RJB
23rd September 2010, 06:23 AM
Someone asked about this on an earlier thread
Set aside a few plants that you won't eat. Most people try to keep the plants that ripen the fastest and produce the most food.
To avoid cross polination stick with one variety, plant different varieties far away, plant early harvest and a late harvest varieties together....
But you can't 100% gurantee there won't be cross pollination. A plant 1 mile down the road may pollinate yours. This is plant sex. It's harder than trying to keep the neighborhood boys away from your daughter. A little cross polination does give some variety, just becareful.
A lot of it is common sense. Wait until they flower and fruit and keep the seeds.
Turnips, radishes, (mustard type plants). Keep the roots in the ground and the plant will produce yellow flowers. These will turn in seed pods. Collect the little seeds when the plants turn brown. If these were planted late summer/early fall you may have to wait until next spring. Just keep the roots heavily mulched so they don't freeze.
I'm not sure about letuces. I usually just eat wild greens.
Tomatoes. Cut the tomato open when vine ripened. rub the wet seeds onto a brown paper bag. They will stick. When dried, fold the paper up and store for the winter.
Corn. Wait until dry and store on the cob.
Winter type squash like pumpkins are easy. I just keep the pumpkins outside until they turn to mush at the end of winter and get the seeds out.
Set aside a few plants that you won't eat. Most people try to keep the plants that ripen the fastest and produce the most food.
To avoid cross polination stick with one variety, plant different varieties far away, plant early harvest and a late harvest varieties together....
But you can't 100% gurantee there won't be cross pollination. A plant 1 mile down the road may pollinate yours. This is plant sex. It's harder than trying to keep the neighborhood boys away from your daughter. A little cross polination does give some variety, just becareful.
A lot of it is common sense. Wait until they flower and fruit and keep the seeds.
Turnips, radishes, (mustard type plants). Keep the roots in the ground and the plant will produce yellow flowers. These will turn in seed pods. Collect the little seeds when the plants turn brown. If these were planted late summer/early fall you may have to wait until next spring. Just keep the roots heavily mulched so they don't freeze.
I'm not sure about letuces. I usually just eat wild greens.
Tomatoes. Cut the tomato open when vine ripened. rub the wet seeds onto a brown paper bag. They will stick. When dried, fold the paper up and store for the winter.
Corn. Wait until dry and store on the cob.
Winter type squash like pumpkins are easy. I just keep the pumpkins outside until they turn to mush at the end of winter and get the seeds out.