Saving Seeds

 Tomato seeds are one of the easiest types of seed to save. This is usually done in September when fruits are at their peak and seeds have filled the fruit cavities.

We usually try and take seed from a number of plants of the same variety looking for the most robust tomato off of each vine.

I bring them into the house and cut them open and literally squeeze, squish the seeds out and into clean mason jars. I add some water to cover them. Unchlorinated water. Then they are allowed to sit for a week or more until a scum forms and the fruit itself is beginning to rot.

Black Plum

At this point I empty the contents of the jar into a clean bucket and rinse, rinse, rinse the seeds till they are free of the membrane and tissue connecting the seeds to the fruit.

I use a sifter to pour off the water and collect the seed. Then dump the seeds into the bucket again and again. I repeat this process until I am happy they are cleaned.

With newspaper I make a kind of blotter paper to absorb the water as the seeds dry. I fold up the paper so it is about 8-10 layers thick and put a piece of clean, white paper towel on top. 
This way I can see the seeds. I prepare one blotter for each variety and label them with black felt markers. Each day I remove the paper towel gently and refold the newspaper so a new "dry" spot is exposed. Then I put the paper towel with the seeds back on top. This way the moisture is "wicked" away quicker.
Spread the seeds out so they don't touch as much as possible and make sure they dry thoroughly otherwise you are going to have rot and mold once you put them into envelopes and store them.

Brown Berry

Heritage seed tomatoes that are open-pollinated give you the best chance of having a favorite variety come true. This is one of the best reasons for growing heritage seeds. It helps to keep diversity going.

It may seem odd that I am writing about saving seeds now but it is time to start bringing out the seeds you have saved and begin growing them out. Early varieties can certainly be started now.

If you haven't saved seed then now is the time to check out Seedy Saturdays and local farmer's markets for growers of local seeds so you get the pick from the best selection.

If you have a garden planner, journal or calendar think about putting a note on it for the month of August that you need to begin thinking about and selecting what tomato seeds you might want to save and preserve for next year. I do this a lot for all kinds of reminders. Some things have marginal windows of opportunity in the gardening year and the only way is to remind myself as the date draws near.

Saving seed. I really hope you'll all give it a try.

SEEDS

catkins on alders

 The signs are everywhere. The landscape is "waking" up from its' winter sleep. Time to start planting for the upcoming season.

fragrant violets

The first seed order should be arriving in the mail soon.

Seeds are the most amazing things. Each one holding the complete potential of a new living plant.

Each one is an embryo plant. Each has enough food stored within it to feed itself until it has formed a root and seed leaves. It takes about 10 to 30 days to reach that stage. Then the process of manufacturing food begins.  The little plant needs air, warmth, light, moisture and access to nutrients to grow on. Vegetative growth occurs at the tips of roots and stems.

seeded trays of early greens

Utmost care must be taken handling these precious seedlings when transplanting. They each have only ONE stem and ONE root . They can afford to lose a leaf but not the others. The best way to handle the plant is by holding it on one of the leaves and gently placing it into the soil.
This transaction should be done as quickly and efficiently as possible so the plant has the best chance of recovery from this "trans plant" shock.

It is truly amazing to be part of process of watching a plant go from seed to fully matured and ready for harvest. From a small beginning to a plant that is often hundreds times the size of the original seed in a matter of months.

It never ceases to astonish and surprise me.

The Home Stretch

We're coming into the home stretch of the planting season. Another week or so and we will have the main season crops into the ground. The last of the tomatoes are going in. Yesterday climbing cucumbers were added to the greenhouse mix. Still have to put in a row of field cucumbers and basil. Now we are going to seed carrots and beets one last time for this year. Radishes, lettuces and spinach are ongoing. 

Big job is getting the irrigation set up. There are always pipes to mend and seal. Bryne has his work cut out for him in this department. In spite of us living on the "wild, wet coast" we do need to irrigate. Yesterday was a prime example of why. We had a crazy "sou'wester" blow through here all afternoon well into the night. It took down trees, branches and the power ! These summer winds dry everything out ! Especially young plants that are still establishing their roots. Have to keep things irrigated so that they get their feet and grow properly.

Today I will walk the fields and make sure everything is accounted for and recorded on my charts. It is another part of farming that needs to be done. Recording and staying on top of what you do, have done and did do. Not just for the organic certification but for our own information and knowledge. Keeping records really helps. We can look back on any given year and see what we have done, where, how much, what the weather was etc. Our harvest records will indicate what did well and what didn't by how much we picked, bunched and bagged off to market.

We harvested spinach this past Friday for market. Harvested 150 pounds of rhubarb. Strawberries are beginning to form, the first potatoes are flowering(the photos show the plants and the size of a few potatoes I dared to dig gently with my hand) spring onions are almost ready to bunch. I ate the first snow pea, couldn't resist !

Its an exciting time to be on the farm. So much is happening and the growth is spectacular from just a week or so ago as the days get their longest and the heat units take off !

Gotta go, the day won't wait for me. The hummers (hummingbirds) are out doing battle on the feeders already!

Well the day is done, just had a hot bath and want to finish off this blog. Had a great day. Got the worst of the weeds out of fields A and B. Weeded the spring onions, rhubarb, snow peas and beets. Got the tallest of the grass weed whacked to a tolerable height. The crew was great today, everyone working together.

Those winds picked up again late afternoon but guess what ? As I sit here it is raining outside, pouring rain, a rain that will do the plants a lot of good and go deep. Lucky Bryne, he is SO happy when he doesn't have to irrigate. It doesn't get much better than that !

Good night, sweet dreams. ;-

)

After a week or so of rather good, albeit cold temperatures it is raining today as is so typical of our west coast winters. Don't mind the frostier days at least the sun is out or trying to. Gives lots of incentive to get outside and do outdoor chores.

Its the time of year to prune, prune, prune ! I have done the grapes, the roses, working on the perennial herb beds now and then will tackle some of the fruit trees. Still time to plant new trees if thats in your plans for this year.

The rhubarb is definetly starting to make it's appearance and is also a good time to divide them, side dress them with finished compost. Last year the rhubarb was resting so hopefull it will produce in full force. Need to weed the beds too now and cultivate the soil with a rake or fork.

The heated tables in the greenhouse are bursting with seedlings. Lots of transplanting to the second stage has already been done. New seeds being put into flats and onto the heated tables all the time. Good time to start oriental greens, cabbages, peas, some lettuces, spinach, beets. We start them all in flats at this time and transplant them once hardened off after about 6 weeks start to in the ground. Lots of them will go into the hoop houses and some can even go out into the field with remay cloth at the ready if temperatures go too low ( -0 or lower ).

Sorting, cleaning, grooming, tidying after all the storms of winter is an ongoing job. Interesting how glaringly obvious everything is when the green lushness of spring and summer isn't there to distract the eye. This is really the best time of year to get at all these kinds of jobs done or at least started. Gets me motivated, eager for the season to get going and gets my body acclimatized and used to being outside and moving again. Love it !!