Now that the gardening season has ended and you've picked the season’s last vegetables, let some plants go to seed and harvest them for planting next year. “Saving seed can be really fun and is a great way to learn about plants,” Weston Miller, a horticulturist with Oregon State University Extension Service, said. “If you choose the right types of vegetables, you can keep them going year after year without buying them again.” The easiest crops for saving seed are annual plants that self-pollinate, such as lettuce, beans, peas, peppers, eggplants and tomatoes. Collect seed from the healthiest plants and allow them to dry. Store seeds in tightly sealed glass containers in a cool and dark location and label with the type and the date. The refrigerator or freezer is also a good place for storing seeds that you collect and also seeds that you buy. Put small seeds in envelopes and label them. Place the envelopes in sealable freezer bags.

As the community's sustainability organization, Merchantville's Green Team is requesting that a proposed resolution be placed on the agenda for the upcoming Council meeting on Monday, October 25th, to convey to the Borough their support for Council passing a resolution requesting the Delaware River Basin Commission oppose the Dock-2 Project and the transport of highly volatile fracked gas through our region. This dangerous project would transport highly volatile liquefied natural gas (LNG) nearly 200 miles by truck and rails through our communities, endangering the planet and public health. All of Merchantville is within 1 to 2 miles of the train tracks and clearly within the Evacuation Zone in the event of an accident. We are in a position as a community to declare our opposition to a plan that puts our residents in danger. Resolutions opposing the Gibbstown LNG Terminal were passed in Runnemede, Pennsauken and Haddon Township. Moving this resolution, at the very least, will let those in power know that their constituents are paying attention and may help them make better decisions. If this project goes ahead, it would be the first major facility in the nation to liquefy LNG in a shale region requiring long distance overland delivery for export overseas. Opponents cite what they say would be the risk of environmental damage from the construction and from the operation of the terminal. They also question the safety of transporting 3 million to 4 million gallons of LNG a day through the Philadelphia metropolitan area to a site that for a century was a DuPont dynamite factory. If the Gibbstown project goes ahead, oceangoing tankers laden with LNG will be sailing past low-income neighborhoods in Chester, followed by the port of Wilmington, various coastal refuges on the Delaware and New Jersey riverbanks, and Delaware’s beaches. Environmentalists say they are hopeful they may be able to stop New Jersey’s first liquefied natural gas export terminal after an unexpected vote by the Delaware River Basin Commission to defer a decision on whether to approve its construction.

Mother Earth News says, "Two thousand gardeners can’t be wrong — the best tools for keeping ahead of weeds include several types of hoes, a good garden fork, a garden knife, a dandelion puller - some use an old screwdriver or butcher knife instead - and a high-quality pair of gloves." Weeds are an inevitable thorn in every gardener’s side. While some weeds offer benefits, such as the edible greens of young dandelions and the nutritious roots of burdock, many quickly become a frustrating, ongoing struggle if you don’t spot them early. Garden weeds can steal water, sunlight and soil nutrients from food crops, and some even release toxic chemicals into the soil that inhibit the growth of other plants. Gardeners also rated several mulch types and organic herbicides based on their effectiveness in controlling weeds. Paper or newspaper, black plastic and straw or hay proved 70-80% effective as mulch and vinegar, herbicidal soap and Neem oil were the most successful organic herbicides.

The annual "Greening" of the gardens alongside the driveway at the Chestnut Station Senior Complex is underway and we all anxiously await their summer evolution. This hidden, sustainable gem is part of the Incredible Edible Garden registry and a perfect example of an inventive way to transform an unused hardscape into a sustainable landscape. This garden is carefully nurtured through the dedicated effort of resident volunteer, Francis Mcgarry, and produces annual seasonal vegetables that support food security and nutrition for many seniors living in the complex. Thank you for the beauty and the bounty!