The Cheap Vegetable Gardener

Organizing seeds using bead containers

Aug 8, 2010 cheap, seed saving, seed storing

I first saw this idea on a garden mailing list at work but given most of you are not on that, I figured I should share with the rest of you.  My problem was I had a big bag of seeds and it was always a pain to dif through and find the right seeds for the time of year I was planting.

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Tags: seed

Hometown seed giveaway #2 (Survival Seeds)

Feb 9, 2010 free, giveaway, seed storing, seeds

Hometown Seeds has again graciously offered up a selection of their non-GMO non hybrid survival seeds.  These are advertised to keep in storage for 5-10 years but also are open pollinated so you can grow them this year, collect the seeds and create your own stockpile in preparation of any future catastrophic food shortage.

They include a selection of the following varieties:

• Lincoln Peas
• Detroit Dark Red Beets
• Kentucky Wonder Brown Pole Bean
• Yolo Wonder Pepper
• Champion Radish
• Lucullus Swiss Chard
• Black Beauty Zucchini
• Waltham Butternut Winter Squash
• Bloomsdale Longstanding Spinach
• Scarlet Nantes Carrots
• Long Green Improved Cucumber
• Rutgers Tomato
• Golden Acre Cabbage
• Romaine Paris Island Cos Lettuce
• Golden Bantem Sweet Corn
• Yellow Sweet Spanish Onion

They will be sending me the seeds to no restrictions on where these can be mailed to, so simply add a comment by 2/16/2010 2/19/2010 and I will randomly select a winner in one week.

Update – 2/16/2010

I got the seeds in the mail from Hometown Seeds and I was very surprised in the weight of these seeds.  Well over a lb of seeds in this package.  They come in a sealed lightproof wrapper as you can see below:

Though the seeds would last longer if I kept them in this packaging, though I just had to rip it open to see what was inside (winner’s package will not be opened):

As you can see there are quite a few seeds in this package so you may want to think about who you may want to share these with if you win.

Tags: cheap, garden seeds, led, pepper plants, tomato plants, vegetables

How to determine your seed’s germination rate

Sep 26, 2009 germination, seed saving, seed storing, seeds

Whether you are trying to determine if those seeds you have been stored for 3-4 years are still good or questioning your ability to harvest seeds on your own testing germination is a great way to take away from of the guesswork and avoid disappointment next spring.

The process is very simple, I believe I did the same thing in second grade during our plant section.  Though that was to observe how a seed sprouts/roots the concept is exactly the same.

Take a wet paper towel and place 10 seeds on it and place the wet paper towel in a Ziploc bag.  After a few days (or weeks depending on the normal germination rate) check back on your seeds and count how many sprouted. 

In my case six out of ten of the jalapeno seeds sprouted.  So just do the simple math using the following formula:

Germination rate = (# seeds sprouted/# total seeds sprouted) X 100

So in my case:

(6 seeds sprouted/10 seeds total) X 100 = 60% germination rate

Of course the more seeds you use in your “trial” the more accurate the results will be for my purposes the error rate is good enough for me.

If I was a seed seller this would be disastrous since most distributors have germination limits (90-95%), but given these are for my own use and I have about 300 more seeds that I will use no major loss.  Though I will need to remember when I plant these out I will want to plant 2 seeds per cell to have good odds one of the seeds will germinate.

Another option is to give your 4 year old a handful of seeds and a pot full of dirt and see if most of them sprout.  Much less scientific but my daughter didn’t seem to notice.

Tags: garden seeds, outdoor plants

Alternative seed saving containers

Sep 8, 2009 cheap, seed saving, seed storing

When I am storing seeds for months at a time my homemade paper seed packets work great, but for seeds I seem to use many times throughout the year I was looking for a new option. 

My solution was small plastic/metal resealable containers.  They are small and do not take up too much extra space and securely close so now worries of reaching into my pocket do find it full of seeds (had this happen more than once)  They are also water resistant (if not waterproof) so now worries about setting these down on some moist soil soaking the seeds.

You probably have many of these containers lying around your house from other products (prescription, OTC drugs, food containers, etc) 

Unfortunately (I guess fortunately) I do not need prescription drugs too often and wasn’t smart enough to save any of my past containers so I opted to get some from an online supplier.  This particular one many options for specifically for seed saving containers at very reasonable prices.  I am also considering using these when I share seeds with others as gifts.

What sort of creative options have you used to store your saved seeds?

Tags: cheap, garden seeds, vegetables

Make your own seed packets (packet templates)

Aug 30, 2009 seed saving, seed storing

Last year I did origami seed packets last year which worked out pretty good though I only got two per sheet of paper and didn’t hold too many seeds (especially large seeds like peas) with the many types of seeds I am collecting this year I decided to try another option. 

I looked online and found many templates, though I couldn’t find any with standard seed package sizes.  Eventually I gave up and created my own and thought I would share.

Basic idea is pretty simple, just print them out and glue the flaps on the inside.  I used a plain old grade school glue stick which worked out great.  Not only does this work great for new seeds collected, but I also used them to reduce much of the space my large seed packets were taking for a small number of very small seeds.

Tags: cheap, garden seeds, vegetables

Harvesting pea seeds from your garden

Jul 22, 2009 harvest, peas, seed saving, seed storing, seeds

Most of the seeds I purchase, I am able to keep for at least a few seasons before running out.  The one exception to this rule is peas, which I always have to buy each season.  To save myself a couple dollars next year after I had my fill of peas from my garden I let quite a few mature which I will reuse for seeds this fall and next spring.

Out of all the seeds I have collected peas definitely are the easiest by far.  If you want to go with the ultra lazy easy approach just let them dry on the vine until the pod no longer has any moisture and the peas are loose in the pod.  You even can store them in the pod and crack them open for planting.  One disadvantage to this technique is the peas could end up getting enough airflow and could result in some moldy peas.

To be on the safer side here is a more conservative approach:

1. Pick pods when fine is yellow.  The basic idea at this point the plant is not really providing anything to the pods so you might as well take on the responsibility
2. If the pod still feels a little moist store it in a dry location.  If the pod feels dry using a small knife carefully cut a small slit lengthwise into the pod being careful to not to injure the peas.
3. Once the peas get all shrived up and look like what you planted to begin with store in a cold dry location (jar in the refrigerator)

Now you have seeds ready for fall planting (or spring planting next year)  If you go a little crazy with your dried peas you can also add them to soups or stews during the winter time.

Tags: garden seeds, outdoor plants