When my oldest daughter, Angelin, was just a toddler, she loved to collect small objects from the ground and gather them in her little hands – small rocks, pebbles, fruits, nuts, squirrel droppings – whatever small things she could find. She called them all “seed-zes” and carried them in her tightly clinched fists wherever she went – even to Church and Sunday School.
“What do you have in your hands, Dear,” she was asked.
“Seed-zes,” she replied.
Our family calls seeds “seed-zes” to this day, and for Christmas I received several packs of Christmas Seed-zes, changing somewhat my plans for next year’s garden.
For one, I got a pack of miniature watermelon seeds, so instead of a couple sprawling squash vives, I suppose I’ll try my luck with the personal size watermelons and hope I get three or four. I also got a pack of Candy Onion seeds – the ultra-sweet variety. I’ve never grown garden onions from seeds, but I’ll give it a shot. If they come up and prosper, I may let them grow into larger onions and use them instead of Vidalia’s. I also got some collard seed-zes which I think I’ll scatter into beds, then thin them and eat the tender sprouts. I also got a package of Fordhook Lima seeds, but I’ll need a few more packs of those because I intend to plant multiple rows,
Seed time in late winter is always an enjoyable for me as I think ahead to spring, planting a garden and the joy and amazement it brings to watch stuff grow.
And as everyone knows, it all begins with “seeds-zes”.
