garden seeds

Harvesting Garden Seeds

Have you ever wondered how to harvest seeds from your favorite plants?  Harvesting seeds from your plants will guarantee you seeds for years to come.  If the plant produces small seeds you will want to use an old stainless steel strainer with small holes to sift.  Crush the seed pods and shake the strainer to release the small seeds into a paper bag or container.

Label your envelopes or paper bags as you harvest the seeds to reduce confusion, many seeds seem the same.  Make sure your seeds are completely dry before you store them (wet seeds will rot).  Store smaller seeds in an envelope then store them inside a container that is NOT air tight, but will allow enough air to circulate to prevent the seeds from severely drying out.  DO NOT store your seeds wet and always allow ripe seed (still green) pods to dry out sufficiently before packaging.

Growing an Organic Garden

Growing a organic garden isn’t difficult if you have the right tools, but there are some things you’ll need for growing the perfect organic garden.

Seeds

The first thing you’ll need to start growing a organic garden, besides a space laid out for your vegetable patch, is organic gardening seeds. Sure, you can use regular vegetable seeds, but for a real organic garden, you need to start with organic seeds, too. You can find them at a variety of sources, and always make sure that you’re buying certified organic seeds from a certified organic grower. All different types of organic seeds are available, from corn to heirloom tomatoes, so you should be able to find the right varieties you’re looking for very easily.

Tools

Like any hobby, you’ll need to invest in a few tools to help in growing a organic garden.

• Spade or garden shovel. You can use this for planting larger plants, and for spreading mulch, compost, and other nutrients throughout your garden.
• Hoe. Helpful for cultivating between the rows of vegetables in your garden, and for digging out some weeds.
• Pots. You need pots to start seedlings before you can plant them outdoors, but you also need pots for decorative plants throughout your landscaping, like on your patio, porch, or deck.
• Trowel or two. These are very handy for digging smaller holes in the garden, for planting seedlings and such, and for digging up some weeds.
• Hand cultivator. These look like tiny rakes, and they are very helpful for digging out weeds around your vegetables and plants, and aerating the soil around your veggies.
• Bulb planter. Extremely helpful if you’re going to plant a lot of bulbs in the fall or spring, they dig a deep enough hold for every type of bulb you’d like to plant.
• Gardening gloves. Just about every gardener loves a good pair of gardening gloves that protect their hands from dirt, insects, and woody stems.
• A garden cart. These aren’t absolutely necessary, but a small cart you can load with plants, tools, seeds, hoses, and the essentials of gardening are quite handy to cart around your gardening tools, especially if you have an extra-large garden.
• Hoses, nozzles, and sprinklers. These are all necessary watering tools. Once you try a few nozzles, you’ll find the one that’s right for you. Many have adjustable sprays, and watering wands are nice to reach high and out-of-the-way plants.

Fertilizers

There are many organic, natural fertilizers you can use to help in growing a organic garden, and none of them contain chemicals, just rich nutrients for your soil.

• Fish Meal
• Bone Meal
• Dried Manure
• Wood Ashes
• Rock Potash

Many of these fertilizers are available at your local nursery or feed stores, just be sure you know the right amount to use on your organic garden, or you could end up harming your plants. If you use the right equipment, you can be growing a organic garden before you know it, and your plants will be healthier, happier, and far safer for your family to eat.