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Before there were seed companies, farmers and gardeners handed seed down from one generation to the next and carried seed to new homes as they immigrated from one continent to another. You can do the same.
A seed is a living, resting plant. It has the stem, leaves and root tip of a new plant, along with a food supply to keep it alive until the right conditions come along to make the seed break dormancy and begin to grow. Collect seed from healthy, superior plants, carefully dry the seed and store in a cool, dark, dry location and the seed will stay alive until you are ready to plant next year.
Most seed bearing plants have flowers that must be pollinated in order to form seed. Some plants such as peas, lettuce, snap beans, tomatoes and snapdragons are self pollinating. Plants are also pollinated by the wind and insects. A separation of 1/4 to 1 mile is necessary to keep varieties of these plants from cross pollinating. The easiest way to control pollination is by hand pollinating. Protect the pollinated flower with a bag or row cover or taping the flower closed.
Flowering plants fall into three categories- annuals, biennials and perennials. Annuals have flowers, produce seed in one season and die. Biennials form a root or a clump of foliage the first year and then produce flowers and seed the second year. Perennials overwinter and continue to grow and flower year after year. Perennials are usually propagated by division or cuttings although you certainly can save the seed. Rhubarb and asparagus are the most common perennial vegetables. Most root crops - beets, carrots, onions and turnips - are biennials. Hollyhocks, Cantebury bells, cabbage, celery, Swiss chard and kohlrabi are also biennial. Root crops are dug and stored over the winter and replanted in the spring. The second year they will bloom and produce seed. Flowers that are biennial are left in the ground and mulched for winter protection.
Check the seed packets and garden catalogs to make sure that you are saving seed from open pollinated varieties and not from a hybrid, a cross between two varieties. You will probably be disappointed in the results because the seed you plant will produce plants like one of the parents and not like the plant itself. Select seed to save from more than one plant and pick plants with some outstanding traits like the biggest or the best tasting or the first one to bear fruit. The easiest seeds to collect are the pods like peas and beans. Leave these on the vines until dry. Many plants ripen their seed from the bottom to the top and you'll have to harvest the seed over a period of time, collecting seed as it ripens but before the pod shatters. Wash "wet" seed from fruit, berries, squash or melons in water to separate the seed from the pulp. Dry the seed on a non-stick surface like plastic or waxed paper. Mix tomato seed and pulp with water and let ferment for 3 to 4 days. Mold will form and bubbles will rise to the surface. At this point, add more water. The good seed will sink to the bottom and the debris will float off the top. Dry the seed completely before storage.
Collecting, saving and sharing seeds will help prevent the extinction of many heirloom and environmentally threatened plants. Colorado State University is home to the National Seed Storage Laboratory, part of the federal government's National Plant Germplasm System. About 300,000 varieties are stored there. Botanical gardens and non-profit organizations like Seed Savers Exchange of Decorah, Iowa and Native Seeds/SEARCH of Tucson , Arizona work to find and preserve historic vegetables and flowers. Seed exchanges are also available in several gardening magazines.
For more information refer to Fact Sheet # 7.602 - Saving seed from the home garden.
Q: I bought some garlic at the store and some of the cloves have sprouted. Can I plant them?
A: Garlic is usually planted in the spring and harvested in the fall like onions. You can plant garlic now, though and mulch it after the ground has frozen to give it some winter protection. Divide the bulb into individual segments (cloves) before planting.
Q: Canada thistle seems to be taking over my garden . . . and maybe the world. Is there anything that I can do this time of year to control it?
A: Canada thistle is a perennial plant that is very difficult to control or eradicate. New shoots and roots can form almost anywhere along the root system. The key is to stress the plant repeatedly so it will use up its stored root nutrients. Mowing alone is effective only if conducted at one month intervals over several growing seasons. Herbicides can be effective, especially in the fall when the plant is still growing by taking nutrients into its root system. Read the labels carefully and follow the directions. For more information refer to Fact Sheet #3.108 - Canada Thistle.
Q: What is a Victory Garden?
A: In the 1940's the United States became involved in World War II. Meat and gasoline were being rationed and there was concern over the nation's food supply. We wanted to help the allied nations who had suffered so much devastation as well as the folks at home. Secretary of Agriculture Claude Wickard launched the National Victory Garden Program in 1941, one week after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Americans planted vegetable plots in vacant lots, back yards and flowerbeds. Their plantings changed from roses to radishes and perennials to peas. Every gardener took pride in helping the war effort. By 1943, there were more than 20 million victory gardeners, and when the war ended, they became gardeners for life.
Fall is the best time to get a handle on perennial weeds like bindweed. Herbicides applied at this time are carried to the roots of the plant along with the nutrients it is storing for next year.
Check out the new pansy named for the mopho butterfly. This pansy has pastel blue blossoms that will remind you of the butterfly's blue wings. A winner in the 2002 All American Selection Program, it should be available in garden centers next spring.
Spring blooming bulbs that are labeled for naturalizing will last year after year. "Species" bulbs will also increase over the years while the new hybrids with their unusual shapes and colors may decrease in size and number and lose their characteristics.
The authors have received training through Colorado State University Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener program and is a Master Gardener volunteer for Larimer County.
Fact Sheets are available at the Larimer County Extension Office, 1525 Blue Spruce Drive, Fort Collins, Colorado, telephone (970) 498-6000, or contact us by e-mail at larimer@coop.ext.colostate.edu
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