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Winter Seeds
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Posted by brian_ouimet 5 Ont (brian.ouimet@cogeco.ca) on Fri, Jun 12, 09 at 8:37
| I am planning to try winter sowing this fall. Can you use seeds that are collected from this years plants or do you use store bought seeds. Not sure how to get started on this project. |
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RE: Winter Seeds
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| Why couldn't you use seeds from this year's plants? Aren't these the seeds that would be used naturally? To give you a little encouragement to use this year's collected seeds: I had a bad tomato (I forget if it was bug eaten, or BER) but I threw it to an area of my garden that had gotten overrun with weeds. I figured it would compost into the soil. About a month or so later, I went to deal with that area of my garden and get it all cleaned up and ready for some fall planting. Guess what I found there. Two nicely growing tomato plants! These were seeds that were still INSIDE the tomato when I put them there. I didn't cover them with soil. I didn't water them in. I didn't make sure they were moist the whole time, while germinating. I didn't keep them clear of weeds, so that they wouldn't have competition for light, water or nutrients. And yet, up they popped! I just harvested my first two tomatoes from those plants in the last few days! They are just as tasty as the first ones were! I hope this helps to answer your question! |
RE: Winter Seeds
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Any Open Pollinated seed can be saved for next season's use. In the case of tomatoes, you may need to get the "gel" covering off the seeds (weather did it for you with the volunteers) but most seeds can simply be dried and stored in a dark, cool, dry environment, and the more airtight, the better. Many people use zip bags or canning jars, placed in a cabinet, closet, box in the basement or garage. Make sure the seeds are completely dry before storing them and from a mature fruit for best results.
Seeds from hybrids are normally viable, however they will not reliably stay true to the variety you originally planted, but will have the traits of one of the parent plants--which sometimes can be an interesting result in itself. Mature winter squash, pumpkins, beans, peas, peppers, most herbs, eggplant, corn, okra, flowers left on the vine to mature or be winter killed, sunflower type flowers--and I'm sure I left out a LOT of others, all are pretty easy to save for the next season.
Most of us who have gardened for a while have had spoiled veggies we threw on the compost heap or leaf mulch pile (you DO have a compost pile don't you?) grow into some of the best looking plants in the garden. Satisfying curiosity about things like saving seed, and seeing the results--sometimes better, sometimes different but as good, sometimes it just doesn't happen--is one of the most satisfying and fun parts of growing a garden. Take some brown beans and some white beans out of your pantry (yes, they'll sprout) and interplant them and see what cross pollinating results--you might create a new bean variety--or see how some of the speckled beans get started. Don't be afraid to explore. Now is the time to Google (or bing) seed suppliers, get on a half dozen sites and sign up for their newsletters and request their catalogs, look at what is available and dream your next garden, order seeds, trade seeds with others (several seed exchange sites available too) or buy heirloom seeds from them, start a compost pile, gather information and go ahead and take some risks--find out your USDA growing zone (google that too if you don't know, several sites will give your zone by just putting your zip code in their system) go "green" or "organic" or "natural" in your garden--it's all the rage--and you'll have a greater appreciation of how the whole system works. Just ideas, I know you may not have time to do it all, but any of it is better than none. Most of all, Enjoy!! |
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