Quote:
Originally Posted by bower
I'm going to buy some Magda kousa F1 squash this year, because they're so good and I want to share them with a friend.
Except for some impulse purchases last summer when I had cash on hand in the store, I haven't bought a seed for years. Between the MMM bonuses and Nicky's swap I had many things to grow, and I grew and saved seed to swap from many more things which kept me going.
Saving and swapping seed has been a huge experience for me. Every kind of seed has it's own requirement and shucking techniques... very time intensive but totally worth it for the learning and also of course, any time you have more time than money.
I can't believe how expensive seed has become! Holy cow.  Seed saving is a must know for hard times. |
I agree and seed saving was becoming a lost art but I am seeing a revival and that is wonderful. I save some seed, trade some seed, buy some seeds and enjoy the local seedy Saturday events too.
I remember very well tables and tables of drying seeds in my grandmother's basement every winter. She saved most of her own seed from year to year from OP vegetables and she didn't do it Fancy. Just cleaned and spread out to dry on newspaper or seed heads placed into paper bags until they were dry like dill or lettuce and then shaken to release the seeds but catch them in the bag at the same time.
My grandma never fermented tomato seeds. She just squeezed seeds into newsprint, spread them out and let them dry stuck irrevocably to that paper. Then she would just cut that up with scissors and plant those seeds paper and all.
What I wouldn't give for a piece of my grandmas newspaper stuck with dried tomato seeds....
Long gone I'm afraid but I like to think I have some of her green thumb. She was an amazing gardener all 4 foot 10 of her.
KarenO