Things To Read

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Growing Seeds

The condition of the world and the shortage of seeds this spring have motivated us to save seeds early in the season instead of later. I always wonder about the viability of my own seeds. Sometimes the germination rate is definitely higher than at other times. If these seeds were our only supply for the coming year's food, it would cause not a small amount of worry. We have read a number of books about people that lived in a time that what they grew/harvested/hunted was what they ate. No harvest, no food. Starvation was not uncommon. This is why we grow only open pollinated or heirloom seeds. With that in mind, here is how we are doing so far.

Some of the fall planted turnips went to seed early in the spring. Those seeds have been harvested, dried and stored for fall planting.












We bought this book long ago. I thought it was published in the 1980's, but maybe that's just when we bought it. I still refer to it each year. It has information about starting seedlings, planting, companion planting and seed saving. I highly recommend it. There is an updated version available.














I harvested our yellow squash 'seeds'. We will let them mature for about eight weeks, then remove and dry the seeds. So far we have eaten quite a bit of squash and canned 16 pints. We usually plant our summer and winter squash at the same time, but this year we wanted to make sure they didn't cross pollinate, so we just recently planted the winter squash. We will pull the summer squash before we let some of the winter squash start blooming.













The first pinto bean pickings included seeds for next year. For us, this looks like a lot of seeds, but I wonder if it will be enough. I should have enough shelled to can in a couple of days.


I harvested a few lettuce seeds. Most of them I let fall where they grew, along with the spinach, in hopes they will self seed. We'll see how that idea works out in the fall.


Our beet crop gave us 14 pints this summer. We have never had any beets go to seed. This fall I will plant some in the greenhouse and see if I can get them to go to seed next spring since they are biennial.


So. Are fertilized eggs considered to be chicken seeds..........












Folks, the seeds and winds of change are upon us. Some seeds produce much needed food. Some seeds grow noxious weeds and thorns. Some people would rather sow the seeds of destruction. Like we've said before, without food you are dead. Without the ability to provide for ourselves and our families we are trapped under the Boot of The Man.


Some seeds bring pleasure and beauty to a dying world. What kind of seeds are you sowing in your life and the lives of those around you? Do you have enough seeds to feed your soul?


Until next time - Fern

8 comments:

  1. I don't know if its my imagination, but it seems that this year, the quality of seeds has gone down. My own saved seeds germinated better, especially the carrots. I have lettuce, kale, red mustard and walking onions that seed themselves every year. And yes, growing stuff in the greenhouse to go to seed is a good idea. There's a corner in ours right now that has four fat carrots going to seed there, and in another spot, some onions that were sprouting-got planted too. We are eating cherry tomatoes right now and on a whim, I decided to plant some of the seed that I squeezed out. Darn if they didn't sprout. The variety is very early, called "42 days", and I guess that I will have a later crop of them now.

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  2. Hello Folks, thanks for this timely article. Your comment: "We have read a number of books about people that lived in a time that what they grew/harvested/hunted was what they ate. No harvest, no food." I'd be interested in reading those books, too. Can you name some of them please? Thanks in advance!

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    Replies
    1. Start with the Little House on the Prairie series. Farmer Boy is the first book. Some would consider these books to be for children, but read them with an eye to the work involved in providing everyday food for the family, year in and year out. Don't just read them, study them. We have read the whole series several times.

      Research and read about the Lewis and Clark expedition. There are numerous directions these two resources will lead you.

      Happy reading, Fern

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  3. My favorite book on seed saving is "Seed to Seed" by Suzanne Ashworth, published in 2002 by Seed Savers Exchange. It's a wealth of information.

    This just hasn't been a good year for us when it comes to the garden. Very poor yields from the beans, much of the potato crop is rotted, the poorest peach crop ever, just a few peppers and eggplant, and to add insult to injury - the squirrels just tore up the corn. Even the chickens aren't producing the quantity of eggs that they normally do. About the only crop that's really doing well is the sweet potato patch - oh, and the cotton is also doing well, but that doesn't put food on the table. That's a good reminder of why it's important to store food and not just grow it. In another time, my family would have gone hungry.

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  4. Hi Fern, this year all I have sow are from our own seeds. For now the Parsley from last year have run to seed and the squash seeds. Taking seeds is very important to maintain the specie and for our own good, as we have seen if you depend on genetic seeds suddenly they stop selling and then what?
    Yes, we need to sow more than our garden, sowing love and the truth are very important especial today when the lie are more pleasing to hear than the truth. Some times bad or sad news are needed to hear for us to prepare and prevent and bigger evil.
    Well, I had water melon seeds saved from 2012 and I said to myself what a waist and ditched it all into a hole and look now they are all pupping up, will need to transplant them.
    God bless, csw

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  5. Fern,
    Thanks for the article on saving seeds . We try to grow as much "heirloom" seed vegetables as we can. We do not like eating GMO/hybrid food and we stay away from restaurant food because all most every bit of it is processed food. It is engineered to taste good but not necessarily good for you.
    I will order the recommended book on saving seeds, I have found it used less than $ 5.00.It will be great addition to our home library . The "Little house" books are a treasure of great information on living in an age of no electricity or gasoline engines. I also strongly suggest them .
    Our gopher population appears to be greatly reduced and our garden is looking better every day. Here is looking to a great harvest for all.
    Bluesman

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  6. I found a copy of the book recommendation. I've been rehabbing all the canning supplies I inherited. Lots of grandkids and a few family I consider my own to watch out for. Thank you, mom, for making me shell peas, snap beans, and can with you. It's a latent skill now. I fear for those that don't have parents that grew up poor as dirt, and learned to make and do. Or came by these old skills somehow.

    I don't worry much about GMO/hybrid seeds. Everything we see was crossed and recrossed, even if it just happened naturally. What I want is seed that germinates, and grows nutrition. Not interested in one-time plants.

    Thanks for the good, clear post.

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  7. So Glad you resumed Posting. We have been in Quarantine to Rooms in Senior Living often for past 3 months. Very glad we have each other, Shes 89 an still quilts I Move an set up stuff to that end. We moved up last June and Got asking price for our home. So glad I move fast when She said I'm tired of cooking and cleaning. We Snow birded for 20 some years after Lighthouse Hosting for 4. Rockhounding filled in around other activities, We a lot of different Churches. we light duty Home steadied on 4 acres for 20 years and wished computer forums had existed then
    Rosco

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