Seed Storage

Once you've set out to collect seed it is imperative to store it properly. Many varieties of seed can be viable for several years after they are collected. Some seeds found in ancient tombs have germinated after being sealed for hundreds and even thousands of years! The key is what I call the holy trifecta of seed storage: dark, dry, and cool.

Seed receptacle candidates: paper envelope, small sealing plastic bag, old film canister

Seed embryos are delicate structures; when subjected to improper storage conditions they quickly lose viability. Light can damage and exacerbate deterioration if the seeds are left in direct sunlight. If the seeds become damp or are not completely dried when stored, they'll likely mold. And last but perhaps most important is to assure storage takes place in a cool environment. A basement, unheated garage, or perhaps even the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator are all possible locations where seed can be kept until it is ready to be planted.

What you store the seed in is also of some importance, though options are many. Old film canisters are ideal, especially if they are black (will not let any light through). With the advent of digital cameras these are increasingly hard to come by, but with some luck maybe found at some one-hour photo labs. Other options include paper envelopes and sealing plastic bags.

After an ideal container and location has been selected, be sure to label the seeds. Include the seed variety and the date collected.

Collecting Seed

The end of the season brings about not just the harvesting of fruits but also seeds from which will grow some of next year's crops. To collect viable seed, we must wait until the seeds are completely ripe. In the case of tomatoes, this means waiting until the fruit is practically rotting off the vine, or perhaps has already fallen to the ground. Beans prove somewhat easier.

I allowed some of the rattlesnake pole beans to mature (providentially, it would seem, because I simply couldn't get around to eating them before they ripened into full seeds) until the pods shriveled and dried on the vine. You will be able to tell that the seeds are ready by touch; gently squeeze the pod and determine that the beans inside are not flaccid or soft. The ripe seed should be firm and relatively hard. The pods can then be picked and brought inside. I place the pods somewhere dry and warm so that any residual moisture evaporates; dampness is the mortal enemy of well-preserved seed.

Once the pods have completely dried out, the seeds can be shucked. Other plants I intend to gather seed from include basil (summer and thai), tomatoes, snap dragons, marigolds, quinoa (mostly to eat, but some for sowing next spring), and texas hummingbird sage.

Winter Cover Sprouted

After about a week, the cover crop seeds that Christian and I planted began to poke up in the recently cleared garden. The mix, which includes crimson clover, barley, buckwheat and some other varieties I can't seem to remember off hand, has performed very well considering the rather cool temperatures we've had lately. The absence of frost likely has much to do with their success.

A ground view of the cover crop:


The reasons to plant cover crop are many. It prevents erosion (something which can take a toll during our typically rainy winters), is more aesthetically pleasing than bare dirt, prevents other weeds from taking over in the absence of other vegetable crops, and, prior to spring planting, can be dug and turned right back into the soil to decompose and give the new crop a bit of a nutrient boost (as it decomposes quickly and makes many nutrients available to the surrounding soil).

Putting the garden to bed

At the end of a tiring but mostly successful growing season, the garden deserves a good rest. Last week Christian helped me to lay the garden down for a long fall and winter's sleep. First a shot of how overgrown and unkempt I allowed the garden to get in the last days and weeks of summer:


Some knowledge to apply to my next attempts:

-Always and judiciously prune indeterminate tomato plants; mine got too out of hand and terribly tangled, making it difficult to discern one plant from the next and also hard to pick the fruit

-Bigger does not always mean better: It would have behooved me to focus my energy on fewer plants and given more individual attention to those specimens

-Allow adequate spacing! Even with my crowding problems last year, I still did not allow enough room for rows and individual plants to really flourish. Spacing is of utmost importance

Christian and I filled several large containers with the season's final peppers, sparse eggplants and green tomatoes (at this moment ripening in the windowsill). The plants were pulled and gathered into a compost pile. As a final measure we broadcast seeds of a winter green cover (crimson clover, buckwheat, etc.) over the newly bare soil. Hard to say if the seeds will sprout before the frost kills their chances, but we shall see.

Most of the garden lies in shade by this time of year, thanks to the condos next door. The back of the garden, nearest the hedge, does still receive a fair bit of light in the late afternoon.
The cloche was set up again to house the carnivorous plants I've gathered over the summer, and the cold frame has been re-appropriated again, this time to house additional carnivorous plant seedlings that will not fit in the cloche.

The inside of the cloche lined with flats of carnivorous plants

Five flats fit inside the cold frame just right.