Gourmet Gardener: Seeds of summer
As the peak of summer begins to fade, and the sunsets burn a little earlier each day, there is one thing that can help you to reminisce on the colour of high season and that is to collect and save some flower seeds for next year. Collecting seeds is beneficial for many reasons, it's cheaper than buying packs each year, you know what works well in your garden, seed saving can help give you strong plants for the year ahead and the task of harvesting the seeds can be quite mindful.
Around this time of year I generally start collecting seeds of annuals that I want in the garden the following year. I harvest seeds from poppies, calendula, marigolds, and cornflowers.
In the hotter days of July some of the salads may have bolted, meaning they send up a flower stalk. If this happens I tend to let a few plants go to seed so I can collect this also. Some herbs such as coriander can be collected in seed form and used as a spice. I can highly recommend saving the coriander seeds for use in cooking as the flavour is unlike anything you buy in the shop.
Method of collecting
When collecting seeds from plants there are a few key things to consider. The first is always to harvest seed from your best performing healthy plants, there should be no pests or disease present. The second is to pick a dry, windless day for harvesting. This makes it easier to collect.
Once seed pods have changed from green to brown and can be easily split, you can begin collecting flower seeds.
Many people choose to gather seeds while deadheading plants in the garden. Take a brown paper bag, place it over the top of the seed heads, close the end of the bag and cut off the entire seed head while inverting the bag upside-down. Close bag without crushing seed head and label. Place the bag in a dry place for the seeds to ripen.
Make sure seeds are thoroughly dry before storing, and avoid plastic bags, as these can encourage dampness and result in mouldy unproductive seeds. Lastly, label the envelopes with the plant name and date of collection. Envelopes are good to use as they can be filed away easily.
Collecting flower seeds from your favourite blooms is a fun and rewarding pastime. Growing plants from seed is not only easy but also economical. Once you have the method down you will have a cost- efficient way of ensuring a garden full of beautiful blooms year after year. Saving seeds also gives you the opportunity to seed swap. This can be a lovely small gift to a friend or you can get a variety in return that you may not have already. Annual flower seeds are easily collected but you can also dry and save the seeds of lots of vegetables for your plot the following year.
Happy harvesting!
Timely tips for the garden
● If you have an unproductive space it may be an idea to sow some wildflower seeds for next year. Prepare the area by removing any grass or weeds and sprinkle a packet of hardy annuals such as cornflowers or poppies down. These early sowings should give an early burst of colour next summer.
● Keep harvesting fruits and vegetables as the energy is needed for ripening the remaining crop/second flush.
● Now is the time to take softwood cuttings for example from fuchsias or pelargoniums.
● Enjoy the late summer colour in the garden while the weather is still on our side.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tara Kate Linnane is passionate about sustainability and growing all things edible.Together with her husband Barry, she has embarked on a journey of designing edible spaces and getting others started on their gardening adventures.
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