Box From Anonymous Sender Contains a Gardening Treasure

When I got to work on Monday, a wonderful surprise awaited on my desk. It was a carboard box from an anonymous reader.

I opened it and it was full of seed packets and a note. The person who sent it said they enjoyed reading my column. The note said they grew up here, and that their mother lives here, but this person now lives in Zone 10b (South Florida? Coastal California?).

“I joined a community garden over 25 years ago, and this spring I found out the landlord lost the lease, so I have no plot to grow the tasty and beautiful fruits and vegetables,” the note said. “I thought you would get a kick out of going through these seeds I have accumulated over the years and maybe be able to plant some interesting things and share with others if not.”

Thank you so much, anonymous.

In my first very brief browse through the box, I found something I had never heard of: kalettes. These plants are a hybrid cross between Brussels sprouts and kale. They grow frilly-leafed bulbs along the stem that appear exactly like what you’d expect a Brussels sprout-kale hybrid to look like.

In other news, a lot of folks are getting their gardens ready for the spring growing season. Amen Food Pantry is asking local gardeners to “Add a Row for Amen.” The concept is simple: consider expanding your garden by one row this year, and dedicate that row to AMEN Food Pantry. Grow a crop, and when harvest time comes, donate it to the pantry. They’re always looking for healthy, fresh produce to provide to their clients.

Visit their website at amenlagrange.org and click on the AMEN Gardens link at the top of the page for a ton of valuable gardening resources.