Author Topic: Seed Saving to garden with?  (Read 2459 times)

Offline RONSERESURPLUS

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Seed Saving to garden with?
« on: August 27, 2011, 05:59:30 PM »
Hello all, RON L here


While I often Buy and ensure the Seed I buy and Trade for is Heirloom and Non-Hybrid, these shaky timkes got me thinking? The question of folks, seed stocks and grows of Plants in winter might seem a little odd? I've had time to reflect on my preps and despite some positive turns in our finances, it's tough going! I know many folks feel the same way and live day to day, month to month in their personal lives as well as their spendng habits?

  How to get Good, solid seed stock that non-Hybrid, self sustaining and can be a start of a way to become even more self sufficient and independent of catalogs, extra dollars spent and with an investment in time and skills that one day might save your family!

  I have always bought produce at Road side stands, Flea markets and farmers Markets, the quality is better and I like the idea of supporting local growers. As well, the prices are good and fresh is always better.

  With the Ice and snow here and perhaps too much time on my hands, I though, how to extend my seed stocks of Crops and produce I like and use a lot in our cooking and meals. With all the local farmers markets closed and ditto any Flea markets or Roadside stands, I had to think outside the box. Buying my Produce at Wal-mart, Kroegers or Aldis and many other food markets. I saw this as a way to duplicate what other would do and do in their weekly shopping sprees?

  I gathered Bell peppers, Hot Peppers, Romanao as well as a few different tomatoes! I used the Flesh of the Vegetables for our meals but made it a point to remove the seeds from the Peppers, and Tomatoes to save.

  How to save the seeds, not let them rot or ruin, and how to harvest them?  A use of Bing as well as few other search engines, showed how many seed companies gather seed year to year for sale and saving. I duplicated the Process with Wax paper as well as Paper towns, Newspaper ands other low cost recyclable material. I as well, saved many different Metal cans, as well as other disposable containers food came in to use as vessels to grow the seedlings.

  I Spread the Seed and pulp from the Tomatoes as well as the peppers and laid them out to dry. Not wanting blow the save by being too impatient, I set them on a shelf in the laundry room and on wash day used the heat and drying action of that room to dry out the seed masses.

 Once dried the wax paper was easier, but I also used seeds spread out on Paper towels to dry, see PIC #1 :

pic # 1:



 As you can see, this Laid them out so they could be seen and identified from the vegetable pump, this was easier on the peppers than the tomatoes! Using a dull knife, as well as my Fingernails I gently scraped the seeds present on the sheet in PIC #1 and dumped them into a small Container to save, see


PIC # 2:




  Once that was One, I used many different containers sizes, shapes and sizes, mostly what ever food stuffs we used they serve as the base for the seedling growing process! Then, a sunny window area became the base for my widow box gardein grow,

See

PICS # 3:


PIC # 4:




PIC # 5


Pic # 6


Pic # 7



Pic # 8



Pic # 9



pic #10





pic #11




pic #12




Pic # 13



Pic # 14



As you can see, all I did was add Potting soillet nature, the sun and time do it's thing? I will add more PICS of the Grow to this thread till they produce flowering buds and fruit, or bust out? Either way, it cost me little, but time and some effort and should be a solid base for next summers crops?

You can do it many different ways and I'm not saying mine is perfect or the only way! Try it yourself and see what I mean, Prepping need not cost ya major MONEY! It's a Lifestle not a bank account?



PICS #6 - 7- 8-9-10-11 ,  AND LATER ARE FULL GROWN pLANTS FROM SEED AS WELL AS SOME cOMFREY AND ALL THAT I BOUGHT AS ROOTINGS, THIS CAN BE DONE AND I WILL FURTHER ADD MORE PICS AND WHAT THE PRODUCE LOOKS LIKE ONCE THEY FLOWER AND PRODUCE!



More Update pics:

Hot Peppers grown From Store Bough and Roadside side stands last year:


Stinging Nettle grown from Revovered seed:


Romano Tomattoes Grown From Seed evoverd from Store bought and Roadside Veg Stands:


More Tomatto Plant Grows all Revovered seed:


Burt Gummer

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Re: Seed Saving to garden with?
« Reply #1 on: August 27, 2011, 07:15:24 PM »
That was a great read Ron!
And the winning photo is by far the one with the orange juice carton! ;)

Offline RONSERESURPLUS

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Re: Seed Saving to garden with?
« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2011, 08:03:15 PM »
Thanks man

Yes, when I did that DIY, I thought I'd use containers I already had and do it as Low cost and as self enabled as possible! The results were Backets full of peppers, Tomattoes, Nettle, Comfrey as well as many other Medicinal and food types of produce! All it cost me was some time, effort and some peat moss?

  RON

STRAITJACKET

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Re: Seed Saving to garden with?
« Reply #3 on: August 27, 2011, 09:05:07 PM »
Great post, was wanting to get a small garden in this summer, but didnt happen. I was thinking of doing just as you did and get some stuff started in boxes or planters. Thanks for the inspiration.

Offline RONSERESURPLUS

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Re: Seed Saving to garden with?
« Reply #4 on: August 28, 2011, 05:14:54 PM »
Your quite welcome and Inspiration we all need to get from each other!!!!  Part of of what I am here to get and give!! Enjoy and get back to us on what ya get done???


  RON

STRAITJACKET

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Re: Seed Saving to garden with?
« Reply #5 on: August 28, 2011, 05:24:18 PM »
Will do.

Offline RONSERESURPLUS

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Re: Seed Saving to garden with?
« Reply #6 on: September 02, 2011, 09:27:08 PM »
Hello all, RON L here

While this post centers on saving ones own seed, a Have a few sources of Non-Hybrid, heirloom seed, if anyone is interested these are folks I have bought from in years and are 100% reliable? PM if your intersted?



Offline PatriotSeeker

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Re: Seed Saving to garden with?
« Reply #7 on: October 24, 2011, 08:04:21 PM »
Great stuff once again Ron! Im glad this is in subject here because Ive recently wanted to start seed saving and hopefully grow some garden skills. It all started with my love for spaghetti squash! First time I had it, it was cooked and mixed with cheese and homemade tomato sauce, I had no clue it was even Squash! I loved it, still do. So Im going to start off with basic fruits and veggies. It would be awesome to remake that dish with my garden.
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Offline thatGuy

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Re: Seed Saving to garden with?
« Reply #8 on: October 25, 2011, 02:21:19 AM »
Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth is a great book on the topic of seed saving.
Quote
Seed to Seed is a complete seed-saving guide that describes specific techniques for saving the seeds of 160 different vegetables. This book contains detailed information about each vegetable, including its botanical classification, flower structure and means of pollination, required population size, isolation distance, techniques for caging or hand-pollination, and also the proper methods for harvesting, drying, cleaning, and storing the seeds.


http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/seed_to_seed

Offline RONSERESURPLUS

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Re: Seed Saving to garden with?
« Reply #9 on: October 26, 2011, 11:09:18 AM »
Thanks "That Guy" I've not seen that Book Myself, But many have mentioned it, and so , it has to be pretty good! This Season, I didn't have to Buy any Tomattoes, as well as Hot Peppers, My Potattoes did not turn out, but seed from Previos seasosn grows did well in most other vegtables! The Tomattoes grown were not as large as store bought or Farmers martket buys but with effort were lower cost and near free! I see this as a Viable way to Grow Food we need no matter the avaiability of seed! Many Gov Agencies want to Interfere with your ability to grow your own food, under the guise of "Consumer Protection" and other Nonesense claims, think it can't happen here? it already has!! Samll farms are feeling the interference from them and soon, those of us that grow our own in the back yard might face the same sort of OVER REACH> Food for thought folks, Food for though?


   RON L

Offline thatGuy

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Re: Seed Saving to garden with?
« Reply #10 on: October 26, 2011, 07:24:55 PM »
I'm with you Ron and thanks for bringing this subject up.

It is important because I can't afford to prep 20 years worth of food. Growing our own is going to be a manditory activity.

Check out the book there is some great information not only on saving seed but on how to best grow the plants.

Offline thatGirl

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Re: Seed Saving to garden with?
« Reply #11 on: March 17, 2013, 02:57:12 PM »
It's unfortunate that the pics are no longer available from Ron, but I thought I'd share some seed saving videos I found recently.

Tomato Seeds


Cucumber Seeds


Corn Seeds
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