Growing a dye garden- 1
We are very fortunate for this outdoor space on the roof at CSM, the roof terrace is huge and can welcome many plants.
So just before the Easter break we sowed some dye plant seeds such as pot marigold, safflowers, sunflowers, hollyhocks and woad. We added some edible plants such as carrots ( carrots’ leaves produce yellow dye), rocket, basil, peas and radishes in the view of some tasty summer lunches.
We were a bit anxious the seeds might get cold and dry out. We found some recycled plastic film to wrap them up warm, hoping for the best. The following week temperatures reached minus 1-2 degrees and it snowed lightly!
After the Easter break, about 10 days afterwards, we didn’t know if the seeds would have made it through the harsh weather and when we lifted the wrapping there was not much sign of life. Not defeated, we watered and changed to a better wrapping cover. The cover keeps the moist and get the sunlight at the same time. Warmer weather is on its way so we are optimistic this will help the seedlings pierce through.
Our trays of seedlings tucked together on the pallets.
The first sign of life.. the radishes!
We are now mid April, we have few more seeds we want to sow. We find more trays and pots. As there is not enough compost we put a layer of topsoil and another one of compost. Our seeds include the followings: common Madder, Safflower, Dyer’s Coreopsis, Sunflower ‘velvet queen” and Japanese indigo.
It’s fascinating to observe all the different shapes and shades of tones of seeds. Some are so tiny, there are impossible to count and separate like the coreopsis seeds; some others have more body such as the common madder seeds which look like big peppercorns.
It’s sunny and getting warmer, quite shelter on the roof at the moment, fingers crossed our seeds like it there, can’t wait to see them out.
