I’ve had great success over the years saving tomato seed simply by squeezing the seed onto paper towel and let that dry. Once the sheet of towel is completely dry I simply separate the towel into one layer and label and save. Next planting season I pull off a few bits of towel with the number of seeds I want. The germination rate is quite good. Perhaps the drying seed towels do ferment as they dry, but regardless this works and is very simple.
Hi, I'm already setting seeds on one runner plant. The rest still flowering. Thank you for your uploads, I've followed you closely this year, doing your step by steps, and not only have I had success on the patch and greenhouse, my mental health has benefitted hugely. Thank you!!!!!!
Yep dining room table is full 😂 already, happy saving. I use paper plates to dry them as I can write on the plates. It’s so wet here I’ll have to wait a few days for things to dry again, Ali ☔️☔️🇨🇦
Storing seeds also helps preserve heirloom varieties, which is particularly important for varieties from marginalised groups (eg Native American corn and bean varieties). Personally I do like letting a couple of brassica plants flower, partly just for pollinators as they love the flowers but also because the flower shoots are delicious - just like sprouting broccoli! Kale and rocket/arugula flower shoots are so good stir-fried like choy sum or sprouting broccoli.
What timing! I've just started focusing on saving seeds from my harvests. I also consider beans beautiful, but I see beautiful symmetry and perfection everywhere in God's creation.
Seed saving is one of my favourite garden activities! This year I've already harvested seeds from mache, green onions, lettuce, arugula, snow peas, and a few different wildflowers. I also scattered some of them in the garden to germinate and grow now, and they're already coming up nicely. I didn't necessarily mean to let so many arugula seeds fall, but it's been nice to 'weed' and collect some young arugula for my meals whenever I like!
I have been saving tomato, cucumber, and pepper seeds. Also save my flower seeds and share them Hollyhocks, 4 oclocks, poppies, etc. So easy and it helps keep the massive seed producing ones like poppies under control.
This is my job over the next week or so-we're moving, so I've been pulling seeds from all my peppers and basil and whatnot in hopes that we can keep the line going in our new place!
I have plenty of seeds for right now. Will save in the future when needed. For seed storage I have my flowers in an airtight storage box and the bigger seed envelopes and branded seed packets I have in pencil cases in a locking lid storage tote. I really enjoy your videos and seeing precious little Rosie.
I saved pumpkin seed last harvest; it was a bit of an afterthought but so glad I did. Your channel is one of my favorites, so if you're ever across the pond please stay away from large cities as they can be less safe than Tower Hamlets.
First of, I agree, beans are wonderful! The Fabaceae family has some of my favourite diaspores; the shapes, colours and patterns are pretty. I am not a gardener (yet) but an archaeobotanist and I collect seeds and fruit for an reference collection. This video is a wonderful guide. Happen to be fermenting elderberry at this moment.
top tip: if you put tomato seeds on a sheet of kitchen towel you can use your thumb to push into the paper and then drag the seeds across the surface of the paper - this detaches the wet mush really well leaving you with clean seeds and no need to soak as you did. Youre welcome!
I place the seeds on cardboard on a sunny windowsill the gel will stick to the cardboard and I gently flick the seed out with a sharp implement. I wash the seeds in a tea strainer under gentle flowing cold water then place them on a porcelain plate back on the sunny windowsill for about a week or so until he seeds are dry.
Howdy, Ben and adorable Rosie!👋 Great topic and video.👍 I fell in love with saving seeds a few years ago! It is so much fun.😃 For my fall popcorn planting, I planted seeds I saved in 2021. I got 100% germination! 🙃 That shocked me and gave me a lot of seedlings to share.👩🏾🌾💕
for a lot of my crops I use a dedicated area for growing plants to allow to go to seed this frees up the space if I need to dig over. This is especially pertinent to over wintering plants. I grow lots of runner beans for the seeds which I then use in stews etc. I have recently bought a flour/seed mill and I have recently ground up some broad beans to make bread. Hopefully gluten free.
Love your videos. I use saved seeds my brother gave me from Silver Queen and yellow tomatoes this year. The corn and tomatoes were delicious. I'm saving seeds from the garden this year for next year. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
First time saving seeds this year! Saving broad beans and peas now, squash and courgette later on, and hopefully leek next year! Thanks for all your videos, I've found them incredibly helpful. You inspired me to make a pumpkin/ squash patch which has taken over my allotment!
There are quite a few genus of squash and they have to be from the same genus toncross pollinate. So its always nice to check which genusbots from before planting if you want more than 1 type of squash. Helpful info 😁
GREAT episode! Funny that you did it as I just got the biggest kick out of havesting dill steeds from plants that I’d let bolt for the insecten. SO cool to harvest your own seeds 😊 My Sweet peas this year were from last year’s seeds. Love this UA-cam channel. Learning LOTS as a new gardner👍👋
Thank you so much. Will definitely try saving tomato runner and broad beans. May even be adventurous and save a few onions to grow and save seeds next year
Ty so much for this video!! You are very knowledgeable! Also informative!! I have to do container gardening and would love to see some videos for them. Your fur baby is adorable!
In the past couple of years I've taken to storing seeds from the wildflowers I planted from seed and then replanting them. Wait until they start to dry up and shake the flower heads. I end up with more seeds than I started with! But it works. So satisfying. I've also been growing some seeds from a couple of chilli pods the brother in law gave me at the start of the year. I only got around to planting the seeds late June, but now they have produced loads of plants. I doubt they will fruit this year, but I'm hoping they survive - most are indoors - and will produce peppers next year.
Just yesterday harvested the seeds of my beans, tagetes, dill, echinacea and Achillea filipendulina. I still plan on saving some okra and cucumber seeds.
great info and great to know how it's done....but supporting and buying from seed suppliers, esp local ones, is so important! Including that info would have made your great vid, an excellent one.
@@magspies I’m doing both, getting seeds at a good price is important. The expensive seeds I save. That way there is both. This also helps to know how to save seed incase something drastic in the world happens and can’t get seeds or something. Always good to know how to do things even if you don’t practice every time.
@@cherylhowker1792 for sure! it's always good to know 'how', even to appreciate the work gone into the seeds we buy. I do a mix too. but a lot of folks don't have the time and/or space involved in saving seeds...that why I think it's important to highlight 'it's ok to buy'....and actually, if we don't buy from local/regional specialists, they won't exist for very long!
@@cherylhowker1792 for sure. it's always good to know 'how', even to appreciate the work gone into the seeds we buy. I do a mix too. but a lot of folks don't have the time and/or space involved in saving seeds...that why I think it's important to highlight 'it's ok to buy'....and actually, if we don't buy from local/regional specialists, they won't exist for very long.
Great video and somewhat serendipitous as I’ve decided to save seeds this year for the first time. I’ve got some lovely Ragged Jack kale seeds, cos lettuce and potentially some parsley and rhubarb chard. Very satisfying - and really appreciate the tomato seed advice - a little fermentation doesn’t seem like a lot of work 😄👍
I'v beein happily harvisting my cantilops which this spring was my 1st try at planting . I was a bit worrid since i just bught a cantilop at the grocery last summer but all is good , so far i'v harvested 4 big cantilops Tomatos , cellery, pepper ,etc. Harvesting -done 1 was hoping for this tutorial Thank you very much .
😅as soon as I was wondering if the pole and bush beans might have crossed you mentioned it. I think I might be safe to keep the purple pole beans as the bush are about done and if I wait a bit and leave the last to ripen I should be ok. It’s sweltering hot in WI so I’m stuck inside. Crazy jet stream has set us up with 100*F and real feel of 114*F. Dew points are 77 and one more day till it moves on. Had to get shade fabric out and hope the fall veg is not affected. Those were Huge beans!
Hello dear GrowVeg ! could I bother you with a question: which peppers are you showing at @4:36. I have very similar ones but i never knew what they were ! tyvm !
I keep mine in an ammo can with rubber gasket seals with a large silica pack to absorb all the moisture from the seeds. Should store for many many years.
This year I didn't pay as much attention to the garden as past years. Instead we are establishing a meadow on our property. Two ten meters by ten meters near the barn if perennial wild flowers one with annuals ( zinnias). One stretch by the road is about 8 meters by 30 meters of tithonia, cosmos and sunflowers. On the north side I put in a 20 meter by 90 stretch of mixed wildflowers native to our area, tithonia and sunflowers. Tithonia is what we're mainly saving as the bird's love the cosmo seeds even more than the sunflower and the tithonia is a favorite of the monarch butterfly. I harvest them by putting the very dry pods in a 5 gallon bucket and beat the insides with a heavy sticks to break the pods and the seeds fall to the bottom. It's a good thing Cosmo seeds are cheap. Tithonia can be stored in ood all winter easily. Last year all I did was throw them whole into card board boxes and left them in the Barn. It rarely gets below 0° F here and the barn stays dry. I'll need every seeds we can save as next spring I'm planting 100X100 meter section with black seed sunflowers ( super easy) and tithonia.
@@GrowVegthank you I take naps in a chaise lounge under the larger stands of sunflowers. The flowers keep the creatures that eat mosquitoes around so there's been very few mosquito bites a few spiders one hornet but single digit mosquito bites for aal in the household. I'm looking forward to next year. We have buckwheat as well but I want a large section of it as well as amaranth. Fingers crossed.
I planted dill once on purpose 4 years ago and continually get 'surprise' dill all over the place! To curb this, I'm collecting all the flower heads once they start to die. There is an ugly ditch between my property and a business next door so I'll add the dill seeds to the native grass seed I've ordered. It might take a couple years but it should turn out beautifully.
Not yet. But to overwinter just protect the crowns of plants for very hard frosts and they should come through the winter fine to flower the following spring/summer.
Thanks for all of the great info on cross-pollinating.. that explains what happened to my peppers this year. Fortunately, I never throw out my previous season’s seeds until I confirm the germination of my newly saved seeds. HI ROSIE! (P.S. Can you do a video on how to make hot sauce? I’ve got a bunch of datil peppers waiting to be harvested!)
You are amazing for all the work you do to share your knowledge and experiences via YT. For the last year plus, I have learned, and continue to learn, SO much from you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
This was really helpful, but I was surprised how short the life is on stored seeds. I've got a lot in envelopes, in a box, in a cool dark cupboard that have been in there at least a year already - I didn't realise I'd need to get them sown so soon.
How long seeds last for does vary a lot and you may find that seeds last a lot longer in optimal storage conditions. The times given in the video err on the cautious side.
I have already saved Broadbean, tomato and mangetout seeds, I have a carrot that has gone to seed so I’m waiting until the flowers are finished and then I’ll save those. I also have beetroot that is going to seed so I plan to save those and of course I always save runner bean seeds I don’t think I’m going to be able to save any pepper seeds this year as none have ripened so far, weather has been too crap
Excellent video, as always. After a slow start with only a handful here and there, my runners have suddenly taken off and are racing for the finish line! I did a bit of googling and one source said that after drying out the beans you can thoroughly cook and eat them in the same way as kidney and other beans. It would be a good way of using up the excess. Have you come across this?
what's the best way of knowing what plants to plant together? I am trying to communion plant, but I didn't realise about squash and cucumber, I think you said not working well together. Appreciate the info as always.
There are many companion planting combinations. This article offers a good introduction to this. You could also try a free trial of our Garden Planner to view recommended combinations using the Companion Planting feature. www.growveg.co.uk/guides/companion-planting-made-simple/
I didn't know that beans could cross pollinate or that different squash could either. I have squashes and pumpkins and courgettes all growing in the same bed - will I get strange fruit or just seeds that give me strange fruit if I plant them? I am going to keep an eye on my plants. I am also interested about what is so bad about cross pollination - would the fruits of these still be edible? Maybe I shall have to do a bit of seeing what happens. . . Thanks for the video it really made me think.
What’s growing now is fine, it’s if you want to save seeds that those seeds may not be the same, as it may be that the pollen to make the seeds is from 2 different plants. Unless you are hand pollinated everything.
Each species of squash will cross pollinate within their species. For example Cucurbita pepo will not cross with C. maxima or C. moschata. Flowers can be cross pollinated by plants up to 500m away. Fruits of cross pollination are not affected but the seeds contained in those fruits may be hybrids of the two (or more) crosses. Of course seeds collected from hybrid plants will not run true to their type. C. maxima family includes most pumpkin, all buttercup, marrow, pink banana, hubbard, candy roaster, Lakota, kobocha, Hokkaido, Red Kuri and turban. Many pumpkins are not intended for human consumption - they are used for carving halloween lanterns. These types may contain elevated levels of the toxic steroid cucurbitacin which can be introduced into a crossed squash seed. Cucurbitacin is commonly found in heritage type cucumbers such as Straight 8 which can sometimes show as a horrible bitter flavour in the cucumber skin. It is not as prevalent in the so-called 'burpless' types. Saving seeds from open-pollinated squash types can be risky unless female flowers are isolated from random pollination as demonstrated in this video.
I left the flower heads from a few shallots lying in the garden after harvesting...now coming into spring in NZ I have lots of little seedlings coming up. Will they grow shallots and if yes, do i dig up and spread out or just thin them?
Where do get the smaller envelopes? Also, can I over winter basil or would it just be better to propagate. I live in the Central Valley in California. Zone 9b.
Thanks for your kind words. I’ve never done specifically landrace gardening, but by saving your own seeds you can, over time, create cultivars best suited to your own microclimate and soil.
I’ve heard this happens, that the seeds you save will become used to the weather in your garden not just the area but the garden. I don’t know how true as haven’t saved before as new to gardening but I’ve heard UA-cam channels say this and that’s why they do it with some seeds but not others.
I have a lot of seeds that I always save. It turns out that there is a problem, possibly due to ecocide, and that is that the pumpkins did not produce anything. I suppose it is due to lack of pollination + copious rains + lack of sun + ...????? I use the paper from flour packets or other foods bought in the local store to make the envelopes for the seeds...after all...there are no guarantees that the seeds from the fruits I buy in the supermarket will be useful...The seeds I get from the arugula are always very useful but they are going wild. I need more botanical genetics...or buy seeds from experts...Cheers!
I got 4 big yellow cucumber seeds this spring, all of them sprouted and have produced quite a few cucumbers this summer. When I tried saving seeds from these, I couldn't find any... The variety is called Saturn F1. I suspect the F1 has something to do with it, or am I just doing it wrong?
You left out that pepper seeds can only be fertile if saved from a ripe pepper. An example would be saving from a red jalepeno. A green one isn't ripe and the seeds wouldn't germinate.
It might be attending something like a seed swap way you can pick up seeds very cheaply or even for free. Also worth making friends with other gardeners to see if they have any seeds to spare or can save you some seeds from their plants. :-)
I was letting one of my squash go full term to save the seeds and this year I got free pumpkin seeds from the state agriculture department and planted them right next to them. shoot.
I’ve had great success over the years saving tomato seed simply by squeezing the seed onto paper towel and let that dry. Once the sheet of towel is completely dry I simply separate the towel into one layer and label and save. Next planting season I pull off a few bits of towel with the number of seeds I want. The germination rate is quite good. Perhaps the drying seed towels do ferment as they dry, but regardless this works and is very simple.
Oh I love that tip!
That's how we do so it too. Works a treat!
Great fuss free method. Just discovered this by accident and will be using it going forward. Germination was great!
Hi, I'm already setting seeds on one runner plant. The rest still flowering.
Thank you for your uploads, I've followed you closely this year, doing your step by steps, and not only have I had success on the patch and greenhouse, my mental health has benefitted hugely. Thank you!!!!!!
So delighted to read this. Gardening is so good for us on so many levels.
Yep dining room table is full 😂 already, happy saving. I use paper plates to dry them as I can write on the plates. It’s so wet here I’ll have to wait a few days for things to dry again, Ali ☔️☔️🇨🇦
Storing seeds also helps preserve heirloom varieties, which is particularly important for varieties from marginalised groups (eg Native American corn and bean varieties). Personally I do like letting a couple of brassica plants flower, partly just for pollinators as they love the flowers but also because the flower shoots are delicious - just like sprouting broccoli! Kale and rocket/arugula flower shoots are so good stir-fried like choy sum or sprouting broccoli.
What timing! I've just started focusing on saving seeds from my harvests. I also consider beans beautiful, but I see beautiful symmetry and perfection everywhere in God's creation.
Seed saving is one of my favourite garden activities! This year I've already harvested seeds from mache, green onions, lettuce, arugula, snow peas, and a few different wildflowers. I also scattered some of them in the garden to germinate and grow now, and they're already coming up nicely.
I didn't necessarily mean to let so many arugula seeds fall, but it's been nice to 'weed' and collect some young arugula for my meals whenever I like!
I have been saving tomato, cucumber, and pepper seeds. Also save my flower seeds and share them Hollyhocks, 4 oclocks, poppies, etc. So easy and it helps keep the massive seed producing ones like poppies under control.
This is my job over the next week or so-we're moving, so I've been pulling seeds from all my peppers and basil and whatnot in hopes that we can keep the line going in our new place!
Best of luck!!
The birbs and tree badgers store a lot of new sunflowers for me each year
Tree badgers…. Hahaha ❣️
What’s a tree badger?
Exactly what I've been meaning to look up but always forgot to do so. Thank you sir!
I have plenty of seeds for right now. Will save in the future when needed. For seed storage I have my flowers in an airtight storage box and the bigger seed envelopes and branded seed packets I have in pencil cases in a locking lid storage tote. I really enjoy your videos and seeing precious little Rosie.
This is a good video on seed saving. Thank you.
I saved pumpkin seed last harvest; it was a bit of an afterthought but so glad I did. Your channel is one of my favorites, so if you're ever across the pond please stay away from large cities as they can be less safe than Tower Hamlets.
First of, I agree, beans are wonderful! The Fabaceae family has some of my favourite diaspores; the shapes, colours and patterns are pretty. I am not a gardener (yet) but an archaeobotanist and I collect seeds and fruit for an reference collection. This video is a wonderful guide. Happen to be fermenting elderberry at this moment.
What a fantastic service you are providing. This is so important.
top tip: if you put tomato seeds on a sheet of kitchen towel you can use your thumb to push into the paper and then drag the seeds across the surface of the paper - this detaches the wet mush really well leaving you with clean seeds and no need to soak as you did. Youre welcome!
I do the same. You can also tear off bits of the towel to plant them Works great
Great tips ! Thank you ❤
I place the seeds on cardboard on a sunny windowsill the gel will stick to the cardboard and I gently flick the seed out with a sharp implement. I wash the seeds in a tea strainer under gentle flowing cold water then place them on a porcelain plate back on the sunny windowsill for about a week or so until he seeds are dry.
Great suggestion! 😀
I have been seed saving today. Peppers and tomatoes for me.good idea for the squash.🎉🎉
Howdy, Ben and adorable Rosie!👋
Great topic and video.👍
I fell in love with saving seeds a few years ago! It is so much fun.😃
For my fall popcorn planting, I planted seeds I saved in 2021. I got 100% germination! 🙃 That shocked me and gave me a lot of seedlings to share.👩🏾🌾💕
Saving corn seeds also helps so much with preserving heirloom varieties, especially Native American heirlooms which are often endangered.
That’s a fantastic germination rate - well done! 😀
@@GrowVeg 😊
Another great video class, thank you so much 👍
Thank you, GrowVeg
Great resource. Been wanting a brief primer on this topic and this video scratched that exact itch. Appreciate you Ben!
for a lot of my crops I use a dedicated area for growing plants to allow to go to seed this frees up the space if I need to dig over. This is especially pertinent to over wintering plants. I grow lots of runner beans for the seeds which I then use in stews etc. I have recently bought a flour/seed mill and I have recently ground up some broad beans to make bread. Hopefully gluten free.
Love your videos. I use saved seeds my brother gave me from Silver Queen and yellow tomatoes this year. The corn and tomatoes were delicious. I'm saving seeds from the garden this year for next year. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I love this channel❤❤
Very interesting I'll be saving more seeds now after watching this video thanks x
First time saving seeds this year! Saving broad beans and peas now, squash and courgette later on, and hopefully leek next year! Thanks for all your videos, I've found them incredibly helpful. You inspired me to make a pumpkin/ squash patch which has taken over my allotment!
There are quite a few genus of squash and they have to be from the same genus toncross pollinate. So its always nice to check which genusbots from before planting if you want more than 1 type of squash. Helpful info 😁
Another interesting video thanks Ben and Rosie ❤
I'm saving marigolds, cosmos, nasturtium, tomato, and calendula so far! Love seed saving
GREAT episode! Funny that you did it as I just got the biggest kick out of havesting dill steeds from plants that I’d let bolt for the insecten. SO cool to harvest your own seeds 😊 My Sweet peas this year were from last year’s seeds. Love this UA-cam channel. Learning LOTS as a new gardner👍👋
So pleased you're learning plenty. Harvesting your own seeds is incredibly satisfying. :-)
Great video and I learned new things. Thanks Ben!
Thanks Ben,always love your informative videos.God bless you and yours❣️❣️
Thank you so much. Will definitely try saving tomato runner and broad beans. May even be adventurous and save a few onions to grow and save seeds next year
Enjoyable video. You make seed saving look quite doable.
Hi happy to see you doing work keep it up okay ❤
Will do! 😀
Great tutorial thank you!
Will be saving tomato, pepper, squash/pumpkin milkweed and lettuce seeds
Ty so much for this video!! You are very knowledgeable! Also informative!! I have to do container gardening and would love to see some videos for them. Your fur baby is adorable!
Great content. Thank you❤
In the past couple of years I've taken to storing seeds from the wildflowers I planted from seed and then replanting them. Wait until they start to dry up and shake the flower heads. I end up with more seeds than I started with! But it works. So satisfying.
I've also been growing some seeds from a couple of chilli pods the brother in law gave me at the start of the year. I only got around to planting the seeds late June, but now they have produced loads of plants. I doubt they will fruit this year, but I'm hoping they survive - most are indoors - and will produce peppers next year.
Another excellent and hugely informative video. thank you so much.
Another classy video, keep up the good work.
brilliant informative video - very timely Thanks so Much!
Just yesterday harvested the seeds of my beans, tagetes, dill, echinacea and Achillea filipendulina. I still plan on saving some okra and cucumber seeds.
Thanks for sharing dear friend
great info and great to know how it's done....but supporting and buying from seed suppliers, esp local ones, is so important! Including that info would have made your great vid, an excellent one.
@@magspies I’m doing both, getting seeds at a good price is important. The expensive seeds I save. That way there is both.
This also helps to know how to save seed incase something drastic in the world happens and can’t get seeds or something. Always good to know how to do things even if you don’t practice every time.
@@cherylhowker1792 for sure! it's always good to know 'how', even to appreciate the work gone into the seeds we buy. I do a mix too.
but a lot of folks don't have the time and/or space involved in saving seeds...that why I think it's important to highlight 'it's ok to buy'....and actually, if we don't buy from local/regional specialists, they won't exist for very long!
@@cherylhowker1792 for sure. it's always good to know 'how', even to appreciate the work gone into the seeds we buy. I do a mix too.
but a lot of folks don't have the time and/or space involved in saving seeds...that why I think it's important to highlight 'it's ok to buy'....and actually, if we don't buy from local/regional specialists, they won't exist for very long.
Great video and somewhat serendipitous as I’ve decided to save seeds this year for the first time. I’ve got some lovely Ragged Jack kale seeds, cos lettuce and potentially some parsley and rhubarb chard. Very satisfying - and really appreciate the tomato seed advice - a little fermentation doesn’t seem like a lot of work 😄👍
I'v beein happily harvisting my cantilops which this spring was my 1st try at planting . I was a bit worrid since i just bught a cantilop at the grocery last summer but all is good , so far i'v harvested 4 big cantilops
Tomatos , cellery, pepper ,etc. Harvesting -done
1 was hoping for this tutorial Thank you very much .
That’s a great result!
Very well presented.
Thank you Ben I’m glad you’re doing this, do you plant them all after you collect them, take care 😊👩🌾👍👍
😅as soon as I was wondering if the pole and bush beans might have crossed you mentioned it. I think I might be safe to keep the purple pole beans as the bush are about done and if I wait a bit and leave the last to ripen I should be ok.
It’s sweltering hot in WI so I’m stuck inside. Crazy jet stream has set us up with 100*F and real feel of 114*F. Dew points are 77 and one more day till it moves on. Had to get shade fabric out and hope the fall veg is not affected.
Those were Huge beans!
Thank you from So Cal! Love your videos❤.
Thank you Mr Ben : )
Hello dear GrowVeg ! could I bother you with a question: which peppers are you showing at @4:36. I have very similar ones but i never knew what they were ! tyvm !
That is a photo from some years ago - possibly even a photo library photo - so I’m really sorry, but I’m not sure what variety it is.
Great vid - very interesting.
I keep mine in an ammo can with rubber gasket seals with a large silica pack to absorb all the moisture from the seeds. Should store for many many years.
Great storage solution. 😀
This year I didn't pay as much attention to the garden as past years. Instead we are establishing a meadow on our property. Two ten meters by ten meters near the barn if perennial wild flowers one with annuals ( zinnias).
One stretch by the road is about 8 meters by 30 meters of tithonia, cosmos and sunflowers. On the north side I put in a 20 meter by 90 stretch of mixed wildflowers native to our area, tithonia and sunflowers.
Tithonia is what we're mainly saving as the bird's love the cosmo seeds even more than the sunflower and the tithonia is a favorite of the monarch butterfly. I harvest them by putting the very dry pods in a 5 gallon bucket and beat the insides with a heavy sticks to break the pods and the seeds fall to the bottom. It's a good thing Cosmo seeds are cheap. Tithonia can be stored in ood all winter easily. Last year all I did was throw them whole into card board boxes and left them in the Barn. It rarely gets below 0° F here and the barn stays dry.
I'll need every seeds we can save as next spring I'm planting 100X100 meter section with black seed sunflowers ( super easy) and tithonia.
I bet your property looks absolutely stunning with all those wildflowers. How lovely! :-)
@@GrowVegthank you I take naps in a chaise lounge under the larger stands of sunflowers. The flowers keep the creatures that eat mosquitoes around so there's been very few mosquito bites a few spiders one hornet but single digit mosquito bites for aal in the household. I'm looking forward to next year. We have buckwheat as well but I want a large section of it as well as amaranth. Fingers crossed.
Thank you
I planted dill once on purpose 4 years ago and continually get 'surprise' dill all over the place! To curb this, I'm collecting all the flower heads once they start to die. There is an ugly ditch between my property and a business next door so I'll add the dill seeds to the native grass seed I've ordered. It might take a couple years but it should turn out beautifully.
I’m sure it will. 😀
10:00 is there a video showing how to overwinter 2nd year seeders?
Not yet. But to overwinter just protect the crowns of plants for very hard frosts and they should come through the winter fine to flower the following spring/summer.
Rosie!!❤❤❤❤
Great information!
Thanks for all of the great info on cross-pollinating.. that explains what happened to my peppers this year. Fortunately, I never throw out my previous season’s seeds until I confirm the germination of my newly saved seeds. HI ROSIE! (P.S. Can you do a video on how to make hot sauce? I’ve got a bunch of datil peppers waiting to be harvested!)
Would love to include a recipe on hot chilli sauce on my next chilli video, great idea! 😀
Very interesting video
thank you😍🙈💖💕
8:27 - "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'round The Old Little Pumpkin"??
You are amazing for all the work you do to share your knowledge and experiences via YT. For the last year plus, I have learned, and continue to learn, SO much from you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
That’s so kind of you to say. Thank you for watching. 😀
This was really helpful, but I was surprised how short the life is on stored seeds.
I've got a lot in envelopes, in a box, in a cool dark cupboard that have been in there at least a year already - I didn't realise I'd need to get them sown so soon.
Doesn’t it depend on the type of seed? I’ve got some going on 8 or 9 years that are still germinating for me; no refrigerator or freezer.
How long seeds last for does vary a lot and you may find that seeds last a lot longer in optimal storage conditions. The times given in the video err on the cautious side.
Several seeds I will be saving especially butter beans. Can you also save the seeds from supermarket veg like peppers etc Ben? Thanks
Yes indeed you could, assuming the fruits are fully ripe.
@@GrowVeg Thank you.
I have already saved Broadbean, tomato and mangetout seeds, I have a carrot that has gone to seed so I’m waiting until the flowers are finished and then I’ll save those. I also have beetroot that is going to seed so I plan to save those and of course I always save runner bean seeds I don’t think I’m going to be able to save any pepper seeds this year as none have ripened so far, weather has been too crap
I did pumpkins once, the next year, they came out as a cross between a courgette shape, pumpkin colour
Excellent video, as always.
After a slow start with only a handful here and there, my runners have suddenly taken off and are racing for the finish line! I did a bit of googling and one source said that after drying out the beans you can thoroughly cook and eat them in the same way as kidney and other beans. It would be a good way of using up the excess. Have you come across this?
We grow climbing beans like Greek Gigantes and White Lady, just for the beans inside, to shell and dry. I think they are both runner beans.
@@marymcandrew7667 Thank you, appreciated.. I shall look forward to bulking out stews with them over the winter!
Yes indeed, you can definitely do this. 😀
@@GrowVeg Thank for further confirmation, Ben. Much appreciated 👍
keep up😊
What do you use for audio? It sounds great
Thanks for the kind words. We use a Rode wirelss mic system.
what's the best way of knowing what plants to plant together? I am trying to communion plant, but I didn't realise about squash and cucumber, I think you said not working well together. Appreciate the info as always.
There are many companion planting combinations. This article offers a good introduction to this. You could also try a free trial of our Garden Planner to view recommended combinations using the Companion Planting feature. www.growveg.co.uk/guides/companion-planting-made-simple/
Thanks so much! :D
I didn't know that beans could cross pollinate or that different squash could either. I have squashes and pumpkins and courgettes all growing in the same bed - will I get strange fruit or just seeds that give me strange fruit if I plant them? I am going to keep an eye on my plants.
I am also interested about what is so bad about cross pollination - would the fruits of these still be edible? Maybe I shall have to do a bit of seeing what happens. . .
Thanks for the video it really made me think.
What’s growing now is fine, it’s if you want to save seeds that those seeds may not be the same, as it may be that the pollen to make the seeds is from 2 different plants. Unless you are hand pollinated everything.
@@cherylhowker1792 Ok, thank you for that.
Each species of squash will cross pollinate within their species. For example Cucurbita pepo will not cross with C. maxima or C. moschata. Flowers can be cross pollinated by plants up to 500m away. Fruits of cross pollination are not affected but the seeds contained in those fruits may be hybrids of the two (or more) crosses. Of course seeds collected from hybrid plants will not run true to their type.
C. maxima family includes most pumpkin, all buttercup, marrow, pink banana, hubbard, candy roaster, Lakota, kobocha, Hokkaido, Red Kuri and turban. Many pumpkins are not intended for human consumption - they are used for carving halloween lanterns. These types may contain elevated levels of the toxic steroid cucurbitacin which can be introduced into a crossed squash seed. Cucurbitacin is commonly found in heritage type cucumbers such as Straight 8 which can sometimes show as a horrible bitter flavour in the cucumber skin. It is not as prevalent in the so-called 'burpless' types.
Saving seeds from open-pollinated squash types can be risky unless female flowers are isolated from random pollination as demonstrated in this video.
I left the flower heads from a few shallots lying in the garden after harvesting...now coming into spring in NZ I have lots of little seedlings coming up. Will they grow shallots and if yes, do i dig up and spread out or just thin them?
Yes, they would eventually grow into shallots. I would look to thin or transplant them to give them enough space.
Awesome thank you 😄
Where do get the smaller envelopes? Also, can I over winter basil or would it just be better to propagate. I live in the Central Valley in California. Zone 9b.
I would just start fresh basil each season. The smaller envelopes I bought locally but I imagine they’d be widely available.
Thank you so much!! I will do a search for those envelopes or maybe even make my own. 😊
Quick question, you said fava beans cross with climbing beans. Do they cross with bush beans? Do climbing beans cross with bush beans?
In theory bush and climbing beans could cross-pollinate, but this is unlikely in practice. Fava beans can cross with each other.
Have you ever played around with landrace gardening?
Thanks for your kind words. I’ve never done specifically landrace gardening, but by saving your own seeds you can, over time, create cultivars best suited to your own microclimate and soil.
I'm a seed saver 😊 I'm hoping that as I save seeds each year the plants will become more suited to our harsh climate. Any thoughts on that?
I’ve heard this happens, that the seeds you save will become used to the weather in your garden not just the area but the garden. I don’t know how true as haven’t saved before as new to gardening but I’ve heard UA-cam channels say this and that’s why they do it with some seeds but not others.
@cherylhowker1792 very interesting.
Yes, saved seeds will, over time, become better suited to your specific microclimate and soil conditions.
I have a lot of seeds that I always save. It turns out that there is a problem, possibly due to ecocide, and that is that the pumpkins did not produce anything. I suppose it is due to lack of pollination + copious rains + lack of sun + ...?????
I use the paper from flour packets or other foods bought in the local store to make the envelopes for the seeds...after all...there are no guarantees that the seeds from the fruits I buy in the supermarket will be useful...The seeds I get from the arugula are always very useful but they are going wild. I need more botanical genetics...or buy seeds from experts...Cheers!
Is cross pollination a concern with all beans?
It’s just fava/broad beans that this is a concern with.
Anyone know what breed little Rosie is?
She is a cockapoo x
I got 4 big yellow cucumber seeds this spring, all of them sprouted and have produced quite a few cucumbers this summer. When I tried saving seeds from these, I couldn't find any... The variety is called Saturn F1. I suspect the F1 has something to do with it, or am I just doing it wrong?
Yes, F1 means hybrid, which means seeds saved from these fruits are less reliable and unlikely to come true to type.
You didnt talk about your seeds shop? where i can find it?
We don’t sell seeds/have a shop I’m afraid.
tip if you roll tomato seeds on a paper it will remove the polp
Great tip, thank you so much. :-)
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You left out that pepper seeds can only be fertile if saved from a ripe pepper. An example would be saving from a red jalepeno. A green one isn't ripe and the seeds wouldn't germinate.
Hmmm,I have saved from jalapeños that were green every year. They were large,but still green. I plant them yearly.
What if I don’t have a garden at present but want to collect seeds to grow when I’m ready to grow a garden?
It might be attending something like a seed swap way you can pick up seeds very cheaply or even for free. Also worth making friends with other gardeners to see if they have any seeds to spare or can save you some seeds from their plants. :-)
I was letting one of my squash go full term to save the seeds and this year I got free pumpkin seeds from the state agriculture department and planted them right next to them. shoot.
If Biden had not won, I would not be able to vote for a Trump a third time
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