This actually surprised me. These are corn and bean seeds that have been sitting on my desk exposed to heat, sun and cold since September. I just left them out and didn't store them in any way. But all of them have sprouted. Cool.
I saved, dried and froze seeds from last summer's gardens. On Jan 31st I planted 20 shortnose white seed and 20 gigi hill blue seeds in a mini greenhouse. Even on this snowy day most of them have started sprouting. I think this is a good sign that these seeds will be viable for planting this years gardens. Yay! These seeds are brooklyn born and raised!
This summer I'm growing blue corn in two areas of Brooklyn as part of a public art project called Maize Field. The gardens are located in Boerum Hill and Canarsie.
Each garden is located in an area that was documented as Indian maizeland in the 17th century. They are traditional three sisters gardens (corn, beans and squash) using crop varieties that are part of the heritage of the Lenape and Haudenosaunee from this region. The gardens are a meditation of the change and displacements that have been a part of New York's history. The project participates in the continual change that defines the city by highlighting a historical past then integrating that history back into the present landscape.