How to save corn seeds (Kernels)
15.2 years ago corn, harvest, seed saving, seeds
Corn is one of those crops I really don’t have space to grow but still like to try every year. This past year I only had one ear that made it to maturity, in the plants defense we have a very hot summer and I didn’t have the most consistent watering schedule so I am to blame for most of their demise. Given I used the last of my corn seed this year and wanting to make the best out a bad situation, I decided to use this ear for seeds for next year.
I decided to go the natural route and simply let the corn stay on the stalk until I was ready to pull up my corn stalks my wife got tired of looking at our dead corn stalks in the backyard which turned out to be yesterday (October 31st) As you can see from the picture above the corn kernels have dried out pretty well, though still contain a little moisture.
To remove the kernels I started by braking the cob in half and then starting where I split the cob pushing the loose kernels off with my thumb starting from one end to the other. Once I have this first row off it should be pretty easy to attack these kernels at any angle.
Lastly I layered the kernels in a single row in an open ended brown lunch bag to allow air flow to allow the remaining moisture to be removed. I put the bag on top of our cabinets in the kitchen and will add them to a homemade paper seed packet after a few weeks or drying (or when I remember they are up there more like a few months late) then store in the refrigerator until time for planting next year.
Now I have more seeds than I probably will ever need for a few years and hopefully will have better luck (or at least remember to water them better) next year.
Tags: cheap, garden seeds, outdoor plants, vegetables
How to determine your seed germination rate
15.3 years ago germination, seed saving, seed storing, seeds
Whether you are trying to determine if those seeds you have been stored for 3-4 years are still good or questioning your ability to harvest seeds on your own testing germination is a great way to take away from of the guesswork and avoid disappointment next spring.
The process is very simple, I believe I did the same thing in second grade during our plant section. Though that was to observe how a seed sprouts/roots the concept is exactly the same.
Take a wet paper towel and place 10 seeds on it and place the wet paper towel in a Ziploc bag. After a few days (or weeks depending on the normal germination rate) check back on your seeds and count how many sprouted.
In my case six out of ten of the jalapeno seeds sprouted. So just do the simple math using the following formula:
Germination rate = (# seeds sprouted/# total seeds sprouted) X 100
So in my case:
(6 seeds sprouted/10 seeds total) X 100 = 60% germination rate
Of course the more seeds you use in your “trial” the more accurate the results will be for my purposes the error rate is good enough for me.
If I was a seed seller this would be disastrous since most distributors have germination limits (90-95%), but given these are for my own use and I have about 300 more seeds that I will use no major loss. Though I will need to remember when I plant these out I will want to plant 2 seeds per cell to have good odds one of the seeds will germinate.
Another option is to give your 4 year old a handful of seeds and a pot full of dirt and see if most of them sprout. Much less scientific but my daughter didn’t seem to notice.
Tags: garden seeds, outdoor plants
Do have have to follow the directions on the back of my seed packet?
15.3 years ago garden planning, seeds
Though the advice on the back of a seed packet gives some great information, they are recommendations and their advice may not exactly apply to your garden.
First is row spacing, many times you read something like “plant seeds 3 inches apart in rows 1 foot apart” This brings up some immediate logic of why can the plants be 3 inches apart one way but 12 inches in another. This sort of thinking the premise for intensive gardening techniques such as square foot gardening. This is where instead of growing your plants in rows you plant them in a grid pattern making best use of your growing space.
Now even these spacing requirements are actually optional. All plants compete for resources to survive. This can be sunlight (or even shade from sunlight), nutrients, water, airflow, etc. Depending on the quality of your soil and frequency of watering you can push the limits of your growing space. Assuming you add some fresh compost easy season and possibly do some side dressing with an organic fertilizer like fish emulsion or alfalfa pellets you can easily reduce this space and still have high yields. I did just that with my cherry tomato plants whose seed packet is above. I planted these about a foot apart and got great growth and yields.
One other factor is how you grow. If I was growing my tomatoes in cages my foot space probably wouldn’t even be technically possible but since I grew them on a netting this allowed for spread out much more naturally and provide adequate sunlight and airflow. Keep this in mind when growing sprawling plants such as cucumbers and squash using some vertical space can free up the valuable growing space on the ground.
The last factor depends on when you are going to pick them. If you are growing onions to simply pick as green onions you don’t have to give then the 3-4 inches needed for their bulbs to grow. You could easily plant an inch apart since you are going to pick them before they are competing for resources. A similar idea is growing for micro greens, plant picked when just a few inches tall.
Though I wouldn’t say to completely ignore the back of your seed packets, just make sure to use it as a guide not a requirement.
Tags: compost, garden seeds, organic vegetables, outdoor plants, tomato plants
How to save pea seeds from your garden
15.4 years ago harvest, peas, seed saving, seed storing, seeds
Most of the seeds I purchase, I am able to keep for at least a few seasons before running out. The one exception to this rule is peas, which I always have to buy each season. To save myself a couple dollars next year after I had my fill of peas from my garden I let quite a few mature which I will reuse for seeds this fall and next spring.
Out of all the seeds I have collected peas definitely are the easiest by far. If you want to go with the ultra lazy easy approach just let them dry on the vine until the pod no longer has any moisture and the peas are loose in the pod. You even can store them in the pod and crack them open for planting. One disadvantage to this technique is the peas could end up getting enough airflow and could result in some moldy peas.
To be on the safer side here is a more conservative approach:
- Pick pods when fine is yellow. The basic idea at this point the plant is not really providing anything to the pods so you might as well take on the responsibility
- If the pod still feels a little moist store it in a dry location. If the pod feels dry using a small knife carefully cut a small slit lengthwise into the pod being careful to not to injure the peas.
- Once the peas get all shrived up and look like what you planted to begin with store in a cold dry location (jar in the refrigerator)
Now you have seeds ready for fall planting (or spring planting next year) If you go a little crazy with your dried peas you can also add them to soups or stews during the winter time.
Tags: garden seeds, outdoor plants
How to grow seeds in your garden
15.5 years ago cheap, seed saving, seeds
Because of a strange heat wave we had in June, I seem to be growing more seeds than vegetables this year. Now as they say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. In that spirit I am planning on increasing the number of plants I will allow to completely go to seed this year.
I have always saved cilantro seeds, the first time it was almost an accident my daughter liked the pretty white flowers and after neglecting my garden at the end of the summer I had perfectly dried cilantro seeds on the plant. Free and renewable supply of seeds, what could be better. If I don’t have you convinced here are some more reasons:
Cheap: You really can’t beat free. With the price of seeds increasing depending on the variety of seeds you grow this could save you a considerable amount of money per year.
Easy: The creation of seeds of seeds is a completely natural process that has been happening for millions of years. In many cases you can do practically nothing other than harvest the seeds before the birds do.
Natural selection: With a little attention you can hand select only your best plants to harvest seeds from. If the plant survived to produce seeds it has to be at least a little disease tolerant and if you intentionally pick plants that bolted early you can also establish your own slow bolting variety.
Limited availability: Even with all the resources on the internet your favorite seed company may not always carry your favorite varieties or in some cases just a few seeds might be hard to come by. If you play your cards right you may even be able to make a few bucks selling your rare seeds.
Seed Exchange: If you collect seeds you more than likely will get more seeds than you need for the next 2-3 years from a single plant. This is a great supply to use for local or mail seed exchanges. Not only are you supplying someone else with seeds they need but also adding seeds to your collection which you can harvest and repeat the process again.
Growing sprouts: If you are paying for seeds growing sprouts for some plant varieties can be pretty expensive…unless your seeds are free. This is a good healthy way to use up some of those extra seeds you can’t get rid of any other way.
This year I am planning on harvesting spinach, pea, carrot, and radish seeds (along with my previous onions and cilantro) so stay tuned for more details.
Tags: birds, cheap, cilantro, garden seeds, outdoor plants, vegetables
Free tomato seeds and save a farm
15.8 years ago free, seeds, tomato
If you want to get some free tomato seeds head over to Campbell’s Help Grow Your Soup site. After simply entering some numbers on the bottom of a can of soup they will send you a free packet of tomato seeds. Seems like a pretty good deal to me, as an added bonus they donate 100 seeds to the National FFA Organization just for making your request.
Be sure to check out there site because they have some good basic gardening tips on the site.
If you want more sources of cheap/free vegetable seeds check out my Cheap Vegetable Seeds post.
Tags: cheap, garden seeds, tomato plants, vegetables
