Mother Nature has spread her wintery blanket of snow, icy wind, and cold temperatures over the home of The Roughwood Center For Heritage Seedways (RCHS). Thanks to a donation from one of you, we were able to get new doors for our primary greenhouse purchased and installed, just in time. Our greenhouse plants, like our 70-year-old Rosemary bush, can now bask in the warmth of our heated greenhouse without being buffeted by those icy winds seeping in through the gaps and crevices of our old makeshift door. Try as they might, and they have tried, the winds have been unable to dislodge our new doors.
This cold and getting colder temperatures have also driven the mice indoors. When your seeds are stored in a building almost 220 years old, like ours there are bound to be niches and crannies through which a mouse, their friends and family can escape out of the cold. Mice escaping from the cold tend to be hungry and we discovered that. The mice had eaten the seeds out of the envelopes and left mouse droppings as either payment or a sign of their deeds.
The rest of our seeds, stored in the freezer, on shelves in glass jars or sealed plastic containers have successfully thwarted attempts by the invading mice to pillage. Those of you reading this, take note and safeguard your seeds from temperature, light, moisture, and rodents!
Speaking of safeguarding your seeds … have you purchased your seeds for the new season? Our
store is open and ready to fill your orders. We would love to see pictures of what you grew last year. Those pictures can keep us all motivated through the cold for a rebirth of life in the spring.