seeds

the top photo from left to right is seed from hairy ( or winter ) vetch ( another native! that makes me happy , if no one else ), spring wheat, winter rye, and dixie clover and the containers they come in...the university of wisconsin extension service says hairy vetch can be "difficult" to grow for seed since it shatters readily at maturity ( second photo, as if you couldn't see ) and matures "irregularly"...i will testify to that with photos taken in the stand in my yard a few minutes ago...i am bringing in pods every day...but i am not finding it that "difficult"...vetch averages 16,000 seeds a pound, or 1,000 an ounce...i have collected three ounces so far ( prolific seeders...my stand is not huge ) so we are up 3,000 green manure seeds for the gardens with more to come...i just ordered more innoculant form maine...we will be setting nitrogen as the harvests open up space.