If you enjoy your current plant varieties, you may want to save the seeds for next year. A healthy garden, both flowers and vegetables, is certainly something to be proud of. Inevitably there will be some plants that you prefer over others, and as luck will have it, some of these plants will be annuals. In my own experience, I have had great luck with some of my garden plants that scatter seeds. With some tips and tricks you can too.
Plants That Scatter Seeds
Many annuals will scatter their own seeds all over the garden, creating over the years a lush garden full of your favorite annuals. Some, however, you may want tocollect and saveto plant again next spring.
The Oswego Tea Plant
My Oswego tea (also called beebalm) has struggled valiantly for the past five years. When we moved to the country, I dug up the plant from my city garden and transplanted it. Some survived, while some didn’t. Four years of summer drought nearly wiped out my crop of Oswego tea.
This year’s flooding didn’t help much either, but the plants in the drier parts of our property are taller and more prolific than ever. I even have double-headed flowers! The flower of this plant is just full of seeds and as the flowers die out for the season, the seeds scatter all over the ground around it.
We even have beebalms growing in the driveway!
Black-Eyed Susans And Echinacea
Rudbeckia hirta (commonly known as Black-eyed Susans) and Echinacea (as well as other members of the daisy family) also scatter their seeds. Once these plants take root in a coveted sunny spot, seeds are scattered everywhere.
What starts as a tiny corner plot of Black-eyed Susans or Echinacea will eventually cover an entire garden space, as well as the driveway, walkways, or lawn surrounding them.
The Return Of The Petunias
有许多类似的植物可以帮助你的花园繁殖。有些甚至神秘地出现在非常不寻常的地方。例如,几年前,我儿子送给我一株悬挂的矮牵牛花。它遭受了很大的损失,因为那是我们的一个干旱的夏天。干旱时悬挂的矮牵牛花即使浇水充足也不会长得太好。在接下来的几年里,我避开了牵牛花。
突然间,今年我在前院的砖石间长出了一大批色彩鲜艳的牵牛花,距离悬挂着它的地方有一段距离。虽然我不喜欢长在砖石间的东西,但这些牵牛花太漂亮了,挖不出来它们长得很好。所以,他们在我的露台上有一个小角落,至少今年是这样。
Nasturtiums And Sunflowers
旱金莲和葵花籽吸引啮齿类动物:尤其是松鼠和花栗鼠,但也有老鼠和鼹鼠。好吧,我明白了,很多人觉得它们很可爱,尤其是花栗鼠。考虑到我们生活在这个国家,这是可以预料的,但他们可能非常贪婪和极具破坏性。
第一年,我种了旱金莲和葵花籽,它们在几个小时内就被挖了出来。我试着在室内种植。当它们长到两英寸高时,我就把它们移植到室外。这些也在几个小时内被挖了出来。那些还在生根的种子,或多或少是完整的,仍然具有食物的吸引力。
It didn’t matter that I had numerous bird feeders scattered around the yard to feed the wildlife. It also didn’t matter that a sunflower in full bloom would produce many more edible seeds than the ones I had planted. These nasturtium and sunflower seeds had to be consumed – immediately. At least according to my resident rodents.
Detracting The Rodents
Not one to give up, I started more seeds indoors. Once they were two-inches tall, I transplanted them outside. However, this time I inserted numerous plastic forks in the soil around them, with the prongs sticking upwards. Nothing like something prickly to keep the rodents away. It worked! Once the plants were matured and growing well, the forks were no longer visible.
My plastic forks have become something of a conversation piece among friends and neighbors. One particular friend jokes every spring about my new crop of plastic forks. It does raise some eyebrows, and it certainly ignites some interesting conversations.
Seed Collection Process
Once you know what flowers and plants are known for scattering their seeds, you can be better prepared for collecting them before those pesky rodents get to them. Some vegetables are also great for seed collection and can keep your home garden hearty, fruitful, and returning every year.
Nasturtiums And Sunflowers
重要的是要记住旱金莲会沿着任何它们能爬的地方蔓延。所以,这些植物很快就会离开塑料叉路障。一旦旱金莲花成熟,它就会形成坚硬的种子,再次吸引啮齿类动物。在啮齿类动物发现之前,马上收集这些种子。在室内用纸巾擦干(不要在棚子或车库,因为它们会继续吸引啮齿动物),然后储存在塑料容器、玻璃罐或密封塑料袋中(这些塑料袋可以年复一年地重复使用)。在春天到来之前,一定要在容器上贴上标签,然后把它们放在安全、黑暗、干燥的地方。
Same with the sunflowers. The seeds form in the center disk. Not only do rodents and birds enjoy these seeds, but humans eat them as well. The seeds are also the future of the sunflower. Collect some for next year’s crop, and collect them before the wildlife cleans out the supply.
Morning Glories, Hollyhocks, And Snapdragons
我每年都能收获大量的牵牛花、蜀葵和金鱼草。
这些植物确实会自己播种,但对蜀葵来说,我尤其喜欢在鸟儿啄食它们之前收集一些种子荚。我听说蜀葵每两年才开一次花。然而,因为我不断地种植我收集到的种子,植物不断地分发健康的种子供应,我每年夏天都有丰富多彩的展示。
Presumably snapdragons are annuals. Like hollyhocks and morning glories, they seed themselves each year and grow bigger and more colorful every summer.
Vegetable Seeds
Vegetable seeds are also easy to save for future seasons of sowing. I always have a few potatoes left over, from the previous crop or store bought, that are no longer edible. Plant them in the early spring, as soon as the ground thaws.
Tomatoes
I collect tomato seeds all year long. Lucky for us, the process is very simple! Slice a tomato and remove the pulpy interior. Lay the interior on a sheet of paper towel and cover it with another sheet of paper towels. Let the pulp dry and set aside for the next planting season. When it comes time to plant, the seeds may be left in the paper towel and then planted indoors to start the seedlings.
This technique works really well, and this way I’m assured of the types of tomatoes I enjoy the most. There are so many tomato varieties available to grow, it’s nice to know that something I really like will be in my veggie patch year after year.
Green Peppers
Green peppers (and other peppers, for that matter) have a very substantial supply of seeds in their core. Instead of just chucking the pepper core into the compost, I scrape the seeds onto a piece of paper towel, and cover them with another piece of paper towel. Then, as with the tomatoes, I let the seeds dry and put them away for the next growing season. Alternatively, I have planted the entire core of a green pepper and successfully grown several plants from that.
Squash
Squashes are similarly full of usable seeds. Clean away the pulp and lay them on a paper towel to dry before storing the seeds for the winter.
Lettuce
How about lettuce seeds? Well, why not! Once the lettuce plant has finished growing edible leaves, it shoots up a stalk full of seeds.
Let the seeds mature and then clip the shoot, dry it on a paper towel, and store for the winter.
In Summary
There’s no need to purchase new seeds year after year. Once you know the means to harvest your seeds, you will reap the benefits of a healthy crop of your favorite foods and flowers, year after year.
Today’s post is brought to you by award-winning author and artist,Emily-Jane Hills Orford.当这位作者不写作、不创作拼贴画、不做针线活或作曲时,你会发现她在花园里。即使在冬天,当她计划和准备下一个季节和下一个成长冒险时,园艺也不是她的想法。这位作家/艺术家/作曲家利用她花园里的压花,在画布上重新创造了多面花园想法,在室内园艺。
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