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When people say something has “gone to seed,” they usually mean it’s gone downhill.
But we think going to seed can be a good thing. The life of a plant, in three words, is growth … flower … seed. And at this time of year, we are in a seedy place — literally, and also in a good way.
Now’s the time, where your vegetable and flower garden are concerned, that you have an opportunity to harvest seeds to grow in next year’s gardens. We have some recommendations for best results:
Harvest seeds when they are brown and dry. If you cannot avoid harvesting when seed pods or seeds are wet, be sure to dry them thoroughly by placing them in a sunny window indoors for several days.
Package dried seeds in paper envelopes, labelled at the time of harvest (or you might forget what they are) and store in sealed containers like a mason jar. Drop a silica gel packet — from a pill bottle, for instance — into the jar for a week or so to absorb any remaining moisture.
Most seeds fall from a finished bloom to the ground or get eaten by foraging birds. Some, like the seeds from marigolds, zinnias, sunflowers, hollyhocks, and calendula, are best removed from their seed pods or husks by hand before they fall or get eaten. Others, like poppies, can be harvested with a sharp shake of the pod held over a bowl.
Seeds from low-hanging fruit are easy to harvest, store and germinate. These include beans, peas, nasturtiums, and corn which all feature large seeds.
Some other popular garden plants that produce seeds worth the harvest:
Lettuce plants bolt to seed if the leaves are left unpicked. Wait for the puffy flower heads to dry on the plant and place the whole flower in a paper bag and shake to remove the hard, black seeds.
Basil produces tiny black seeds if you allow the kitchen herb to flower. Remove the spent flowers when dry and place in a colander or fine sieve, gently rubbing them against the bottom until the tiny seeds are dislodged to fall into a bowl — preferably a white bowl so that you can see the minuscule, black seeds. Salvia seeds can also be harvested in this way.
Carrots and beets are biennial, meaning, they finish their growth cycle in the second year. Here in Canada, it is best to leave the plants to produce a flower this fall and stand over the winter. Some will produce flowers come spring. Allow the flowers to mature and go to seed, remove them and store for later sowing.
Tomato seeds are a bit tricky to retrieve and store, but worth the effort:
1. Make sure you are harvesting seeds from an heirloom or heritage variety such as red, yellow, orange or “pineapple” beefsteak.
2. Cut the tomato in half and squeeze the juice, gel and seeds into a clean bowl.
3. Pour three times as much water over the mess you’ve created in the bowl. Mix it all up with your fingers.
4. Let stand for a few minutes. Some seeds will sink and others will float. The sinkers are the winners that will produce plants in spring.
5. Drain off the liquid and retrieve the sunken seeds, laying them out on a paper towel in a sunny window. Let dry for a week, then pick seeds off the towel and place into paper envelopes, and then into sealed containers.
The seeds that produce a new plant genetically the same as the “mother” plant are heritage or heirloom, as long as the flowers were pollinated by the same variety. Hybrid plants can produce a wide variety of results, which can be fun but always unpredictable. The plant label will tell you if it is a hybrid.
The process of seed saving can be fun and satisfying. Next spring, when you plant and grow your own seeds, you’ll be reminded of the extraordinary cycle of life that exists in your garden.
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