~*Seed Harvesting Time*~

[FarmerCathy]

Anyone else enjoy the seed harvesting time? I had so much fun when I was in CA on the farm last week harvesting seeds with my SIL. I found dill bouquet, swiss chard, cilantro, lettuce, sunflower, yarrow, basil, and elephant head amaranth seeds. Though I thought it safer to send myself the seeds in the mail that I can use to start during the cold months here so they wouldn't go through my bags at the airport. Hehe! If they are left next year I would like to try to harvest carrot seeds. I'm so looking forward to starting seeds this winter.

[jessaries]

( many many hellos! I've been off this board for awhile, this summer was a gardening BOMB. I managed to get a decent harvest today and plant some greens and everything feels so much better now! )

I have loved the times I've been able to collect seed like that! It's just fascinating to me to see some of the seeds, how they present themselves and imagine how they will grow to something so Great.

I don't have anything right now to collect from. Maybe next year!

[FarmerCathy]

I know its been so long. I know what you mean, I may have been able to save some seeds, but my garden definitely wasn't the best this year. With two ailing parents and my 3 yr old to look after and a job on the weekends, my garden was over run with weeds to say the least and I wasn't on here very much at all. I stop in when I have time and I have more time now that I'm living in the city until next month, though we're packing like crazy people.

I'm so glad I had seeds to hunt for this year because last year I really wasn't able to. Man, its seems like so long ago I was gardening at the community garden. It was only last year. Wow, time flies when your busy and in love. LOL!

[kdabbler]

No seed harvesting this year. We didn't have a garden due to our new four-legged addition to the family. However, I must admit, I did fondly rummage through our desk drawer's collection of seed packets. I wonder if I could just plant a bunch of the greens right now indoors so I could have a salad in January?

[FarmerCathy]

Greens in January. Yum!

[lmonter]

Ah, seed harvesting has come and gone up here. As I'm sure you've experienced up in the great north.

Although I'm lame with my apples still in the garage to deal with and such that my echinacea seeds I pilfered from my neighbor (with permission though) are still in the garage waiting for me. Tomato seeds are still fermenting, celery seeds still need to be sorted from chaff (and I still need to find some gel capsules to put a bunch of the celery seed into), I still have some carrot seeds on their flowers/heads, argh. Oh, and label and put away my garlic that's been sitting on the dining table for far, far too long.

Oh, and I need to dig up a few of my carrots, celery, blackberries, raspberries, chives, thyme, sage, strawberries and asparagus to take with me before the snow starts flying (but my pelvis hasn't taken kindly to any kind of shoveling for 3-4 years now).

Wanna come up and help me pack right now rather than till/prep in the spring if/when we have a new place? Oy. And the kicker? Longer growing season where we're heading, so I could be starting seeds like two months earlier - like right before/when I'm supposedly due with this sprout. Sorry, I'll slink off to my sad little pity party now...

[pixiepunk]

we've done pretty well with the seed harvest this year. we saved a couple of our best performing tomatoe varieties, our asparagus seeded like crazy so we're starting a new bed for that, we have a lot of herb seeds (dill, cilantro, basil), an absurd amount of marigold seeds (about half of which we save to feed the chickens - they love them!!), some cayenne and mole peppers, pumpkin, a couple different sunflower varieties... i'm sure there's more but i can't think too well on 1/2 cup of coffee

ooh, and i'm so excited, a mama on an organic chicken group i'm in is sending me comfrey and nettle so i won't have to start those from seed this year i'm planning to do a lot of medicinals this year so i'm really excited to have a head start on a couple!

now all i need to do is actually make up a list of what we have and what we want or the seed swapping thread! we bought a lot last year, which is great because we have a good bit left and DH is unemployed right now so we're not going to be spending a lot on seeds this year. hopefully this weekend i'll have some time...

[FarmerCathy]

Originally Posted by lmonter

Wanna come up and help me pack right now rather than till/prep in the spring if/when we have a new place? Oy. And the kicker? Longer growing season where we're heading, so I could be starting seeds like two months earlier - like right before/when I'm supposedly due with this sprout. Sorry, I'll slink off to my sad little pity party now...

I wish I could help. I'm packing to move back to CA Dec. 14th. LOL! We figure visiting CA in Dec. and then driving there again in March is just way too much, so we're going back early. Yeah! I'm so excited! I will be able to start so much in the greenhouse out there for the growing season. Yeah!

Moving must be exhausting for you right now. Besides putting the house on the market and everything else. Must be mayhem at your house. You are entitled to having a pity party! Hugs mama!


Pixiepunk - that's great on the seed saving. I know what you mean about not being able to buy many seeds this next year. Trying to get most of mine through swaps. What I don't get is fine since I won't have a lot of extra time to play in my own garden next year.