Have you ever thought of saving seeds from some of your favorite plants? Of course, seeds are not too expensive and of course you can buy them every year – but there are several advantages to saving your own seeds from your own plants. First of all I would like to point out that only “heirloom” plants will produce seed that will grow into another plant like the parent. You can also save and plant seeds from “hybrid” plants – plants that have two different parents, but they will not produce the same plant – they will be a surprise – maybe good, maybe not. If you have the time and space, this can be fun to do. I do not have a lot of time or a lot of space so I only save heirloom type of seeds from plants in my own garden. A plant that has grown and done very well in your yard is a good choice to save seeds from. Saving seeds from veggies or fruit is generally a matter of waiting until a fruit or vegetable is very ripe – taking out the seeds, rinsing and drying them, and then saving them in labeled envelopes in a sealed jar to keep them very dry until next spring. Tomato plants’ seeds are just a little trickier to save but not difficult.
This year I had a “Mr. Stripey,” a “Pruden’s Purple,” and a “Godlove” tomato plant that all did exceptionally well. I am still picking tomatoes now for salads. I want to save seeds from these three plants that did so well for us this year. Here is how to do it and you can do it too. Take a very ripe healthy looking tomato of the variety you are choosing to save the seeds of. Cut it in half crosswise. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds along with the sort of pulpy stuff in the “compartments” of the tomato. Put this into a clear glass cup or jar. Add a little water to make it soupy looking. Cover with a paper towel and use a rubber band to secure it across the top of the jar or cup. Now wait 2 to 4 days until you see a layer of mold cover the top of the pulp and water. It will have a “yucky” smell because it is actually fermenting. Take a fork or spoon and scoop off the mold and discard it. You will see the seeds at the bottom of the watery stuff left. Dump this all into a mesh strainer and rinse well, rubbing off the pulp with your fingers gently. Then put the washed seeds on a plate to dry. This will take several days to a week. Make sure you wait until they are absolutely dry or they might get moldy in storage. After drying them, put them in an envelope, label them, and keep the envelopes stored in a very dry place such as a glass jar with a lid. You will need to do this separately for each variety of tomato you want to save seeds from.
This is a good week to make sure to bring in all your houseplants that have summered outdoors if you have not done it already. Hose them off very well, let them drip dry and bring them into your sunniest location if they are sunlovers. If you are bringing in geraniums, scented or flowering – trim them back by a third or so. Flowering geraniums can be trimmed back by half and hung upside down from nails in the basement or in a dark closet and they will “hibernate” for the winter. I had heard about this old-time method and finally tried it a couple of years ago and it works very well. Just plant them in spring and they will start growing again. Tropical plants such as gardenias and passionflowers all need to wintered over in the house as well. If you have one or more tropical plants you purchased to enjoy this summer that you don’t have room for indoors, offer it to a friend or offer it on a local www.freecycle.org email list. Freecycle is a good way to share things you no longer want or need – check it out – www.freecycle.org.
I have also taken starts of all the coleus plants I particularly liked and rooted them in water and will be potting them up this week to winter over. That way I won’t have to buy new plants next year and I will already have the varieties I prefer and not have to search for them again – saving both time and money. Simply pinch or cut off a stem about six to eight inches long with leaves and put in water. A week or two later it will have grown a good root system and can be planted in a pot and kept as a houseplant until spring. If it gets too big, pinch it back as needed. I love coleus plants as they come in so many color combinations, are so easy to grow and really brighten shady areas.
Next week – bulb strategies.
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