A Seed Saver's Garden

[meadow]

When I checked the seed heads of the last lettuce plants I suddenly understood what those little brown birds were doing hanging around for the last couple days. No seeds.

Paint strainer bags. They can be purchased inexpensively in bulk from Amazon.

Seed Savers Exchange sells lettuce bags, which is what gave me the idea.

 

[flowerbug]

HeirloomGal,

the first year that I grew millet in the garden, the House Finches showed up. They were not very commonly around but suddenly there were little flocks of them. They stripped the millet in about 4 days.

i had a similar thing happen with the phlox plants, when i first put them in they'd flower and develop seeds and nothing happened to them so i could harvest easily when they were dried down and ready.

a year or two later the goldfinches found them and ever since they've regularly stripped most of the seeds from the plants so if i want any seeds for planting out at all i have to harvest the stalks as soon as the seeds are fully developed to dry down in a protected place (inside).

 

[ducks4you]

Paint strainer bags. They can be purchased inexpensively in bulk from Amazon.

Seed Savers Exchange sells lettuce bags, which is what gave me the idea.

Reasonable price, too.

https://www.amazon.com/Strainer-Disposable-Filters-Elastic-Drawstring/dp/B08XJ41DMT

 

[heirloomgal]

Do you do anything for your alpine strawberry plant to survive snow and cold? I finally got mine to start growing and I should hate for the cold to kill it. I have already surrounded it with straw. Is that a problem where you are at in Ontario?

Mine are tough as nails, we went to -40 C this past winter and they had no trouble at all returning in spring bigger than ever. Winter kill for me is more with perennials, and usually perennials in a spot here snow has packed.

 

[heirloomgal]

Thanks for the helpful suggestions everybody!

 

[heirloomgal]

So much to do right now!

I'm thankful that I've collected nearly all the tomato seeds, because they won't wait! Lots of eggplants & peppers to be harvested and de-seeded but thank heavens they are very patient...generally. Only going down to 10 C/ 50 F tonight so no dragging poles around tonight or tomorrow. Hooray! Hopefully most pods will be totally dried by the weekend.

Little celebration moment this evening when I realized that the Pheasant''s Eye seed heads, which were HIGHLY unusual to say the least (they crumble!), actually dried up and I managed to get them over a bowl before shattering to the ground. I wasn't sure I'd get 'em. I think the Scarlet Flax did okay getting caught, but they don't look like they'll be much fun or very easy to harvest; the seed heads are SO hard. A hammer might do well, but it also might damage the seeds...

It comes to me that I need to find a more refined blowing technique for separating chaff from small seeds. The sesame seeds blow away! I do use a blow dryer mostly, but it just doesn't cut it for the tiny, lightweight things.

Only 2 more feet of chufa nuts to go.... It's looking like they produced very well, for such small tubers on reed thin plants. I'm going to weigh the end result.

It's a busy time of year, but it sure feels great when the seeds start piling up. My inner squirrel is content.

Took one pic today. Cookstown Orange eggplant.

 

[flowerbug]

So much to do right now!

I'm thankful that I've collected nearly all the tomato seeds, because they won't wait! Lots of eggplants & peppers to be harvested and de-seeded but thank heavens they are very patient...generally. Only going down to 10 C/ 50 F tonight so no dragging poles around tonight or tomorrow. Hooray! Hopefully most pods will be totally dried by the weekend.

Little celebration moment this evening when I realized that the Pheasant''s Eye seed heads, which were HIGHLY unusual to say the least (they crumble!), actually dried up and I managed to get them over a bowl before shattering to the ground. I wasn't sure I'd get 'em. I think the Scarlet Flax did okay getting caught, but they don't look like they'll be much fun or very easy to harvest; the seed heads are SO hard. A hammer might do well, but it also might damage the seeds...

It comes to me that I need to find a more refined blowing technique for separating chaff from small seeds. The sesame seeds blow away! I do use a blow dryer mostly, but it just doesn't cut it for the tiny, lightweight things.

Only 2 more feet of chufa nuts to go.... It's looking like they produced very well, for such small tubers on reed thin plants. I'm going to weigh the end result.

It's a busy time of year, but it sure feels great when the seeds start piling up. My inner squirrel is content.

Took one pic today. Cookstown Orange eggplant.
View attachment 52412

lol @ inner squirrel... those look like tomatoes or peppers and not eggplants! but i've not grown many eggplants here. hope they are delicious!

for sorting seeds from chaff i screen some, others i will settle in a bowl and shake to have the chaff come to the surface or off to the sides as i rotate the bowl. other times i drop with an air current, perhaps you need some clamps and a stand so the air current is more gentle and further away? sometimes i do it outside and drop from higher up so the chaff can fall a few inches off to the side, etc. it all varies by seed and chaff type.

blow aways like dandelions and the various milkweed like plants i put in a big paper bag outside and then swish my hand around to knock the seeds off the fluff and most of the fluff blows out the top and the seeds fall to the bottom.

 

[ducks4you]

Look what I found!

Home - The Seed Detective

The Seed Detective - a place for vegaholics, those hopelessly addicted to growing their own fruit and vegetables. A site for anyone who shares my passion and curiosity about the delights to be had in a kitchen garden.

theseeddetective.co.uk

 

[heirloomgal]

@ducks I beat ya to it! When you posted his book the other day, I found his website from that link you posted!

 

[heirloomgal]

Pretty neat seeds for a watermelon. Etching is complete.