Seed the Stars

03/26/2025

What a fantastic evening sharing about the basics of Seed Starting at in Eustis!

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for this week’s Tuesday Talk—your support means the world to our local seed efforts.

And of course, a big shoutout to our good friends at Pinesmoke for the invitation and their ongoing support of Seed the Stars!

We’re excited for the upcoming talks at Pinesmoke from other local speakers—and the possibility of another Seed the Stars session in the future!

03/24/2025

📢 Seed Starting Talk + Pop-Up Seed Shop!

We’ll be in downtown Eustis tomorrow evening at chatting all about Seed Starting—come learn how to kick off your spring garden strong!

🌱 Our pop-up seed shop will be set up too, so locals can grab a drink, hang out, and stock up on seeds for the season.

Hope to see you there!

03/18/2025

While we're busy setting up our spring gardens, we’ve got a couple of awesome upcoming Central Florida events to share!

March 25th
🌱 We’ll be giving a seed starting talk next Tuesday at ! 🐝

Come hang out with us in downtown Eustis and learn the basics while enjoying one of the many delicious drinks offered at our favorite local mead bar.

April 12th
🌿 We’re excited to be part of the Homegrown Food Forest event at .farmz!

This day will be packed with local growers and food-focused businesses sharing tips and insight on growing in Florida. We’ll be giving a quick talk on the importance of regionally grown seed—and yes, the seed shop will be set up too!

03/18/2025

Join us in downtown Eustis next Tuesday, March 25th at Pinesmoke Bee Co. !

Learn some seed starting tips and techniques to set you up for success while enjoying some mead, beer, cider, seltzer, or a mocktail from our good friends at Pinesmoke!

Next Tuesday, 3/25 from 6:30 to 8 pm at 117 N. Bay St. - CALLING ALL PLANT NERDS

We'll have our 2nd Tuesday Talks event featuring Kelli and Ryan of Seed the Stars, a rock star local business specializing in seeds that grow especially well here in central Florida.

Show up with your besties, grab a glass of mead, give a listen, & ask your best questions.

Welcome to Pinesmoke, where

03/13/2025

Another day, digging drainage/ walking paths and we have just one more pen to go for this year's seed grow-out expansion.

We can't wait to transplant and seed into this area this upcoming week!

03/10/2025

🌱 Yesterday, we transplanted the first row of warm-season crops !

🌽 We kicked off with our corn cross-pollination project & dialed in the drip irrigation system.

⛈️ Just in time, because now the rain is POURING down, settling the roots into their new home...

💩 A cow pen with decades of dung deposits & a surprising layer of clay under the soil that retains moisture much better than our typical sandy soil.

🍉 Next up: filling the remaining rows with our Watermelon Grex Mix - a super cross watermelon seed saving project on it's second year.

🤓 Excited to see how these plants thrive and evolve - Stay tuned for updates from the field!

✨ "To biodiversity... and BEYOND!"

03/09/2025

🍆 'Florida Market Eggplant' seed packets are now available at seedthestars.etsy.com

🏆 This Florida heirloom thrives in warm climates and produces bountiful, deep-purple fruits!

🤓 Originally developed in 1948 by the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, this variety is vigorous, disease-resistant, and highly productive—perfect for your summer garden.

🇮🇹 With its firm, meaty texture and mild flavor, it’s an amazing choice for roasting & grilling!

🫘 Seed The Stars, specializes in locally trialed, regionally appropriate, heat-tolerant seeds for Southern growers.

🏴‍☠️ When your seeds wake up, will they be expecting to grow in Florida?

💜 Get your hands on this historic Florida favorite now at seedthestars.etsy.com!

03/03/2025

👀 Find March-appropriate, FloGrown seeds at seedthestars.etsy.com
🫘 As the last chance of frost passes, we begin transitioning to warm-season and summer crops, though some cool-season crops with higher heat tolerance may still yield before the stress of extreme heat and pests arrive.

🌱 This a big month for planting! So if the many options seem a bit overwhelming, we find it’s helpful to focus on the crops that thrive when planted in this mild, in-between shoulder season, such as: tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, common beans, sweet peppers, and summer squash.

☀️ Then switch your seed starting focus to planting out the truly heat tolerant crops as we will still have sufficient time over the upcoming months for planting those.

🥬 If you still hope to grow cool season leafy greens, switch to quick maturing, more heat tolerant varieties. You can also plan to grow leafy greens as baby greens, which takes around 30 days instead of waiting to full maturity, which can take 50+ days.

🐛 Now is also the time to start diligently looking for pests and plant disease symptoms. Make it a routine to check your garden often to catch any challenges early.

💡 Remember that this is a guide, and we always recommend that you continue to experiment and record your own garden experiences.

03/02/2025

Grateful Hearts & Growing Connections at the Florida Herbal Conference! 🌱

We just wrapped up an amazing day at the , where we had the privilege of sharing seeds, knowledge, and conversations with this inspiring community. From meeting passionate plant lovers to teaching our Practical Plant Propagation class, every moment was a reminder of why we do what we do!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by our booth, attended our workshop, or simply shared in the magic of the event. Your support and enthusiasm fuel our work, and we’re so grateful to be part of this vibrant network of growers, herbalists, and earth stewards.

Until next time—keep planting, learning, and connecting!

02/24/2025

💌 Every time we drop off a stack of seed orders, there’s a team of hardworking post office workers in Eustis, Florida making sure they get to their new homes.

🏆 Grateful for all the postal workers out there: We see you. We appreciate you...

☘️ When we roll in with a BIG batch of seed orders, y'all can count on local freebie seed packets to spread the love!

💭 We're wondering about your gardens... tag for show & tell.

🫘 The next time you plant a seed, remember there’s a whole journey behind it—from our hands to yours, with a little help from some amazing folks in between.

⚡ Find our FloGrown seed collections at seedthestars.etsy.com

02/20/2025

🎃 Find "Seminole Pumpkin" seed packets at seedthestars.etsy.com
🧡 We have spent the last few seasons selecting seeds from our largest, roundest, deepest orange colored pumpkins with THICK walls & an outstandingly RICH flavor... Some larger pumpkins were nearly solid, yielding an IMPRESSIVE amount of food per-fruit.

🌴 Our deepest gratitude goes to the "Indigenous peoples of Florida" who originally stewarded this diverse landrace.

😋 With a LEGENDARY taste that’s SWEETER than a Butternut, Seminole Pumpkins are adapted to hot, humid, subtropical-climates with a miderate resistance to Downy Mildew & Squash Vine Borers.

🌱 In Central Florida, Seminole Pumpkin plants grow best in early Spring, in full to partial sun with high airflow & plenty of compost to sprawl over.

💪 Help plants grow roots along the vines by burying nodes with compost & avoid trellises.

🌼 Pumpkin plants have separate male & female flowers that are pollinated by insects, HOWEVER, they can be hand pollinated to maximize pumpkin production in your patch!

🐝 Male “staminate” flowers are slender-stemmed & emerge for the first several flushes of flowers, while female “pistillate” flowers bloom later on with a small unfertilized fruit at its base.

🫘 "Seed The Stars" stewards a collection of locally-trialed, regionally-appropriate, organically-grown seeds selected from their best performing “STAR” varieties that thrive in Florida.

🌴 When your seeds wake up, will they be expecting to grow in FLORIDA?

💌 Shop FloGrown seeds at seedthestars.etsy.com

02/16/2025

✨ Yesterday, we had the pleasure of visiting for the first time!

🌴 Their regenerative farm is providing CSA farm shares the Orlando community with regeneratively grown produce and poultry. Find them at everoakfarm.com

💚 We’re so grateful to be part of their local vendor market. It was a joy meeting new friends, catching up with familiar faces, and meeting some of the folks who support us online - Thanks for finding us!

🍂 Everoak Farm is a beautiful, family-run farm just outside Orlando, founded by Mike and Nikki Garcia in 2019. Their 3-acre farm is dedicated to bio-intensive and regenerative farming, producing a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables while prioritizing soil health and sustainability.

🐝 They are Certified Naturally Grown, meaning everything they produce is free from synthetic chemicals and cultivated with care for the environment. In addition to their diverse crops, they also raise chickens for eggs and meat and maintain an apiary to support pollinators.

🥦 Everoak Farm serves the Orlando community through their CSA, farmstand, and partnerships with local restaurants. If you're looking for fresh, nutrient-dense food grown with integrity, check out their offerings:

⚡ Swing by the farmstand on Saturdays 9am - 1pm (October - June)

💡 Join their CSA & check their Etsy Shop:
🥬 Spring CSA – 15 weeks remaining (Season ends June 7)
💻 Shop online: everoakfarm.com
💌 Etsy Store: etsy.com/shop/EverOakFarm

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💰 15% off FloGrown seed packets by "Seed The Stars":
🫘 Use promo code SAVE15 at seedthestars.etsy.com

02/13/2025

🎃 Find "Seminole Pumpkin" seed packets at seedthestars.etsy.com

🧡 We have spent the last few seasons selecting seeds from our largest, roundest, deepest orange colored pumpkins with THICK walls & an outstandingly RICH flavor... Some larger pumpkins were nearly solid, yielding an IMPRESSIVE amount of food per-fruit.

🌴 Our deepest gratitude goes to the "Indigenous peoples of Florida" who originally stewarded this diverse landrace.

😋 With a LEGENDARY taste that’s SWEETER than a Butternut, Seminole Pumpkins are adapted to hot, humid, subtropical-climates with a miderate resistance to Downy Mildew & Squash Vine Borers.

🌱 In Central Florida, Seminole Pumpkin plants grow best in early Spring, in full to partial sun with high airflow & plenty of compost to sprawl over.

💪 Help plants grow roots along the vines by burying nodes with compost & avoid trellises.

🌼 Pumpkin plants have separate male & female flowers that are pollinated by insects, HOWEVER, they can be hand pollinated to maximize pumpkin production in your patch!

🐝 Male “staminate” flowers are slender-stemmed & emerge for the first several flushes of flowers, while female “pistillate” flowers bloom later on with a small unfertilized fruit at its base.

🫘 "Seed The Stars" stewards a collection of locally-trialed, regionally-appropriate, organically-grown seeds selected from their best performing “STAR” varieties that thrive in Florida.

🌴 When your seeds wake up, will they be expecting to grow in FLORIDA?

02/11/2025

👀 Find "Florida Heirloom Broadleaf Mustard" seeds at seedthestars.etsy.com
🥬 With giant leaves big enough to hide behind, it's time to select the top-performing plants and thin this 50-foot row of 'Florida Broadleaf Mustard.' This will create the space and airflow needed for a healthy seed structure in the weeks ahead.

🏆 "Florida Broadleaf Mustard" is aersatile Southern Heirloom; widely adapted to many diverse growing regions as a favorable leafy green.

💚 This Florida Heirloom is treasured as a “cool season crop”; known for its reliable, productive, frost-tolerant, leafy greens with minimal pests.

🌱 Baby mustard greens add a fresh kick to salads while mature, mild flavored mustard leaves are best sautéed, steamed, or added to soups.

02/02/2025

🫘 Find February-appropriate, FloGrown seed at seedthestars.etsy.com
🌱 February in Central Florida is when we start the transition toward frost-sensitive warm-season crops while we continue transplanting and seeding some cool-season crop varieties.

🥦 If you’re still eager to plant true winter crops—such as many “cole” crops in the Brassica family like heading broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, certain kale varieties, and cauliflower—you’ll have the best chance of success by sourcing and planting healthy transplants before rising temperatures and pest pressure set in. Otherwise, it’s likely best to wait for the fall planting season.

🫛 Quick-maturing, heat-tolerant cool-season crops can still be seeded this month. Choosing heat-adapted varieties becomes increasingly important as temperatures rise, reducing plant stress, pest attraction, and premature flowering.

🍅 Now is an excellent time to start warm-season crops in containers, trays, or pots. If you’re willing to protect these frost-sensitive crops from potential cold fronts, you can direct seed or transplant before your last average frost date. Otherwise, waiting until after the last frost reduces risk. Keeping an eye on long-range forecasts can help with timing decisions.

💡 As always, experiment and take notes on planting dates, successful varieties, and garden conditions—building a personal record will make future planting decisions even more informed!

02/02/2025

👀 Find the "Florida Favorites Value Collection" at seedthestars.etsy.com
🫘 Featuring 40 seed packets of edible plants grown organically in Florida.
💰 This limited time offer SAVES 33% on 40 of our most popular packets.

✨ Starring:

🍅 8 Varieties of NIGHTSHADES: 🍆
"Pineapple" Ground Cherry, "Sweety Drop" Pepper, "Yellow Everglades" Tomato, "Black Cherry" Tomato, "Jaune Flamme" Tomato, "Hawaiian Kewalo" Tomato, "Rosita" Puerto Rican Eggplant & "Thai Green" Eggplant.

🫘 8 Varieties of BEANS & PEAS: 🫛
"Early" Pigeon Pea, "Red & White" Pigeon Pea Mix, "Blue Butterfly" Pea, "Common Bean Grex", "Provider" Bush Bean, "Rattlesnake" Pole Bean, "Speckled Southern" Cowpea, & Jicama.

🌿 7 Varieties of WARM SEASON GREENS: 🌿
Lagos Spinach, Nigerian Spinach, Surinam Spinach, Nigerian Spinach, Egyptian Spinach, Carribean Callaloo, & "Cockscomb" Celosia.

🎃 5 Varieties of CUCURBITS: 🥒
"Seminole" Pumpkin, "Orange Bulldog" Pumpkin, "South Wind" Cucumber, "Angled" Luffa & "White Seeded" Luffa.

🥬4 Varieties of COOL SEASON GREENS: 🥬
Ethiopian Kale, Arugula & "Parris Island" Romaine Lettuce &"Mizuna" Japanese Mustard.

🌺 5 Varieties of HERBS & FLOWERS: 🌼
Red Roselle, White Roselle, Ashwagandha, Spilanthes & Mammoth Dill.

🌸 2 Varieties of OKRA: 🌸
Heavy Hitter Okra, & Gold Coast Okra.

🌽 1 Variety of CORN: 🌾
Florida Heirloom "Hickory Cane" Dent Corn.

🏴‍☠️ "Seed The Stars" stewards a collection of locally trialed, regionally appropriate, organically grown seeds selected from their best performing “star” varieties that thrive in Florida’s unique climate. 🌴

🌱 When your seeds wake up, will they be expecting to grow in FLORIDA?!

🏆 "Local seeds grow better!"

🧐 Who do you know that is intetested in starting their own Florida garden? Tag them!

🎁 This unique collection makes a great garden gift for someone special.

01/30/2025

🌵 San Pedro Cactus Now Available with Free Shipping via Google Forms:
🔗 https://forms.gle/kqBhruynyYRLfTySA

💌 The time has come. For those who’ve been waiting, asking, and seeking—our rooted San Pedro cacti are ready to ship. These sacred plants, nurtured with care, are now prepared to find their new homes and grow alongside you.

💚 Each cactus is rooted, vibrant, and ready to thrive in its next environment. Available in 6”, 5”, 4”, and 3” sizes, they’re shipped in protective tubes with recycled newspaper padding to ensure safe travels. Every order is sent via USPS First Class, complete with a tracking number.

🙏 Special Offering: Order two of the same size cacti for a better deal.

🔗 Fill out the Google Form here to order: https://forms.gle/kqBhruynyYRLfTySA

✨ Thank you for your patience as we worked to make shipping a reality. We’re honored to share this offering with you.