saving seeds

[imafan26]

Normally I buy seeds but some seeds I save. I usually save marigolds, nicitiana, basil and sesame seeds. But with the costs of growing plants going up all of the time and seeds costing more and getting a lot less seeds in the process, I am saving more kinds of seeds than I used to.

I am saving my papaya because it is sweet. There is no guarantee the progeny will be sweet but with literally hundreds of seeds and one good papaya will start flowering at 5 mos and a tree life averaging 4-8 years, it is a good bet especially the risks aren't much different with store bought seeds or plants. No one can tell a papaya's sex from the seed unfortunately. I have had my tomatoes self seed and for the most part the tomatoes have been good so serendipity works for me.

I have a tomato volunteer I need to dig up and pot up since it is in my way.

Today I saved seeds from the Rolex eggplant, I have already saved seeds from Tiger eggplant, Bhut Jolokia, and Tabasco. I have also saved black sesame, lime basil, African basil, cutting celery, fennel, cowpeas, safflower, Poamoho beans, bunching onions, stevia, Thai chili, chilitepin, kaffir lime, and for the first time I have managed to get seeds from Hon Tsai Tai, and Kai Choy cabbage.

I have saved seed for the first time from Danver's half long carrots, but I failed to get the beets to go to seed after leaving it in the ground for 5 months.

Other things I'll propagate from cuttings or divisions instead. Gingers, cardamom, lemon verbena (I never got the seed to grow), black pepper, Mexican tarragon, Mexican oregano, rosemary, lavender, Portuguese cabbage, and bay leaves. The lettuce went to seed but I did not get to it in time so I lost the seeds to the wind. I have roselle flowering now, so I need to collect seeds once they are ready.

I planted Tendergreen cucumbers and they have been very good. I don't know if they are a hybrid but the cucumbers have been very long and crisp with small seeds and they are not bitter. Best of all the plants have better mildew resistance than Suyo, so I am going to try it and see how it turns out.

I have left my seed out drying for months. Is that too long? Some seed I have to keep stirring since they get moldy. I lost the kabocha seeds and some papaya to mold.

Are there any tips on the best ways to get the seeds separated from the pith, it took awhile to get the eggplant seeds scraped out? What can I dry them on so they will dry faster. I dry them in tofu containers now, but it might be better on some kind of mesh. Any suggestions on what I could use?

[rainbowgardener]

Re: but I failed to get the beets to go to seed after leaving it in the ground for 5 months.

Beets are the same species as chard. Like chard they are biennial. They will die back and over winter in the ground (in my climate) and come back the next year. In the second year they will flower fairly early in the season.

Carrots are usually the same. Did your carrots actually flower in the first year?

[imafan26]

I planted the carrots around April and they went to seed in September. I had the beets in the ground and the beet got quite large and woody but never went to seed and it was in the ground longer than the carrots.

This is the first time my carrots have gone to seed, usually they just get very woody. This is also the first time I planted carrots over the summer, I usually plant carrots around now.

When they went to seed, I kept them awhile since the parsley family is good for attracting beneficial insects to the garden.

I had Swiss chard over a year and it got quite large. I recently pulled them but they never went to seed either.

[rainbowgardener]

I planted the carrots around April and they went to seed in September. I had the beets in the ground and the beet got quite large and woody but never went to seed and it was in the ground longer than the carrots. But it would need to be in the ground into its second growing season

This is the first time my carrots have gone to seed, usually they just get very woody. This is also the first time I planted carrots over the summer, I usually plant carrots around now. usually this would be the same, that they would flower and set seed the second season

When they went to seed, I kept them awhile since the parsley family is good for attracting beneficial insects to the garden.

I had Swiss chard over a year and it got quite large. I recently pulled them but they never went to seed either.You may still have pulled them a bit too early for flowering and seeding. To get to seed with chard for me is usually about an 18 month process. Grow all of one season, over winter, grow into the next season for a few months, flower and then it still takes a LONG time for the flowers to set seed.

Yes, parsley family is great for all kinds of beneficial insects and for butterfly caterpillars. I have a carrot and a parsley now that I am saving to flower next year.

[imafan26]

I try to keep plants around that support beneficial insects so I rarely have to resort to spraying insecticides. I only use sulfur and baking soda for mildew and spider mites, slug bait, alcohol, jets of water and culling the weak plants for just about everything else.

I have nectar plants alyssum, false heather, lavender, marigolds and basil. I have ornamental plants Fennel, marigolds, sunflowers, nasturtiums, dill at different times of the year to provide habitat and trap aphids for the lady bugs. Corn attracts the mealy bug destroyer and they control whiteflies. So far I have only seen a couple of beetles that I squashed, but I have no cabbage butterflies yet at my home.

At the herb garden, fennel,marigolds,and nasturtiums are the main plants for pest control. Fennel works the best since it remains in bloom for many months and it is planted in a corner next to the gingers which are not bothered by it. Gingers are not attacked by the same species of aphids that the fennel attracts. Nasturtiums will only be around in the cooler months, and I don't even have to plant them, the seeds will just lay dormant until the weather conditions are right for them to sprout again. Dill will only grow in summer. Basil, vervain and lavender are the primary nectar plants. Onions, chives, and many of the aromatic herbs are natural deterrents anyway. Some plants like horseradish, lalot, and gynuura seem to be naturally pest proof. There are also beehives in the orchard, and artificial hives for carpenter and leaf cutter bees among the trees.