Normally each year I prune down the seed heads of my fennel before I get too far into winter. This year I left one standing. It was so beautiful frosted with snow. The snow is gone now and it is more what I traditionally think of as winter: muddy, wet and grey. This year it's a lot worse as so many areas are flooding in my corner of the world.
When it dries out some, I'll be starting to restructure my garden. I'm planning on a few new raised beds, a few new areas. As I'm planning I want to remember that some plants will be grown as seed crops and will need a little more time to mature (lettuce and swiss chard for example). This year I want to save my own seeds from tomatoes, beans, peas, squash, swiss chard and lettuce. I've got my orders in for heirloom seeds to get me started (Seed Savers Exchange) and I have support and company for this project at One Green Generation. I hope lots of people choose to do this. For me it's part of preserving my heritage and my independence.