blissful
Master Chef
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2008
- Messages
- 7,534
Back in 2020 my kale came back the second year and then went to seed. It took all season but it produced these long pointy pods with seeds. The pods look like the leaves but they are round like beans. At the end of the season I collected the seeds. I've been planting that kale now for 3 years. Lots of seeds.
This is what the left side of the lettuce garden looked like when it was making those pods.
This year 2023 in the same area, in the back left side the parsley are starting to go to seed. All those tall plants.
Then by the next month those tall fronds have grown taller and longer and fall over the entire left side of the garden. The seeds are on the tips of the branches in an umbel or umbral (like an umbrella).
I cut the seeds off into a bucket. Then I need to move them around daily or else if moist spots stay moist, mold will grow and I don't want that. Once they are dry they fall into the bottom of the bucket.
I collect them in a container and let them air dry a couple weeks. I put them in clear bags and label what it is and the year.
These are winter keeper bulbing onions, long day, gone to seed. We collect them every year to plant the next year since onion seeds are mostly only viable for one year. They grow on long stems and we stake them to hold them up.
I cut those into a container. Once they dry completely, we break the white balls that hold little black seeds for onions.
Are you saving seeds? It doesn't have to be a lot of seed to make a difference. I collected plantain seeds, since they are edible. I collected sweet william flower seed when those were spent. We'll have 3 different types of sunflowers and I'll collect some seeds form those for next year. Each time we save some seed we save ourselves a $3 seed packet. Our peppers and tomato seeds last up to 10 years. We collect pole and bush beans for seed for the next year.
If you aren't sure how to save seed just google it or youtube the question and the information is free.
There are seed viability charts so you'll know how many years your seed will be viable for. https://joegardener.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Seed-Longevity-Chart.pdf
Another way to get seeds is to ask friends for them and trade what you have with them. Don't forget flowers! Gotta feed the bees. It's fun.
This is what the left side of the lettuce garden looked like when it was making those pods.

This year 2023 in the same area, in the back left side the parsley are starting to go to seed. All those tall plants.

Then by the next month those tall fronds have grown taller and longer and fall over the entire left side of the garden. The seeds are on the tips of the branches in an umbel or umbral (like an umbrella).

I cut the seeds off into a bucket. Then I need to move them around daily or else if moist spots stay moist, mold will grow and I don't want that. Once they are dry they fall into the bottom of the bucket.

I collect them in a container and let them air dry a couple weeks. I put them in clear bags and label what it is and the year.

These are winter keeper bulbing onions, long day, gone to seed. We collect them every year to plant the next year since onion seeds are mostly only viable for one year. They grow on long stems and we stake them to hold them up.

I cut those into a container. Once they dry completely, we break the white balls that hold little black seeds for onions.

Are you saving seeds? It doesn't have to be a lot of seed to make a difference. I collected plantain seeds, since they are edible. I collected sweet william flower seed when those were spent. We'll have 3 different types of sunflowers and I'll collect some seeds form those for next year. Each time we save some seed we save ourselves a $3 seed packet. Our peppers and tomato seeds last up to 10 years. We collect pole and bush beans for seed for the next year.
If you aren't sure how to save seed just google it or youtube the question and the information is free.
There are seed viability charts so you'll know how many years your seed will be viable for. https://joegardener.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Seed-Longevity-Chart.pdf
Another way to get seeds is to ask friends for them and trade what you have with them. Don't forget flowers! Gotta feed the bees. It's fun.