We ordered seeds!

Somehow, miraculously, we’re getting seeds!

For the better part of the past two months, I’ve been deep diving into seed selection for the 1,000 Tree Beds Campaign.

There’s so much to think about (I knew about none of this a year ago):

• Soil compaction

• Cold stratification

• Soil testing and pH levels

• Wet / dry conditions; watering

• Shade / non-shade

• And more

Each one sort of took me down a rabbit hole, but I was finally pointed to a seed mix by an awesome NYC Parks official working at Greenbelt Native Plant Center.

It’s a mix of mostly perennial Northeast native wildflower seeds that are adapted to the region, and I’m pumped to try them out.

Will it work?

Not sure — but I’m optimistic! Growing in the built environment is tough, but I’ve seen some beautiful tree beds so I know it’s possible. This will be the first of many — and I’m excited to keep learning and iterating.

What’s up next?

• Sending seeds out! I’ve sent emails to a few of y’all to confirm your street addresses, and now I’m ready to ship stuff out. The seed mix I ordered is coming in the mail soon — should be able to send the first batch out by this time next week.
  

• Marketing! I paused advertising until seed logistics were nailed down. Now that they are, the full focus is to get 1,000 New Yorkers on board. (We’re already at 150+ after just a few weeks — well within reach!)

So amped. Thank you for being a part of this little journey.

Till next week,
Mayank

P.S. Trivia for nerds

What is cold stratification?

In natural conditions, seeds get exposed to cold and moist conditions (think snow) — and they actually need this to germinate. Cold stratification mimics this process, and is a fancy word for throwing seeds inside a bag of wet sand and sticking it in the fridge for a few weeks.

P.P.S. Sorry. Last one.

There’s something called scarification that, among other things, partly mimics the digestion of seeds in animal stomachs. Some seeds have really thick outer hulls that need to get broken down to germinate — to mimic that process, folks do things like rub sandpaper against their seeds.