When gardeners need
seed, most turn to print or on-line catalogs or head out to the
seed racks at Agway or Home Depot. Buying seed in a packet is
a relatively new phenomenon.
Long before there were
packages of Burpee seed, farmers, local growers, and gardeners
saved and swapped seed. Besides being thrifty, gardeners saving
seed serves an important purpose: it helps to restore the diversity
of varieties that have been lost since seed companies took over.
It's another enoyable part of being a gardener.
A good place to look
for more information about the issue of diversity and the history
of seed-saving is The Seeds of Texas Seed Exchange web site (see
page 2 for URL). My approach
to harvesting, collecting, and storing seed is, shall we say,
less than scientific. That casual attitude is obvious from the
remnants of seeds in the pockets of my clothing long after they've
been laundered. I've been known to collect seed in wads of tissue
or 'envelopes' hastily made from scraps of paper. The kitchen
counter, dining room table and any unoccupied horizontal surface
usually has a saucer or lid or tissue with seeds drying. Once
dry--when I get tired of looking at them--I transfer the seeds
to little bottles leftover from prescription drugs or plastic
bags.
Aside from exchanging
seed with relatives, I haven't done any seed swapping with other
gardeners. But I must admit to being intrigued by the seed exchange
listings that used to be at the back of Organic Gardening. Now
all that has blossomed on the Internet, a perfect forum for such
interaction. Personal web pages or community listings are full
of the seed 'wants' and 'haves' of gardeners all over the world.
What follows are guidelines
from on my own experience and research. It's easy to make anything
complicated, but I've tried to keep it simple. After all, we're
in this for pleasure. I also took a peek into the world of Internet
seed-swapping and can steer you in the right direction.
Harvesting
When the urge to collect
seed has bit, it's hard not to restrain oneself while touring
a botanical garden, nursery, or friend's garden. Garden etiquette,
of course, requires one to ask permission first.
It is best to allow
seeds to ripen to full maturity before they are harvested--mature
seeds have higher germination and survival rates than seeds harvested
too soon.
Keep in mind that seeds
from strong, healthy plants are your best bet. The seeds and seedlings
will be larger, more-viable, and more-vigorous than seedlings
produced by weak, diseased, stressed plants.
Avoid small or misshapen
seeds. They are shorter-lived under storage conditions than larger,
better-formed seeds. Small seeds also contain less stored food
to help them emerge from the soil and produce healthy seedlings.
Do your harvesting
before it rains. If it has rained recently, let Mother Nature
dry the seeds for a few days before you bring them in for final
drying.
Drying
Most seed from flowering
plants stays viable longest if dried before being stored.
Place your harvested
seed in a cool, dry, shaded location with good air circulation
to complete the process slowly. Be patient; some seeds may take
as long as six weeks to dry thoroughly. Too much heat can cause
seeds to dry too quickly and die.
Spread seeds one or
two thick in an airy, dry location--such as an air-conditioned
environment or other place where relative humidity stays between
20% and 40%--for two or more weeks. Seeds change in appearance
as they dry. Some will darken, shrivel, etc., during the drying
process.
Cleaning
I do this after the
drying process. This serves several purposes. By separating and
discarding any material that isn't seed you find out if you really
have ripe seed. Some flower heads will look like they are full
of seeds, but after cleaning there will only be two or three ripe
seeds. You also need to know how many seeds you have if you plan
to do any trading.
Most importantly, cleaning
removes chaff that can cause dampness during storage (leading
to mold or mildew) or when the seeds are planted (possibly causing
"damping-off," a fungus that kills seedlings).
The task can be simplified
if you limit the amount of extraneous material when you harvest
seed. For instance, snip away leaves, cut off excess branches,
stems, etc., before you put flower stalks or pods into a paper
bag to dry. In many instances, you can simply shake the seeds
loose inside the bag when they've dried sufficiently, then remove
the stalks or emptied pods.
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