This post shares the poll results for April's Book Club selection... and the winner is... "The Complete Guide to Saving Seeds: 322 Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, Flowers, Trees, and Shrubs"!
Yes indeed, I am learning new words! :) Like "Chiropterphily" (plants pollinated solely by bats) or "Dehisent" (a fruit type that pops open and releases the seeds once ripe).
The beginning is packed full of science terms relating to seeds I have never heard of before (some of which I think are not really that practically helpful for gardeners in most situations but some that I think are actually really helpful for optimizing seed saving/communication with fellow seed savers).
OK Gavin. I have an array of little pots with name tags waiting for the cold weather to abate, I will plant seeds so you can stop being mad at me.
I have a Jewel for you. This is the best video I've seen so far debunking climate change, worth watching for that reason but there is a little antioxidant Easter egg in it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGn-6kGoD0c
I am watching the video with Professor William Happer on climate change and he seems to make a lot of sense so far from the scientific perspective.
One thing I found disturbing was his attitude regarding the arctic and how he deemed protecting the ozone layer in that region as being unimportant because it is uninhabited by humans and thus whether or not there is a "hole" (in the ozone) there "doesn't matter" (to him).
I find that kind of anthropocentrism to be hubristic, callous, short sighted and exemplifying a perspective that operates from an incomplete, reductionist, deterministic and machine like view of the world and our place in it that does not embrace an understanding and awareness of how connected we are to all life (human and non-human) and elements on the Earth.
I do not know if there ever was a hole in the ozone in the arctic and I certainly think that (as he states) the fear propaganda about telling people to be afraid of UV rays is mostly nonsense, but my point is that based on what he says (from time index to 12:40 - 14:00 ) he seems to express an attitude that basically says "who gives a shit what happens to all the beings and aspects of nature in the arctic either way, humans are not there very much anyways, so why should we care about it?".
In my opinion, whether one wants to say that God put us here to be stewards of the Earth or they wanna say that we are a mathematical fluke and a bunch of random spontaneous organisms mutated to make humans, life is a precious gift (human and non-human life).
We can use our genius and ingenuity as humans to be a keystone species and a force for trophic cascades (regeneration, increased biodiversity, increased beauty and abundance for all) or we can choose to behave and perceive this world that defines as as takers, exploiters and apathetic consumers. Each choice begins with how we view our fellow beings on Earth and if we value wilderness (places uninhabited by humans) and how we choose to interact with those spaces when we choose to inhabit them.
Destruction and degradation are not inevitable effects of human habitation, they are the inevitable effects of industrial civilization. The stories, cultures and knowledge of the countless generations of all our indigenous ancestors speaks to this truth.
I outline some of my own personal concerns and historical analysis on the rise of anthropocentrism in the west in this essay:
haha I am not mad at you my friend :) Though I cannot speak for the seeds themselves, they do have a mind of their own! ;)
Cool thanks for the video, I will be interested to see if the video covers non-carbon (and non "greenhouse gas") forms of anthropogenic climate changing variables (such as clear cutting old growth forests, which cripples the hydrological cycle, among other aspects of climate or stratospheric aerosol injection programs, which intentionally alter climate variables).
oh man, sorry you were carrying that weight, sometimes apple seeds can be stubborn to wake up and no worries if any seeds I sent you do not end up pulling through. I am glad to hear the apple seeds decided to go for it though! How many have germinated so far? I have waaay too many going in our basement right now (I forgot about a baggie of about 40 seeds I had stratifying in the fridge and they sprouted in the fridge and when I discovered them I scrambled to gently transfer them each into their own little pots).
Every window sill is filled with little baby apple trees now! haha And I have tomato, pepper and basil seedlings on the way so I have no idea where I am gonna put them. Oh well, live and learn, I have to prioritize the ancient apple genetics as that species is endangered.
Sounds good regarding the video, i`ll let you know what I think when I get to watching it.
I was under the impression that to get the same apples you need to start with cuttings.
There was an old woman 'Bird' lived next to my ex. She had an apple tree with five kinds of apples on it from grafts. Her departed husband had worked for Ag Canada.
Yup, if you want to duplicate the characteristics of a specific apple fruit you need to clone the tree. The seeds I shared with you (and many others all over the world) are not intended for that purpose. Incase you missed it, I did a write up on the specific ancient and rare species of apple which you now have ten seedlings of here: https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/the-wild-apples-of-the-tian-shan
Each tree will produce a completely unique and never before seen nor tasted fruit. It will be like playing nature's lottery, you could win big and get a big juicy sweet apple with a colorful skin that looks like a sunset over lake huron, or you could get a ugly oval shaped bitter little peanut sized fruit, but either way, you`ll get a tree that makes the bees happy, has beautiful blossoms, can live for 300 years and is disease resistant (unlike the cloned/root grafted domesticated trees grown in orchards, which are genetically stagnant and fragile).
I have ten. There were eleven but one lost it's little root because it was grown into the paper towel. Ten is good! I put them in plastic cups, making fittings to put cups over top with a little space between so they have greenhouses. Any excuse to play with my 3D printer.
I thought maybe I had let them freeze. I'll plant the three best ones in the back yard, the rest are going to good homes. Assuming that they live. A couple are kinda weak looking, I hope they all survive.
I've watched so many videos Gavin, I remember that he touches on forest management and the cause of fires, I don't remember how deep he goes into it. I know I feel a kinship and he brought some loose ends together for me.
I’ve started reading it, it’s a whopper!
Yes indeed, I am learning new words! :) Like "Chiropterphily" (plants pollinated solely by bats) or "Dehisent" (a fruit type that pops open and releases the seeds once ripe).
The beginning is packed full of science terms relating to seeds I have never heard of before (some of which I think are not really that practically helpful for gardeners in most situations but some that I think are actually really helpful for optimizing seed saving/communication with fellow seed savers).
Thanks for the comment.
OK Gavin. I have an array of little pots with name tags waiting for the cold weather to abate, I will plant seeds so you can stop being mad at me.
I have a Jewel for you. This is the best video I've seen so far debunking climate change, worth watching for that reason but there is a little antioxidant Easter egg in it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGn-6kGoD0c
I am watching the video with Professor William Happer on climate change and he seems to make a lot of sense so far from the scientific perspective.
One thing I found disturbing was his attitude regarding the arctic and how he deemed protecting the ozone layer in that region as being unimportant because it is uninhabited by humans and thus whether or not there is a "hole" (in the ozone) there "doesn't matter" (to him).
I find that kind of anthropocentrism to be hubristic, callous, short sighted and exemplifying a perspective that operates from an incomplete, reductionist, deterministic and machine like view of the world and our place in it that does not embrace an understanding and awareness of how connected we are to all life (human and non-human) and elements on the Earth.
I do not know if there ever was a hole in the ozone in the arctic and I certainly think that (as he states) the fear propaganda about telling people to be afraid of UV rays is mostly nonsense, but my point is that based on what he says (from time index to 12:40 - 14:00 ) he seems to express an attitude that basically says "who gives a shit what happens to all the beings and aspects of nature in the arctic either way, humans are not there very much anyways, so why should we care about it?".
In my opinion, whether one wants to say that God put us here to be stewards of the Earth or they wanna say that we are a mathematical fluke and a bunch of random spontaneous organisms mutated to make humans, life is a precious gift (human and non-human life).
We can use our genius and ingenuity as humans to be a keystone species and a force for trophic cascades (regeneration, increased biodiversity, increased beauty and abundance for all) or we can choose to behave and perceive this world that defines as as takers, exploiters and apathetic consumers. Each choice begins with how we view our fellow beings on Earth and if we value wilderness (places uninhabited by humans) and how we choose to interact with those spaces when we choose to inhabit them.
Destruction and degradation are not inevitable effects of human habitation, they are the inevitable effects of industrial civilization. The stories, cultures and knowledge of the countless generations of all our indigenous ancestors speaks to this truth.
I outline some of my own personal concerns and historical analysis on the rise of anthropocentrism in the west in this essay:
https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/the-rise-of-anthropocentrism-bright
I will continue to watch the video with an open heart and share more of my thoughts as they arise. Thanks again for sharing it.
I was a little put off by his ozone dismissal as well.
haha I am not mad at you my friend :) Though I cannot speak for the seeds themselves, they do have a mind of their own! ;)
Cool thanks for the video, I will be interested to see if the video covers non-carbon (and non "greenhouse gas") forms of anthropogenic climate changing variables (such as clear cutting old growth forests, which cripples the hydrological cycle, among other aspects of climate or stratospheric aerosol injection programs, which intentionally alter climate variables).
Thanks for the comment.
I didn't know how I was going to tell you, I had given up on the apple seeds. They sprouted! Yay!
oh man, sorry you were carrying that weight, sometimes apple seeds can be stubborn to wake up and no worries if any seeds I sent you do not end up pulling through. I am glad to hear the apple seeds decided to go for it though! How many have germinated so far? I have waaay too many going in our basement right now (I forgot about a baggie of about 40 seeds I had stratifying in the fridge and they sprouted in the fridge and when I discovered them I scrambled to gently transfer them each into their own little pots).
Every window sill is filled with little baby apple trees now! haha And I have tomato, pepper and basil seedlings on the way so I have no idea where I am gonna put them. Oh well, live and learn, I have to prioritize the ancient apple genetics as that species is endangered.
Sounds good regarding the video, i`ll let you know what I think when I get to watching it.
I was under the impression that to get the same apples you need to start with cuttings.
There was an old woman 'Bird' lived next to my ex. She had an apple tree with five kinds of apples on it from grafts. Her departed husband had worked for Ag Canada.
Yup, if you want to duplicate the characteristics of a specific apple fruit you need to clone the tree. The seeds I shared with you (and many others all over the world) are not intended for that purpose. Incase you missed it, I did a write up on the specific ancient and rare species of apple which you now have ten seedlings of here: https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/the-wild-apples-of-the-tian-shan
Each tree will produce a completely unique and never before seen nor tasted fruit. It will be like playing nature's lottery, you could win big and get a big juicy sweet apple with a colorful skin that looks like a sunset over lake huron, or you could get a ugly oval shaped bitter little peanut sized fruit, but either way, you`ll get a tree that makes the bees happy, has beautiful blossoms, can live for 300 years and is disease resistant (unlike the cloned/root grafted domesticated trees grown in orchards, which are genetically stagnant and fragile).
I love the bees too, they are having a rough time.
I was a surveyor when I was young. Wandered through a lot of old unmaintained orchards. I always tried the apples if they were ready.
I have ten. There were eleven but one lost it's little root because it was grown into the paper towel. Ten is good! I put them in plastic cups, making fittings to put cups over top with a little space between so they have greenhouses. Any excuse to play with my 3D printer.
I thought maybe I had let them freeze. I'll plant the three best ones in the back yard, the rest are going to good homes. Assuming that they live. A couple are kinda weak looking, I hope they all survive.
I love my baby apple trees. That should help.
Ten is fantastic! Nice work.
Yes your apple trees can sense positive thoughts, continue to think fondly of them and they shall produce beautiful fruit in a few years! :)
I've watched so many videos Gavin, I remember that he touches on forest management and the cause of fires, I don't remember how deep he goes into it. I know I feel a kinship and he brought some loose ends together for me.
This is a wonderful idea.👏👏