Free plants!

10/16/2003
Free plants!

Yes, millions of free plants are just waiting in your garden, wondering if you're going to throw them on the compost heap or let them grow to their full potential. I'm talking about all the seeds that are ripe for harvest right now, among your annuals and perennials, as well as in your herb garden, your potager, and even in your shrub borders.

Just as before we embarked on the grand adventure of gardening, we perhaps never really considered the origins of all those fruits and vegetables, just so, you may feel that seeds are things that come in colorful packets. Of course, seeds come from plants. And there's no reason you shouldn't save your own, both for your own use and for sharing with others. In fact, you'll soon discover seed-saving to become an all-consuming passion.

What's more, seed saving is a marvelous way to introduce children to gardening. It's a highly satisfying activity for children because all the steps involved are simple--well within the capabilities of any child. And in the process of saving seeds, your child will learn a lot of botany and biology, as well as many organizational skills. Artistic expression can be involved as well if you invite your child to decorate his or her own seed packets, create ornaments with surplus seeds, and so on. One thing is definite: any child who embarks on a seed-saving project will finish with a sense of accomplishment and a deepened perception of the natural world.

Most of us think of all those "dead" flower stalks as just a lot of garden rubbish to clean up and toss on the compost heap in the fall. But wait--that "debris" actually harbors millions of seeds just waiting to be gathered. Knowing when and how to do this is as easy as child's play.



The most important thing to seize the moment when the seeds are ripe, but before they are dispersed by natural means--by splitting or shattering of the pod, by wind, or by being eaten by birds. In the photo at right, the larkspur pods that are still green are not ready to be harvested. The pods that are tannish-brown are perfect for saving. However, if they were already split open, you would have missed the golden moment for seed-saving.

Some seeds are easy and obvious to harvest. They are relatively large and in well-defined, easy-to-open pods, like those of the larkspur above. Sweetpea seeds are another example of "obvious" seeds. However, other seeds are trickier to find and/or much, much tinier, sometimes verging on microscopic.



In general, the smaller the individual flower, the trickier it is to find the seed. Take a look at the stalks of hummingbird mint (Agastache cana) at left. Just where are the seeds? They're neither obvious nor easy to find, because they're very fine, and embedded in the tiny ovary of each dried blossom. The same is true for the basil seed heads seen at right.



The best way to harvest these is to cut the stems and let them air dry completely. Then rub the dried blossoms off the stems with your fingers. Make sure you do this over a sheet of paper. I like to use sheets of baking parchment, because its nonstick surface makes transferring the seeds into a container easier.

After you rub off the dried blossoms, look carefully at what you have. You'll notice a mixture of tiny seeds, and quite a lot of chaff, or dried flower debris. " Aha!," you're thinking, as the origin of the expression "separating the wheat from the chaff" dawns on you in a very graphic way. For home gardening purposes, there's no need to separate the seeds and chaff in this case. However, if you desire "cleaner" seed, or plan on trading the seed in an exchange, you'll want to try to separate the seeds from the surrounding debris. Do this with a sieve or strainer. A kitchen strainer of normal gauge is sufficient for most seeds. Toss the seed-debris mixture up and down gently in the strainer, catching the fine seed on a sheet of paper below.



Some seed, like that of dill and fennel (photo left), is rather firmly attached to the pedicels, or flower stemlets. Free it by rubbing the seedheads gently between your hands.

Variations on this process are all you need to master for most of your seed-saving. Sometimes, such as in the case of foxglove or St. Johnswort (Hypericum spp.), you'll need to forcefully break the hard seed capsules to release the seed. You can do this with your fingers, or--this is a handy trick--roll the capsules under a rolling pin to crush them.

Finally, you need to store seeds under the dryest, coolest conditions possible. Before you store them, make sure they're absolutely dry! Pack the seed in small manila envelopes--sometimes called "key" envelopes, and label it carefully with the species and date. If you have a child involved in this project, this is the time to invite him or her to decorate the packets. Colored pencils work best because of the limited space on the packets.



If possible, get hold of some silica gel from a craft store, or simply save the silica gel packets that are in the bottom of vitamin jars and other products which need to be kept dry. Dry the gel in a low oven for about half an hour. Place it in the bottom of a jar big enough to accommocate your seed packets, fill with packets, and screw the lid down tight. Now store the jar in the freezer until you're ready to start planting. Note: Once you start opening the jar to retrieve seeds, it's better to store it outside the freezer. Everytime you remove the cold jar from the freezer and open it, water will condense inside, which is bad for seeds.

That said, all but the most fragile seed (meaning, seed which doesn't remain viable very long, such as helleborus seed) will keep perfectly well stored in the packets in a cool, dry place at room temperature.

While you're gathering and preparing your seeds, don't forget to admire them. That's right--admire the incredible variety in the forms and colors of both the seeds and their capsules, or containers. It won't take long before you realize that many seed capsules make fantastic material for dried arrangements. Your kids will immediately grasp the beauty of seeds, especially if you supply them with a 10x hand lens. You can expand on the experience by going seed-foraging in a forest or meadow. You'll likely find seed pods that will look wonderful piled in a basket as an autumnal decoration.



If you find you're really bitten by the seed-saving bug, become a member of Seed Savers Exchange (see info below). This extraordinary organization is a network of people just like you who are impassioned about preserving biodiversity. Even if you don't have seeds to exchange, it's worth joining just to be able to order from their extraordinary catalogues (there are 8) of members' seeds. There are even foreign chapters for expats like me.

Seed Savers Exchange
3076 North Winn Road
Decorah, IA 52101
http://www.seedsavers.org

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Products of Interest:
Wireware vasque
French wooden sieve

Harvest basket--natural green willow