I learned the hard way that even with proper storage commercially produced seeds lose their viability with time. In 2003/2004 I bought a boatload of seeds and have been trying ever since to get them all used up. Well, I think I’ve finally succeeded. I should have thrown them away about a year ago. …
Tag
Showing: 1 - 7 of 7 RESULTS
seed storage
To Harvest or Not To Harvest a Stone Fruit Pit
Fruit such as peaches, plums and nectarines are considered stone fruits. These are easy to collect since you just eat or cut away the fruit, pull out the stone, wash it, let it dry and voila – a seed. One thing you should consider before collecting these from store bought fruit is that they may …
Harvesting Hardy Hosta Seeds
I was very curious to know how to start hosta from seed, but everywhere I read said that it was not commonly done since the seeds are not always produced. Turns out that one variety of the hostas I collected in the fall of 2007 did indeed produce pods with hundreds of seeds. The hosta …
Harvesting Seeds from Pretty Little Dianthus
This year I had three varieties of dianthus growing in my garden: Sweet William, Spangled Star and a Neon variety. Like the daylily, once the bloom expires a pod behind the bloom begins to swell with seeds. Allow the pod and stem to turn brown and dry out. The little pod will usually open at …
Harvest a Peck of Pepper Seeds!
These are easy, but be careful with the hot varieties. The capsicum in the pepper that makes them hot can make your life miserable if you get it on your face and can even make the tips of your fingers burn. So, when handling hot peppers and the seeds WEAR GLOVES and wash your hands …
Harvesting an Avocado Pit
When the avocado fruit has turned black and is ready to eat you can remove the seed. Take a knife and half the fruit from stem end to bottom twisting gently to separate the halves from each other and the seed. Use a sturdy smooth blade kitchen knife to whack into the side of the …
Storing Seeds
Every gardener has a different way of storing seeds. Some like plastic baggies others like paper envelopes. Personally, I like the paper envelopes since they don’t retain as much moisture and keep the possibility of mold to a minimum. Look on gardenhere.org for patterns for large and small seeds envelopes or find ways to make …