Making seed mixes for prairie/savanna planting

On Tuesday Susan, Amanda, and Kathie made the seed mixes for our fall/spring prairie and savanna planting. We aren't planting a major area so we don't need a lot of seed, but the total still came to 120 pounds, and there were 130 species.

Our principal use of seeds this year is for bare areas where significant amounts of invasive plants were killed and for areas that are somewhat impoverished. Experience has shown that enriching areas with more species is almost always a good thing.

Although the best time to plant is in the late fall/early winter (now), the areas to be planted must be bare so that the seeds get to the soil. Ideally, this should be after a burn. Since most of our burns will be done early next spring, most of our planting won't be until then. Therefore the seed mixes will be stored in protected areas outdoors.

I discussed the details of making seed mixes in a blog post last year, so I don't need to repeat it. Here is a link.