info from the Gardenmaster.

21 December – 6:30 to 9:30 PM Winter Solstice Celebration A stress free celebration in December! It's almost sacrilege, but that's what we have. With Camille Harris as our Mistress of Ceremonies, we say good bye to 2010, letting go of all of it and prepare ourselves to embrace 2011. A free and peaceful, stress free observance of the changing of the seasons with a fire and a bit of ritual affirming our willingness to join with nature.

01 January 2011 – Welcome to the New Year – no Growing Food Class – wait till February!

29 January – 10 AM to 3 PM – Seed Saving Seminar with Gardenmaster David King. With all the interest in avoiding Monsanto and Genetically Modified Organisms, the only one certain way to do it, is to grow your own and save your own seeds for planting next year – like our forefathers and foremothers did. To be able to sow last year's crop of seed next year, you have to save them. This seminar will cover that as well as breeding plants and why this information is vitally important today. $40 registration if you register before January 22, $45 thereafter. You may register at the door if space allows, however, we do expect this to be a well attended seminar. A simple, yet substantial, vegetarian lunch is included. More information from the Gardenmaster.

david

Seed Library of Los Angeles; SLOLA

Vegetable seeds tightly closed in jars to keep them more viable are all from The Learning Garden's growing over the past couple of years. These very seeds could be the beginning of a seed library for the Los Angeles area.

The Seed Library of Los Angeles (SLOLA) has been brewing for some time – and it's not quite soup yet – there are hurdles still to cross. But it is closer to reality because The Learning Garden has taken on the challenge of making it happen.

A seed library works very similar to a book library or a tool library. The main difference – and the real nut of the difficulty in making it viable – is that seeds are living entities having a life expiration that puts a whole new urgency into the program.

Once you have joined a seed library – you check out seeds from them just like you would a book. You plant the seeds and grow out your crop, at the end of the season, you return fresh seeds, from your crop, to the library. The library benefits from being able to offer the next person fresh seed and you benefit from having free seeds. It's a win/win and it keeps Monsanto out of your garden and denies them profit from feeding your family.

The Learning Garden, more than any other local entity is the perfect place for a seed library because of the wealth of variety we alone can bring to the table. We have vegetables, California Natives and medicinal plants from which we can store and provide seed – our own inventory of seed is massive giving us the lead in this field. We also have space to be able to grow out seed that needs to be refreshed.

The challenges of making this work are, as follows:

1. We need volunteers to run the seed library – catalog and inventory the supplies and to run the 'open' days
2. We need a database complicated enough to thoroughly track the seed and insuring viability for those checking out the seed but simple enough to be used by volunteers – I have experience with Access and it is certainly complicated enough, not so much usable. Friends suggest File Maker Pro, but I have never used it and don't have the cash to get it, making that a moot point.
3. We need to create a space just for the library to store seeds and have available to them. That, I think can be managed by the Garden by rearranging some of the space in my office and we can turn part of that over to a seed storage space.

So, at this time, I'm looking for some folks willing to devote some of their time to start and run a seed library and some way to log the seeds and the persons who have joined. AND I'd like to learn who is interested in joining a seed library and checking out seeds. At this point, I'm considering a nominal $10 membership fee, which I think should net someone life time membership (your life or my life or the life of the seeds?) – other than the start up costs, I can't see a seed bank costing a great deal to run. I've got an ancient computer around here, if I can get a database program on it to run, that solves that end of the equation. Perhaps there will need to be a fine if you don't bring back the seeds on time, like an overdue book.

Let me know – and I'll keep you posted as we move forward.

david