Also in 2011 I saved Brandywine tomato and Rattlesnake beans. Today, I put a few seed from each, along with the okra, in some flats in the greenhouse to test germination.
Ready for Next Year...
and for years to come I hope. I let some okra go to seed again this year and thrashed it out today. Quite a bit. I saved seed in 2011, used it in 2012 and this year to plant my okra. And this seed is from those plants. I remember my parents saving peas, butterbeans, string beans, etc. I can still see my Dad shaking the pan and then blowing off the chaff. A good feeling to see a crop continue with seed from year to year.
Also in 2011 I saved Brandywine tomato and Rattlesnake beans. Today, I put a few seed from each, along with the okra, in some flats in the greenhouse to test germination.
Also in 2011 I saved Brandywine tomato and Rattlesnake beans. Today, I put a few seed from each, along with the okra, in some flats in the greenhouse to test germination.
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DoubleDogFarm
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 6113
- Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2010 11:43 pm
That's a pile of seed. Good for you. Makes one feel good to save seed when little packets are $2.00 or more.
I enlarge your photo and I'm a little bit concerned. Looks like many of the seed have germinated already.
Eric
I enlarge your photo and I'm a little bit concerned. Looks like many of the seed have germinated already.
Eric
Last edited by DoubleDogFarm on Thu Oct 17, 2013 3:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Yes, don't you love it!? I have a few things like moonflower and cardinal climber that have been growing from my home collected seeds for many generations now, with no intervening purchased seed.
I'm about to plant garlic, which will now be two generations removed from the grocery store garlic I started with - it is the leftovers of the garlic I planted last year, which was the leftovers of the previous year's homegrown garlic.
I have about 20 envelopes of different seeds I have collected this year.
I love having plants I started myself, from seeds I collected myself, in soil that I built myself!
I'm about to plant garlic, which will now be two generations removed from the grocery store garlic I started with - it is the leftovers of the garlic I planted last year, which was the leftovers of the previous year's homegrown garlic.
I have about 20 envelopes of different seeds I have collected this year.
I love having plants I started myself, from seeds I collected myself, in soil that I built myself!
Well, you had me worried there. I guess the white stem-like item is just part of the dried seed. I got some from my 2011 bag and placed it side by side with the 2013. You can see the little white stem in both....whew!!!DoubleDogFarm wrote:That's a pile of seed. Good for you. Makes one feel good to save seed when little packets are $2.00 or more.
I enlarge your photo and I'm a little bit concerned. Looks like many of the seed have germinated already.
Eric
As for the volume of seed, indeed that is a lot of okra seed. I planted a couple of short rows in some rich farm soil and it was not picked while I was out of the lower 48 for three weeks. Needless to say, a LOT "went to seed" and I had a bunch of pods to choose from.
Last edited by lakngulf on Thu Oct 17, 2013 11:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Wow! I know nothing about okra seed, Lakngulf 
.
Some things you can do with a lot of seed to remove the chaff (not very important for garden seed but an idea especially for dry beans and such):
There are often very flat baskets that you can find in the thrift stores; they were popular to hang on the wall several years ago and now, not so popular. They go for a couple of dollars. You do the "shift, shift, toss . . . shift, shift, toss . . ." It helps to have a slight breeze but it isn't necessary if you are good at this.
If you are like me and a little lame with the procedure
, you can set up a ladder close to a tarp spread on the ground. Wait for that slight breeze, place the container of seed on the paint holder, climb the ladder, and dump the seed slowly on the tarp. Then, gather the seed back into your container. How high you go on the ladder depends on the breeze. Repeat, repeat . . . oh, make sure of the wind direction before starting so as not to be sowing seed into the lawn grass 
.
Just relating a little from experience watching Southeast Asians do this work.
Steve
.Some things you can do with a lot of seed to remove the chaff (not very important for garden seed but an idea especially for dry beans and such):
There are often very flat baskets that you can find in the thrift stores; they were popular to hang on the wall several years ago and now, not so popular. They go for a couple of dollars. You do the "shift, shift, toss . . . shift, shift, toss . . ." It helps to have a slight breeze but it isn't necessary if you are good at this.
If you are like me and a little lame with the procedure
, you can set up a ladder close to a tarp spread on the ground. Wait for that slight breeze, place the container of seed on the paint holder, climb the ladder, and dump the seed slowly on the tarp. Then, gather the seed back into your container. How high you go on the ladder depends on the breeze. Repeat, repeat . . . oh, make sure of the wind direction before starting so as not to be sowing seed into the lawn grass .Just relating a little from experience watching Southeast Asians do this work.
Steve