My Seed Drying Area

I’ve never saved seeds before.
Any special tricks/tips?

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

The best tip I can give you MsD is to check this wonderful site out.
Just google ” The Seed Site ”
It is always a great help to me when I try something I haven’t grown before.And it shows a lot of seeds by picture and actual size.I know this site will tell you all you want to know about seeds.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

Nice Set up.

-- Xploreorganics, 5b Canada, LFD 06-20

thanks :)
this it? http://theseedsite.co.uk/

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Wow, what a set up . That is a lot of work and so organized and displayed so well.

I see there is a plant there I have been trying to find forever

Red Vaerian. I have white but trying to find red, around here, is out of the question

The nurseries keep telling me they never heard of it.

I have a friend in Ont who couldn’t get white so I sent it to her a few years ago. Now of course it spreads so much she can supply all of Ont I think. lol,lol

Does the red, multiply like the white does??

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

Bunting ,
I believe I have the red one. I will check again and if I really do, I will get some seeds for you this afternoon!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Eklectic

Thank you. You are first person I have met that has them or even heard of it besides Bon. I have a lot of gardening friends and they never saw on either

Do they multiply like the white ones and does the red have that wonderful perfume?

My nose can’t ge enough of the prefume. I pick the whites for the bathrooms and bedrooms.

This is what my best friend gave me for seed saving.

It has a leather zip covering with lots of envelopes, tags, note pads, windows and a diary

I love it.

Guess I must be pure lazy but the looks of everyone elses. I am just starting to get seeds in it as they dry but I didn’t have time for a whole lot this year

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

Well, I haven’t had time to pick a lot of seeds and the ones I did pick, I still haven’t organized!
As far as the Valerienne, I had that plant that was very pretty ,smelled nice and did not know what it was until I did some research this summer.
And your seed keeping kit is beautiful!
You sure have a good friend there!!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Nice set up Bon!!!! Very organized … Me I just have a box with open labeled envelopes. Keeps the envelopes upright as the flowers dry. Then of course once dried, go into my Seed Box.

I love seeing how folk are drying seeds!!!! Cuz this is brand new to me this year as well.

MsDeb, Bon suggested this site to me earlier this summer when I had questions about drying seeds. It has been a great help …

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

Yes MsD that is the site I mentioned.Hope you enjoy it.
Love that seed kit Bunting.What a nice gift from your friend.
Ok I only know common names of plants.Please tell me which one I have that is called Vallerienne. :-)
If it is the red lavetera then you should be getting some in the mail any day now Bunting.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

Here is a picture of the Valerienne!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

The red lavatera seeds and this one red valerian is what I have been looking for

thanks

Yes thanks I do have a very special good friend. Been best friends since we were 14 and we live 1km from one another. Bought our homes in this neighbourhood the very same time.

When I was hurt and laid up for almost 5 yr. I don’t know what I would have done without her.

WE are as sisters

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

Bunting.I don’t believe I have the red valerian.It doesn’t look familiar to me.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

I have to tell you, my first year of drying seeds for the next years planting, I put them in plastic baggies. I was so careful, writing the names of all the seeds, carefully putting them in a shoe box. The next planting season arrived and I proudly pulled my box from the cupboard and opened. I was distraught!!!! The little bit of left over moisture had multiplied causing condensation and all I had was a bunch of stinky moldy seeds!!! So the next year I used paper envelopes and brown paper bags! Trial and error, the story of my life! lol

-- "Where flowers bloom, so does hope," Lady Bird Johnson

Daisycrzy. That happened to me one year with a couple of packets that someone told me just leave them in the ziplock bags over winter. Ya right. I use envelopes and paper bags mostly too.I have found that using candy containers for the seeds that I collect a lot of works really well.But I make sure they are really dry before I put the lid on them and store them.We all learn the hard way. ( lol )

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

I have decided that collecting tomato seeds is my least favourite.I always get so gucked up while doing them.I put them in a fine wire strainer and rinse really well then lay them out on paper towels to dry.Usually they stick to the paper towels which makes them harder to get off.Does anyone have a better way to dry these seeds?

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

this is from “Mini Farming for Self Sufficiency” by Brett Markham

• get fruit over ripe
• scrape seeds and pulp into glass jar
• add half the volume of the jar with tap water
• swirl and mix , cover and put in warm place
• 3 days later, good seeds sink to the bottom
• remove, wash, dry

oh, he didn’t talk about drying them
sorry.. can’t help you. lol

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Thanks anyway MsD. I think your info is for when you want to plant them so that you get good seeds.Warm water would start them germinating I think.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

if I remember correctly it was that the fermentation that would happen in the 3 days copies what naturally happens to the seeds. The water then sorts out the bad from the good.. and then you dry the good ones and voila.. ready for next year.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Wow I had no idea.Thank you.Makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more