Carrots are fun to grow at home and if you're lucky, some of them will bolt to seed at the end of the season. Then, if you grew an heirloom or open pollinated variety, you can save those carrot seeds. Saving carrot seeds is considered a job for more advanced gardeners, because the threat of cross pollination is high. Short growing seasons also complicate things (you may need to harvest roots in fall for replanting in spring in order to…
A while ago, we reported that we were planting a new radish in the garden for spring: Bora King. It's a winter radish that claims to be purple on the inside as well as the outside. We were so excited to try them out, and this week the big day came: harvesting Bora King radishes. Winter radishes grow larger than spring radishes. Quite a lot larger. Bora Kings can grow up to 8 inches long without getting tough. On Sunday…
In this, our last installment about Seed School we explore the economic and political makeup of seeds in our world. For me, this is the real reason we need to save seed and preserve species. On our final day, we were asked to brainstorm about how to solve problems on a local level, as well as a global one. As gardeners we know that local action is sometimes the only thing that makes a difference. Community gardens, for example, have…
We're back with more about our week in Seed School. (In case you missed the first post, click here.) Later in the week, we delved more into the wonders of seeds with dissection, genetics and seed cleaning. So...let's go to seed school again. Plants are marvelous things, all very different. We were given the charge to look closely at the male and female parts of flowers in order to understand the process of pollination. Once again, when the hand-outs landed…
I had the pleasure of participating in a 6-day workshop all about seeds, presented by the folks at Native Seeds/Search. More than 30 gardenerds gathered to learn as much as we could, and we were not disappointed. We covered everything from plant genetics (for breeding and plant purity) and plant sex (plant parts), to saving seeds (stomping and screens included) and starting seed libraries. What a ride! So here's a quick review of Part 1 - let's go to seed…
Warning: this video can lead to excessive spending and an overabundance of seeds in your collection. It's true, after making this video, I visited the websites for most of these seed catalogs and had a glorious time spending money on the best seeds for 2014. It's a weakness, but one with great rewards. After planning out this year's spring garden, you'll have a map to inform you of how much room you have (and therefore how many new crops/seeds you…
It's time for a new YouTube video, and this one is about storing seeds to keep them vital for years. It's as simple as 1, 2, 3, and we'll walk you through it. Seeds lose viability if stored improperly. By storing them in the right way, you'll save money, and you'll be ready for survival after the zombie apocalypse when the time comes. Storing Seeds to Make them Last for Years See? It's pretty straight forward and simple. How do…
This week's YouTube video is all about saving celery and dill seeds. They are easy to save and abundant in supply.
In the quest for self-reliance, seed saving plays a big part. After all, in a "zombie apocalypse" situation you wouldn't be able to run to the store to buy seeds for your garden. You would need to produce your own supply. This is where a seed library comes in very handy. A seed library is a local endeavor, when you and your fellow gardeners gather seeds and share them in an orderly fashion. Seeds are catalogued and counted and made…
If you've ever considered saving seeds, but have been too afraid to try, start by saving ornamental poppy seeds. Why? Saving poppy seeds is practically labor-free, is incredibly easy, and can be done in about a minute. We grew a beautiful variety this year that came unannounced in the mail from Botanical Interests Seeds. It's called Lauren's Grape. I'm never one to turn down a gift, especially if it's purple or burgundy. This poppy inspires instant happiness. Now the flowers…