Back in the Garden, Again

There was a lot of planting going on in Grandma's Garden this week.  I brought some of the dried out yucca stalks and coneflowers (Echinacea) - two plants that, with very little effort, deliver very satisfying seeds.

We took our time, following the life cycle from the soft petals to the dry petals to the dried pods which fell open along their seams and revealed neatly stacked seeds beneath a webbing that reminded us of an orange.  

There were enough of them to be distributed freely, from the new ones

to the old hands.

I've decided to take a free form approach to the raised beds. The scholars like to dig and plant. I am going to encourage it. 

But these two wanted more information. How deep should we plant them? Rather than look up the answer on my phone, I suggested an experiment. Two planters, one filled to the top with soil and the seeds sprinkled lightly with soil, the other's seeds planted in a row deep beneath the soil.

The garden scientists will keep them evenly watered (at least that's the plan) and we'll all be watching.  It's a new year in the garden, with many new opportunities to explore.  I can hardly wait.