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permie love

~ permaculturist + master gardener

permie love

Tag Archives: plants

love tip #10: gathering seeds

05 Sunday Oct 2014

Posted by Dusty Lynn Baker in love tips

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Black-Eyed Susan, bulbs, Fall, gardening, gathering, love tips, Mother Nature, plants, Seed Savers Exchange, seeds, storage, trees, Tulip Tree, wildflowers

As I return to the world-wide web and all of its wonders, I’m also returning to my land and gathering seeds from the finest of the plants–ones that I will want to plant more of in the coming seasons.

Seeds collected today from my property

Seeds collected today from my property

How does one know which seeds are ready and how to store them?  These are questions that can be answered in general, but also with a unique answer for each plant type.  Confusing?  Well, yes and no.

The best answer is that Mother Nature lets you know when things are ready!  Plants and/or their seeds either dry up, drop from the plant, are blown in the wind, or as hikers and pet owners both know, are carried inside on humans and furry pets alike.

  • My Black-Eyed Susans have big dried seed-cones that I’m able to clip whole and store.
  • My Eastern Redbuds have bean pods that have dried and browned and are just starting to fall.  (These have gorgeous flowers in the Spring.)
  • And, although the Pin Oaks’ acorns are still green, they are falling to the ground, thus telling me that they are ready to be gathered as they will dry and brown within the week.  (Our squirrels bury their seeds rather than store them, losing most, so I’ll save these to give to them in winter!)
  • Without seeds, I still have baby Tulip Trees that have volunteered themselves in my flower beds.  I let them have their way in the flower beds this past summer and now, with just one growing season, they are 2-3 feet tall and ready to transplant once their leaves drop.
  • And don’t forget Hostas and spring/early summer bulb plants.  With fall comes the perfect time to move, divide and conquer many of these so that they will be in place and ready to grow as soon as nature commands in the Spring.

As for storage, everything has its own rules but nearly all require time to dry (lowering moisture) and storage in a cool, dry, dark place until ready for planting.  And while some say that the seeds must be in breathable containers (such as paper), others swear by their old habits of using sealed glass jars such as canning jars, or old mayo or pickle jars, or plastic zipper bags.

Gathered wildflower and tree seeds in Mason jars

Gathered wildflower and tree seeds in canning jars

I say to each his own.  If you’re worried about a particular seed, research it to find out if it has any special needs.  For example, my PawPaws have seeds, but they have extremely particular growing needs that are difficult to reproduce.  But regardless, don’t fret, take on the challenge to keep your favorites and enjoy the process as it plays out.

To see some of the plants listed above, visit my plant inventory page.

You can also visit Seed Savers Exchange for more information on the process and to gain access (via membership) to a seed exchange service.

 

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photos in my garden

13 Sunday Apr 2014

Posted by Dusty Lynn Baker in Uncategorized

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Tags

blooms, buds, garden, growing, photos, plants, woods

A small gathering of the growing wonders in my garden and woods!

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rain barrels are filling

27 Thursday Mar 2014

Posted by Dusty Lynn Baker in Uncategorized

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cistern, clay soil, downspout, gardening, Mother Earth, perennials, plants, rain barrel, savings, sustainabilty, thunderstorms

UPDATE!  These rain barrels were a wonderful addition last year!  We had good rainfall and both remained nearly full the entire summer.  I did not use the garden hose, NOT ONE TIME, for watering!  When winter came, I had to open the valves so that the water would pass through and not freeze the faucets on them.  Need to figure out a way to ‘bypass the bypass’ so that the water will drain back down the original path and away from the house.

Thunderstorms coming in tonight to both test and help fill our new rain barrels!

Got two 50-gallon rain barrels installed on the downspouts.  Not anywhere near the amount I’ll want or need but it is a start.

50 Gallon Rain barrel

Hoping to eventually get a large cistern for this end of the house where the basement walk-out area is and then placing the smaller ones on the other end by our driveway.

And while it will take over 300 fillings of each to start saving dollars out of my pocket due to sunk costs on the barrel and downspout redirect, the savings to Mother Earth are enormous.

Every time a barrel fills, that’s 50 gallons less of pumped and chemical filled water being delivered to my door.  Also, by getting the pre-made enclosed barrels, we won’t be adding to the summer mosquito problems.

Note to self: Re-level them after a few rains (very clay soil) and then plant some perennials around the bases to help seat them in and to beautify!

 

 

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love tip #7: identifying edible wild garlic

18 Tuesday Mar 2014

Posted by Dusty Lynn Baker in love tips

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Tags

bulb, edible weeds, education, flavor, hollow stem, identification, plants, salad, stem, taste, weeds, wild garlic, wild onion, yard grass

It’s that time of year.  The wild garlic has sprouted up in my yard in what seems like overnight and I’m ready to start using it in my recipes.  But, how do I know if it’s edible?  And how can I tell if it’s wild onions or wild garlic popping up?

Wild garlic growing in the woods by my house.  It looks like grass at first glance, but closer up it reveals its similarity to green onions or chives.  It is also far outpacing the yard grass in this cool weather.

Wild garlic growing in the woods by my house. It looks like grass at first glance, but closer up it reveals its similarity to green onions or chives. It is also far outpacing the yard grass in this cool weather.

A full wild garlic bulb with stem pulled from the back, left of the clump in the above picture.

A full wild garlic bulb with stem pulled from the back, left of the clump in the above picture.

Wild garlic is identified from wild onion due to it's hollow stem.

Wild garlic is identified by its garlic/onion odor and hollow stem.  Wild onions have a flattened stem.

How the wild garlic bulb looks when split open.  Very difficult to differentiate from a wild onion.  Luckily, both are edible and good tasting!

How the wild garlic bulb looks when split open. Although difficult to differentiate from a wild onion, both are edible and good tasting!

And the taste?  Today’s sample had a wonderfully strong flavor of garlic with the slight heat you would expect from a standard onion.  Yum!

Remember that while both are edible, I don’t recommend randomly going out and tasting your yard greens without proper education!  You could get a rotten tummy or even poisoned by popping the wrong yard greens into your salads.  So please, take my info at heart, and if you have any question as to plant identification: Stop!  Don’t eat it!  Learn from an expert!

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love tip #1: snow mold

11 Tuesday Feb 2014

Posted by Dusty Lynn Baker in love tips

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Chase Best, grass, lawn, Old Capital Golf Club, plants, plowing, shoveling, snow, snow mold, Spring-Green

As a part of this blog, I thought I’d include what I’d like to call “love tips.” Of course the “love” here is for our environment!  Please enjoy!

love tip #1

According to Old Capital Golf Club Superintendent, Chase Best, many people are shoveling their snow the wrong way! If you’ve never heard of “snow mold,” let this be a first.

permie love tip #1Snow mold occurs when grass and plants are trapped under a heavy layer of snow for an extended amount of time, anywhere between 20-40 days. This might seem forever for some of us where the snow cycles, but it’s the shoveling in these areas that often causes the damage.

When shoveling or plowing snow, remember to alternate the locations where removed snow is piled in order to help prevent lawn diseases.  Although it might not snow again for weeks, temperatures can easily keep piled snow around for much longer.

Check out Spring-Green for more information on snow mold.

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