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Gathering Seeds--Info Needed
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Posted: Jun/09/2008 1:56 PM PST
I have never really gathered many seeds other than hollyhock and zinnia. Of course I want to participate in the next round robin, so I have been researching this. Do yall have any tips or tricks up your sleeves for collecting seeds? |
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Posted: Jun/09/2008 2:08 PM PST
I go out to the gardens with a bunch of small mail envelopes, already labeled, that I tape across the bottom and sides. With some of the seeds I collect I can just shake them into the envelope, others I put the entire pod into the envelope. When it comes to preparing the seeds- I open any pods over paper towels, using tweezers to help. Then I leave them to dry for a week or so before putting them in my "seed drawer" in my kitchen (far from the sink and stove). |
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Posted: Jun/09/2008 7:18 PM PST
The hollyhock seeds will be in a donut type ring inside the casing that is left behind when the flower falls off. They will actually come apart like pie slice wedges. When fully ripe they will be an almost black color. |
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Posted: Jul/09/2008 7:03 AM PST
I'm starting to pinch back my basil. I know there's got to be seeds in there. How do I get to them? |
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Posted: Jul/09/2008 9:22 PM PST
Any flowers in particular? Different varieties have so many different kinds of seed pods. For coneflowers, you can pick off the seedhead once it's ripe (the cone part of the flower), and then sort of pull it in halves and pick out the seeds which look like little teeth. Black-eyed susans, basically the same, except the "teeth" are black. You can sort of rub the seeds out with your thumbnails. For columbines, I usually pick off the seedheads and then open up the individual pods over a piece of paper or something to collect them. You know they're ripe when you can see them (little blacks balls) starting to pop out. If you don't catch them then, they may simply "self-sow". You can also hear the seeds rumbling around if you shake them. Marigolds leave a seedpod full of half black/brown, half cream white 1/2"-3/4" sticks. I just pick them apart and separate them. Butterfly bushes produce hundreds of seedpods on each flower spike. If you open up the little brown football shaped pods, you'll find lots of tiny brown twigs-- those are the seeds. I also leave the seeds out for about a week before packing them up to make sure that they're dry and won't mold. If anybody has any experience with pansies or petunias, I'd love to hear about what in particular to look for. |
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Posted: Jul/10/2008 6:19 AM PST
Bayou..first, look inside the open pods and see if the seeds are black. If they are..they are ready to go. Just grab the pods and gently crumble them in b/w two fingers and the seeds will fall right out. You should get about 4 seeds per pod. Each basil plant will produce hundreds of seeds! |
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Posted: Jul/10/2008 8:45 AM PST
Thanks for all the info. I am going to try to have a nice variety to put in the seed box this year. |
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