Gardening Seeds

Collecting Cockscomb Seeds

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 04:55:00 +0000

Cockscomb flowers are easy to grow and save seeds from. In this video I visited with a neighbor of mine who demonstrates how she saves seeds from the cockscomb flowers in her garden. You can also see the photo tutorial how to save cockscomb seeds for pictures and more information on growing cockscomb flowers.

Columbine Seed Collecting

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 04:40:00 +0000

Columbines will return to the garden naturally by self-sowing all over the place. But if you want to ensure that you have a stash of columbine seeds, or maybe want to trade columbine seeds with friends, collecting columbine seeds is easy. If your Internet connection is slow, or would prefer this tutorial on saving columbine seeds in picture format: see the post on how to collect columbine seeds.

Hollyhock Seed Collecting

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 16:34:00 +0000

Hollyhocks are pretty old fashioned flowers. If you're looking to add some color to your garden you can't go wrong with growing hollyhocks. Hollyhocks are easy to start from seed, they can tolerate poor soils, and drought, and saving seeds from hollyhocks is easy. View the video on saving hollyhock seeds above. If you're internet connection is too slow, or you'd rather look at pictures of the process: see the post on how to collect hollyhock seeds.

Collecting Milkweed Seeds Using Fire

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 04:15:00 +0000

Milkweed plants are host plants for butterflies like the Monarch butterfly. The flowers are are visited by butterflies and bees, and the plant itself is a food source for Monarch butterfly caterpillars. The seeds pods of milkweeds are easy to identify because of their large, horn-like appearance on the plant.

When the milkweed seed pod has opened some of the chaff attached to the seeds may be picked up by the wind and the seeds dispersed. If you do not get to the seed pod soon enough you'll lose some seeds, but many of the seeds inside will stay packed in the seed pod.

Separating milkweed seeds from the chaff can be time consuming and annoying. Fortunately, there's an easy way to remove the seeds from the chaff using a lighter. Yes, you're going to play with fire. Simply remove as much of the chaff and seeds from within the milkweed seed pod and set it the chaff on fire. Check out the video for more.

Collecting Allium Seeds

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 05:00:00 +0000

A quick garden video demonstrating how to collect ornamental allium seeds in the garden.

Pictures and text on how to collect allium seeds.

How To Save Tomato Seeds Video

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 22:52:00 +0000

Here's a video tutorial from Clifton Middleton on saving tomato seeds. His thoughts on saving seeds in general are pretty much the same as mine. The video is 5 minutes long, if you can't view this gardening video here are the hightlights:

When choosing tomatoes for seeds choose the reddest and ripest.
Some of the seeds are green and some are yellow.
The green seeds are "not good" and they won't germinate.

I also have a post with pictures and information on saving tomato seeds.

Hosta Seeds

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:27:00 +0000

Hostas are herbaceous perennials that are wildly popular shade plants and available at just about every garden center. Hostas can range from plain green or blue leafed plants to plants with variegated edges and streaks. From large leafed plants to plants with tiny leaves. Because of the range of differences in these plants hostas don't make great "from seed" candidates. Growing hostas from seeds can result in plants that are far different from the plants they were collected from and for the uninformed seed grower/seed trader this can lead to some frustration.

In the spring and summer you'll notice a thin stalk emerge from among the leaves of your hosta and soon flowers appear along the stalk leading up to the tip. My unnamed hostas produce small white to lavender flowers while the hosta in my neighbor's garden produces large flowers with a deep fragance. The flowers appear to be pollinated by bees, wasps and ants eventually producing pendulous seed pods that to me look like green hot dogs. The photo of the hosta seed pods above shows seed pods that are unripe and not ready to be collected.

In a couple of weeks the seed pods become tan in color and start to split exposing black, papery seeds. I've noticed that while the seeds look delicate and apt to be blown away by a good strong breeze they surprisingly stay attached to the seed pod for a while after it ripens making them easy to collect. Once you collect your hosta seeds they should be planted soon because they don't remain viable for a long time. You can sow them indoors in late winter in your average seed starting soil keeping them moist and within the 60° to 70°F temperature range and planting them out in the spring after you have hardened them off. For me seed starting space is at a premium indoors so I just take the seeds and bury them 2 inches below the soil line where I want them to grow before the first frost hits in Chicago. In the spring I have hosta seedling growing without any fuss or much care on my part, as a lazy gardener this is my favorite method of sowing perennial seeds.

Tobacco Seeds

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 23:57:00 +0000

Nicotiana tabacum better known as Tobacco is a herbaceous perennial but treated like in annual in Chicago. Nicotiana tabacum can only be found in cultivation where it grows between one and two feet tall and is thought to be a hybrid of N. sylvestris, N. tomentosiformis, and possibly N. otophora. As you probably already know if you're reading this blog entry this plant is widely grown for the leaves that are processed into tobacco. You can find other Nicotiana varities in garden centers sold as annuals and the seed saving is basically the same although the N. tabacum plants produce the largest seeds pods that I've seen. Nicotiana seeds are small and brown and before the seed pod dries completely you may find that they become attached to the sticky seed pod. Nicotiana seeds are surface sown, scatter the seeds on the surface of the soil or growing medium in the spring and summer.

How to Save Nicotiana Seeds

Jacob's Ladder Seeds

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 23:18:00 +0000

Polemonium caeruleum better known as Jacob's Ladder is a hardy perennial flowering plant that blooms in early spring or summer. The flowers are either lavender or white and produce tiny brown seeds as you can see from the image above. It is best grown in shade with well draining soil. The seed pods are also pretty miniscule and can be easily missed if you aren't looking for them carefully.

Germination is said to be pretty quickly and should be done in the fall/winter. The best way to sow them is to plant the seeds where you'd like your Jacob's Ladder to grow. The freezing and thawing cycle of winter will naturally prepare the seeds to germinate in the spring. If you'd like to see a picture of the flowers you can find a picture on my other blog in the Medicinal Plant Garden post.

Cypress Vine Seeds

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 03:45:00 +0000

Cypress Vine is one of my favorite climbing annual flowers. They're easy to collect seeds from and start from seed and grow quickly to cover a trellis, arbor or fence in the garden. On my other gardening blog I wrote an entry on when I Collect Cypress Vine Seeds that you should read if you're looking for information on when the seed pods are ready to collect seeds from.

Ripe Cypress Vine seeds are on the small side but the seeds when ripe are a black color, lighter colored seeds may still germinate so don't discard them based on color. In warmer zones Cypress Vine may readily reseed and I've had it reseed here in my Zone 5 garden. If you're going to sow these seeds they benefit from being scarified and soaked in warm water for 24 hours prior to sowing to aid the germination rates.

What's the difference between Cypress Vine and Cardinal Climber? See the post on Cardinal Climber vine. In the past I've grown a pink and white blooming Cypress Vine.

Allium Purple Sensation Seeds

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 20:13:00 +0000

Last fall I planted Allium Purple Sensation bulbs I purchased at a local garden center in Chicago. Really pleased with the blooms I decided to save seeds from these bulbs and attempt to propagate them myself.

Allium Purple Sensation seeds need to undergo stratification so I will plant them in the fall where I want them to grow in the garden and let nature do the work. I should note that I've read that Allium Purple Sensation will not grow true from seeds. That means that the plants that are produced will not resemble the plants I collected seeds from 100%. The color won't be as bright or as nice but the way I look at it they're free plants so I can't complain.

If you're interested you can visit my MrBrownThumb blog and use the search box on the right hand side to see the images of Allium Purple Sensation growing in my garden.

Nodding Onion/Allium Seeds

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 19:28:00 +0000

I planted Allium cernuum better known as Nodding Onion or Nodding Allium in my garden last year. The flowers don't last long but they are easily pollinated by bees and produce a good number of seeds. Seed saving with Nodding Onion is pretty easy even though the seed pods are relatively small they hold the seeds in even after they have split.

The seeds for this Allium are small, hard and black. While removing the seed heads or removing the seeds from their pods you'll encounter a pungent smell. To save these seeds place them on a paper surface and spread them out to dry to avoid mold developing on your seeds. These seeds need to undergo stratification in order for them to bloom.

Columbine Seeds And Seed Pods

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 17:32:00 +0000

These columbine seeds and seed pods were harvested from a dark columbine one of mine. Before the heads dry out they are rather tacky and seeds will stick to the outside of the seed pod. Because of this I recommend snipping off the whole pod and placing it one a piece of newspaper or a paper plate to allow them to dry out. Otherwise you may find yourself picking off columbine seeds from your seed pods.

Collecting Columbine Seeds

Starting columbines from seeds take a little work but the flowers are well worth the wait. In order to get your columbine seeds to germinate they have to go through a cold period of at least six weeks before spring. You can achieve this by sowing your seeds in the fall and letting nature do the work over the course of the winter. Stratification can also be reproduced by sowing your seeds and placing them in the fridge for the three week period that is required.

When sowing your seeds try not to cover them completely because columbine seeds need light to germinate so just barely cover them with soil. Once you have established a few of these plants in your garden you will find that they self seed readily. Many columbines are annuals meaning they will bloom the year the seeds sprout, the one I collected my seeds from is a biennial which means it blooms the year after the seeds have germinated.

Cleome Seeds

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 00:27:00 +0000

On my main gardening blog I created a post that describes what I look for in a Cleome seed pod to know when it is time to harvest seeds. If you haven't collected seeds from Cleomes before read When I collect Cleome Seeds.

Cleome seeds are small and dark in color. The first time I examined the seeds I couldn't help but notice how they resemble a coma and the mottled texture that covers them. Unripe seeds are white or off yellow in color-I'm not sure how much the color affects seed germination. When I've come across a light colored seed I've just discarded them and haven't tried to germinate them.

If you look at the image above you may notice that the color of the seed pod is still green while the seeds are ripe. Don't rely on a change in color or dryness in the seed pod to let you know when they're ready to collect.

Purple Coneflower Seeds

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 19:41:00 +0000

On my main gardening blog I wrote a post title When I Collect Coneflower Seeds to help illustrate what a ripe Purple Coneflower seed head looks like. If you don't know what they look like when they're ready to collect see that post entry. Once your Purple Coneflower heads are nice and black and you are ready to remove the seeds from this popular perennial plant finding the seeds can be a little confusing.

My very first trade involved trading some of my White Swan Coneflower seeds with a garden on GardenWeb. Unfortunately I was new to seed trades and seed identification so I sent her the chaff and tossed the seeds. She was very understanding and even gave me a chance to make it up to her when more of the seed heads ripened.

If you look at the picture above of the Purple Coneflower seeds you'll notice I separated the seeds from the chaff to help identify the seeds. The pile on the right hand side is the seed and the pile on the left hand side is the chaff.

On Seed Trading

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 05:36:00 +0000

If you have a surplus of seeds either collected from your garden or extras from seed packets you bought you may find that there are other gardeners who are willing to trade you seeds. Seed trading is a great way of diversifying the types of plants you grow in your garden and can even save you a little money.

Sow half of the seeds you purchase or collect and trade the other half on Seed Exchanges like the one on the gardening site, GardenWeb. When you're new to trading make sure you have a list either on-line or stored on your computer and properly labeled. Because seed viability can vary you may be asked when you collected the seeds and whether or not they were open pollinated.

Seeds should be mailed in bubble enveloped or heavily padded so they are not crushed by the postal service. If seeds are sent in regular envelopes they are put through mechanical sorters that can crush them. There is nothing worse than receiving your end of a seed trade only to discover that the contents are nothing more than seed dust.

If you're new to seed trading consider starting out small until you build a reputation with gardeners and they know you can be trusted with more expensive and rarer seeds. Many gardeners and plant enthusiasts are very serious when it comes to seed trades and often time they may already have the variety you are offering.

Think of your seeds like currency, for example a trade of Marigold seeds are a penny and a trade of Columbine seeds are a quarter. Would you accept a penny in exchange for a quarter? Make your seed trades of equal value or consider doing multiples of something to equal the value.

Gardeners are generous people and if you spend any time on gardening forums you'll find that someone is offering a S.A.S.E what this stands for is Self Addressed Stamped Envelope. In these instances the gardener is offering seeds for free and you only need to send a bubble envelope with enough postage so that seeds can be mailed to you. In many forums it is considered rude or completely against protocol to ask for S.A.S.E when you join. Generally you should read the gardening forum's FAQ and familiarize yourself with the rules. There may be rules against you asking for free seeds but there generally aren't any rules about you responding to a S.A.S.E. It's better to be cautious and not ask for seeds even if you see other people doing it and just wait until a generous gardener offers free seeds.

When you have completed a seed trade get into the practice of sending an e-mail to the other gardener informing them that you have received the seeds. If you have a problem or are unsatisfied consider bring it to their attention and trying to work out the problem.

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noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 20:48:00 +0000

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Zinnia Seeds

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 20:05:00 +0000

Zinnias are popular garden plants that are either considered annuals or perennials in some areas. I collected these seeds after sowing Zinnia 'Green Envy' last year. Once the flower dried completely I crumbled the seed head in my hand and separated the abundant chaff and kept the seeds which are brown and stiff. Sow the seeds about 1-2 inches apart covered lightly with soil and keep moist.

Four O'Clocks (Mirabilis jalapa) Seeds

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 04:10:00 +0000

Mirabilis jalapa better known by their common name Four O' Clocks are popular garden plants because they tolerate heat and low water pretty well. They get their common name from the fact that their flowers open later in the evening and last until the early morning. Four O' Clocks make great border plants and flower in full sun but will also perform well in deep shade. To me the ripe Four O' Clock seeds resemble black hand grenades and need to be nicked and soaked prior to sowing in the garden.

If you're looking for more information on growing this plant in your garden use the search box in the sidebar labeled "Google For Gardeners" which will give you non-retail results that focus on cultivation.

Black-Eyed Susan Vine Seeds.

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 22:34:00 +0000

Black-Eyed Susan Vine is a popular vine that is often treated as an annual. I purchased these Black-Eyed Susan Vine seeds add a garden center last year and had excellent germination results when I soaked them in hot water prior to sowing. It climbed up a small trellis I built from bamboo sticks and was soon looking for more room to grow on. Search Google For Gardeners if you're looking for information on sowing and growing this vine in your garden.

Scarlet Runner Bean Seed

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 22:16:00 +0000

This Scarlet Runner Bean seed is from a popular garden annual vine and get their name from the bright red flowers but they can also be white. The green pods on the vine are edible but should be eaten when younger as the pod gets fibrous. If you're looking for information on growing this in your garden or germinating this seed search Google For Gardeners and get relevant gardening results on Google.

Castor Bean Seed

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 21:52:00 +0000

About a year a go I got a number of seeds in a trade with another gardener that I didn't sow. Among them were Castor seeds. I really like the exotic markings of these seeds and even though I'll probably never sow it I keep them around for the photogenic quality.

"The Castor Bean is a shrub-like herb with large, long-stemmed leaves that are lobed like fingers. Its spiny, clustered seed pods contain white, bean-like seeds (Botanically speaking, it isn't a true bean, but a Spurge), which typically bear attractive markings in various colours. The plant is native to tropical Africa, but it is grown commercially in California and has become naturalized throughout the southern United States. In Nova Scotia, it is often cultivated, in the warmer months, as an ornamental annual in gardens, providing local gardeners with a castor of thousands.... " Source: Castor Bean

If you're looking for information on germinating these seeds and growing this plant search Google For Gardeners.

Gloriosa Lily Seeds

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 20:58:00 +0000

These are the seeds that resulted from pollinating flowers on my Gloriosa 'Rothchildiana' last year. The seeds are covered by the red flesh that you see in the photo and should be removed when sowing. You can see a photo of a Gloriosa lily tuber on my other blog. Search Google For Gardeners if you're looking for information on growing this plant.

Yucca Filamentosa Seeds

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 20:34:00 +0000

Yucca filamentosa is in the Agavacea family. Common names for this plant include; Adam's Needle and bear grass. The plant is hardy in USDA zone 5-10 and can be propagated by seeds. The seeds are black and crisp. See this photo of a Yucca filamentosa seed pod.

Amaryllis Hippeastrum Seeds And Seed Pods

noreply@blogger.com (MrBrownThumb) — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 20:02:00 +0000

Amaryllis seeds are soft almost paper like and black.

When the you have successfully pollinated a flower it will form plump green seed pod and eventually split open like the image above. If you'd like to propagate your Amaryllis read by entries on my other gardening blog entry about propagating an Amaryllis.

Here's a video I made showing you how to pot an Amaryllis Bulb.

and one showing you how to pollinate an Amaryllis flower.

You can also visit my Amaryllis Bulbs blog where the content is exclusively about growing Amaryllis bulbs.