I wrote previously about hoping to grow quinoa this year and learning that the only source of seeds I knew about, Seeds of Change, was out of stock.

But I've found some! Not on line, not in a catalog, and not at a local nursery. I bought edible quinoa from a bulk bin at WinCo last Saturday.

I got the idea from gardeners who say they plant garlic, potatoes, and so on from produce they buy at the grocery store. The quinoa at WinCo was labeled "organic," so I didn't think it would hurt to try.

I know what you're thinking, but I've already tested them and they've sprouted. I wrapped a pinch of them in a moist paper towel and put the bundle in an unsealed plastic sandwich bag. When I remembered to check them two days later, they had all sprouted already!

This will be an interesting experiment; I have no idea what variety of quinoa this is or what type of environment it prefers. From Sunset's One-Block Diet blog (where I got the idea of planting it):

Quinoa is indigenous to the high, dry climate of the South American Andes and thrives in places where the temperature stays under 90 degrees.  So while Menlo Park isn’t necessarily high, it is moderately dry and definitely mild. Additionally, Seeds of Change has developed a variety, Faro, which is particularly well suited to sea level.

So I hope I don't have the variety suited for sea level. Wikipedia also says it has a long growing season, so I'd better get mine planted outside soon.

I don't have much to lose, though: A quarter pound of the seeds cost me only 88 cents! Now I'm wondering what else I can buy from the bulk bins and plant.