Homegrown Seeds. Part 2

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

The number of seeds in shop bags is getting smaller every year, while the price of one bag is getting more and more. And the quality, at times, is lame on both legs. This leads many gardeners to look to the experience of their ancestors to grow seeds on their own plot

Choosing a plant to get seeds

Naturally, the more typical a plant for a given variety, the healthier it is, the better its seeds will be.

The choice falls on the plant that will yield a higher, healthier yield. Moreover, it is desirable that the harvest is early, so that the seeds have time to ripen well. Such plants or individual fruits on it should be marked even during the growth period.

Number of seeds

On average, the following number of seeds can be obtained from one plant or one fruit:

• dill up to 8 grams;

• onions up to 4 grams;

• lettuce up to 5 grams;

• carrots up to 9 grams;

• peas up to 40, beans up to 30 grams;

• from one cucumber, tomatoes can be obtained, respectively, up to 15 and up to 6 grams of seeds;

• from one zucchini or one pumpkin up to 200 grams.

Seed storage

Dry, well-ventilated areas are suitable for storing seeds. The storage temperature must be above zero. For cucumbers, plus 15 degrees is more favorable, for other crops, plus 10 degrees is enough.

Seed quality

The quality of seeds can be judged by several signs:

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External signs. The shriveled appearance of the seeds, which should look round and full, are immediately alarming, suggesting that they are not ripe, or too old or have been stained during storage, and therefore their quality is unlikely to give a good result. Only the seeds of some varieties of peas, which nature itself created such, can be shriveled.

Experienced growers recognize quality seeds by touch. Old seeds are covered with the finest dust, which makes the seeds dry and warm. Fresh seeds feel slightly moist and cool to the touch.

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Coloring. The color of the seeds is similar to the color of clothing, which sheds as the wear period grows, turning into a faded and unsightly. Here and fresh seeds flaunt in bright clothes, and over time, the color fades and fades. So, white seeds of cucumbers turn gray over the years, and blue-black fresh seeds of cabbage, aging, put on a faded outfit.

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Smell. Plants that exude aromas, for which we nurture them in our beds, are also distinguished by smelling seeds. Fresh seeds of caraway, anise, dill, carrot, parsley, celery, marjoram, parsnip are distinguished by persistent aromas. The longer these seeds lie in our bins, the weaker their smell.

The musty smell of seeds or the odor of seeds unusual for a given plant is a litmus test that says that such seeds should be tested in small quantities before sowing them an entire garden.

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Germination. Everyone knows that time is not young. This is also true for seeds. Over the years, they lose their strength, and therefore are not always able to germinate in the soil. To protect yourself from such a curiosity, seeds should be germinated before planting, rejecting failure.

If out of 100 seeds only 10 have sprouted, such seeds should not be sown in the garden. With a seed germination rate of 40-50 percent, the number of sown seeds should be doubled in comparison with seeds with one hundred percent germination.

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Germination energy. The more amicably and earlier the seeds germinate, the more viable they are, which means that the plants from them will grow stronger and more productive. The indicator of "germination energy" is determined by the percentage of germinated seeds on a certain date.

For example, if on the third day the seeds of cabbage, radish, peas, cucumbers sprouted by 75%, then this figure shows the percentage of their "germination energy".

For other vegetable seeds, their own germination dates have been set. On the fourth day, "germination energy" is determined for lettuce, beans, beans. On the fifth day - for spinach, sorrel, beets and onions. On the sixth day - for dill and carrots. On the seventh day - for tomatoes. On the eighth day - for celery and parsley.

Note:

Perhaps only cucumber seeds are resistant to time. As for most vegetable seeds, they give high yields only in the first year. So, it is not necessary to store seed for several years in advance, renewing the seed fund annually.