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Post by Admin on Aug 10, 2015 23:03:30 GMT
Today I learned how to harvest Zinnia seeds!
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Post by Admin on Aug 10, 2015 23:12:41 GMT
Harvesting Marigold Seeds
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Post by Admin on Aug 10, 2015 23:19:55 GMT
If anyone has tips on how to harvest other flower or vegetable seeds please share with video or just explain it on the forum. I know that this year is my first year for harvesting a lot of different varieties of flowers. I am learning a lot by going on Youtube and finding out where to even find the seeds on some of these flowers! Last year I saved the petals of the Zinnias and not the seeds because I was confused at where the seeds were! I also let my Marigolds get wet in a storm and when I tried to dry them out it was already fall and the cold and damp weather was amongst us so the seeds I saved didn't germinate well. Lesson learned this year! ~Kim S&S Gardening Forum
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Post by SmartSeeds on Aug 14, 2015 21:22:00 GMT
Oh my, where do we start?
Every plant's main objective in life is to reproduce, so they DO want to make and disperse seeds. If you can figure out how the seeds are naturally dispersed (a bird eats a berry and carries it off, a dandelion seed blows away on the wind), you can usually 1. find the seeds 2. tell when they are ripe 3. figure out how to capture them.
Seeds are always where the flowers WERE. The flowers bloomed to attract pollinators, then fruit (or a pod) developed to persuade some critter to eat it. Flowers don't mature into seeds for several months, so they're rarely present when the blooms are. But you can take a picture of the blossoms or mark the plant, so when it's all crusty and seedy in fall, you'll remember why you wanted to collect those seeds.
Try to catch flower seeds just before they fall to earth or fly away. Collect them too early and they won't be mature (and won't make new plants). Too late and they're gone. You can tie net bags around certain seed pods so the seeds get captured. Many dried up flowers will release their seeds if you hang them upside down or collect them in a paper bag, (face down, so the seeds just fall out). Some will have to be collected a little every day, but this hunting expedition becomes quite addictive and is another good excuse to poke around in the garden. If you don't enjoy it, buy your seeds from someone who does. We all have our passions.
Vegetables should be over-ripe before you harvest the seeds. Leave a pumpkin or a few berries on the vine till they're way past gross. Open them up and you'll find robust happy seeds, nothing like the wimpy pale ones in fruit that we eat. Clean the seeds and dry them well before storing them for next season (or they may start to sprout).
Oops, this was supposed to be a Quick Reply. Consider it Seed Collecting 101. I'll be back.
Mia SmartSeeds
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Post by Admin on Aug 15, 2015 14:39:19 GMT
Hi Mia! Thank you for your seed collecting advice! Much appreciated The first year that I collected seeds (last year) was kind of difficult as I didn't do as much research and thought it was going to be easier than it was. I either waited too long to collect the seeds and they had blown away or the birds got them or I collected the wrong thing thinking it was the seed! This year I did a lot more looking on the internet to find out what part of the plant was the seed and how to collect it! I sure do have quite the on going collection of seeds from the garden this year including Zinnias! Who knew to turn them upside down and pull on the petals and wa lah! There the seeds are hiding! It is never a dull moment in the garden that is for sure! I love your tips, will put bags around some of the seed pods next year, much more time effective than going out each morning and snipping them all down! Look forward to seeing you more in our forum! Thanks for participating Kim
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