Tibetan Purple Barley

When I went to the food and farm forum this past winter they give out an information bag to everyone that participates.  In the bag there are various pamphlets explaining various farm related organizations that are active in this area and a breakdown of the day's scheduled events.  They always throw in a few surprises every year and this year I was happily surprised to find a packet of Tibetan Purple Barley seeds in my bag.

I hadn't given much thought as to what I would do with these particular seeds.  There were only about forty seeds in the packet so it wouldn't cover much ground.  I didn't want to loose the seeds in the sea of weeds that my yard becomes in the summertime and I didn't want to set them out to be free snacks for the local birds.  I decided to plant them in a long shallow planter this year which solved all of my issue quite simply.  By planting them in the planter I could be sure that the only thing growing there was this barley and I wouldn't lose them in the jungle of my yard.  I could also cover the planter with a screen until the seeds germinated to prevent birds from snatching them all up.

It has taken a few weeks, but they seem to be germinating little by little.  If I can coax these tiny shoots into growing more seeds for me I will be able to plant a larger area next year.  I am hoping they will thrive in my climate and I will be able to help continue a rare line of barley for generations to come.