About this site

The backyard is about thirty feet by forty, with four raised beds, a strip of flowers along the fence and a compost pile. From August to October the kitchen table disappears under paper plates of drying seed, and the hall closet holds a shoebox of labeled envelopes that is most of next year’s garden. I have been saving seed from this yard for three seasons and buying less each spring.

I write these pages to keep the record straight: which variety came from which plant, what crossed with what, and how many of last year’s seeds actually came up on a wet paper towel. None of it is expert. It is one small yard, a lot of paper bags and a growing respect for how much a single plant will give you if you let it finish.