Since I have been having issues with my MS (multiple Sclerosis), I have invited two new guests to do some guest blogging for me. Today I have Kristi joining me from "Let this Mind be in You" blog. Here is Kristi to tell you a little about herself and then on to her post:
My name is Kristi, from the Let This Mind Be In You blog. I am a
Christian of 22 years and have been the wife of my best friend, Todd,
for 23 years. We have three children, two adults and 1 high schooler,
and have been homeschooling for almost 17 years this December.
We are what people might call urban homsteaders, living on .18 of an
acre in an old farming town. Even though our city has progressed away
from farming, our family is seeking to farm our small piece of heaven.
We care for chickens, rabbits, dogs, and four smallish gardens, and are
learning to make do with what we have.
Harvest Along With me: Radish Seeds
Do you do what I do? Every year, I forget to harvest some of my radishes on time and they end up growing thick stalks and the radishes become woody and inedible. In previous years, I wasn’t sure what to do about this, except to throw them on the compost pile (if I had one) or throw them in the green trash dispenser that our city provides for us. But this year, I got smart.
I became interested in seed saving last year which led me to some research on how to save seeds from the plants that I grow each year. One of those, of course, is radish, and so rather than yanking the woody radishes out of the ground and throwing them away, instead I allowed them to continue growing.
They grew to about 4 feet high and bloomed with the most adorable, delicate little flowers. The bees loved them! The pollinated for days, allowing the plants to produce an abundance of lovely little seed pods, hopefully full of seeds!
Once the plants start dying off and the seed pods turn brown, it’s time to pull up the plants and set them in a well-ventilated area to dry. You can stack or hang them, either way is fine, they just need to be able to dry completely.
Once the pods are completely dry, they are ready to be broken open for seed harvesting. You may notice that the inside of the pods are very similar to styrofoam. I wonder if that’s where man got the idea for it?
Once you have finished your harvesting, store the seeds in a sealed container in a cool, dry place. Seed viability is about 5 years, so make sure you label your container with what type of seeds and the year you harvested the seed.
*Aside from the experience, any additional seed harvesting information came from the book Seed Sowing and Saving by Carole B. Turner (Storey’s Gardening Skills Illustrated series).
Thank you Kristi for a great post and for teaching us something important.
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