Hello
Gardeners
I
have added over 200 packets of native plant seeds to the seed library!
Thank
you to all the volunteers who have helped package seeds this fall. I still have
more native plant seeds to package, so if you would like to package seeds at
home, please let me know. I can make up a bag of seeds and supplies you can
pick up at the library, package them at home and then return to the library.
You can email me at wblseedlibrary@gmail.com
if you are interested.
You
may think that I am a bit early for packaging seeds as winter is not a usual
time for planting seeds in Minnesota, but actually winter is a great time for planting
native plant seeds!
Many
native plant seeds need a period of stratification before they will germinate.
Stratification is a period of a cold, moist environment (i.e. winter) before
the seed will germinate. This is nature’s way of preventing seeds from
germinating in the fall when there may only be a few weeks for the seedling to
grow.
Stratification
can be done many ways.
1.
Direct
sow seeds in the ground this fall. They will germinate next spring.
2.
Use
the winter sowing method using plastic jugs or containers. In this method you
use empty milk/water jugs or empty plastic container with a clear cover, such
as take out chicken containers or large yogurt containers. Start by punching
holes all over the bottom, sides and top of the containers. If you are using a
plastic jug, cut along the equator of the jug leaving a small bit uncut by the
handle. Place about 3” of potting soil (not garden soil) in the bottom of the container.
Plant the seeds. Put the cover on the container and place outside in a
sheltered area that will receive sun and rain/snow for the winter. Early next
spring check the container and water if necessary. Soon you will have seedling
emerging. Later in the spring or early summer you can plant these seedlings
directly in your garden as they will not need to be hardened off.
3.
You
can also do winter sowing using damp fine sand or damp coffee filters and a Ziploc
bag. Place the seed in the sand or on the coffee filter. Place in a ziplock bag
and store in your refrigerator for the number of days needed to stratify. (All
the seed library packets specify the stratification time.) After the stratification time has elapsed
plant the seeds in trays or small containers to germinate inside your home.
These seedlings will need to be hardened off before planting in your garden
late spring.
Native
plant seeds are the best for attracting pollinators such as bees, butterflies
and hummingbirds. They are easy to care for and need little maintenance once
established.
Remember
the seed library would love to have your seeds! Saving seeds is easy and fun.
It is helpful if you remove the seeds from the seed heads or pods before
donating to the seed library. It saves many hours of volunteer time if we don’t
have to ‘clean’ the seeds before packaging.
Below
is a quick how-to guide in saving seeds.
How to
Save Seeds
1.
Select open-pollinated (not hybrid/ F1) varieties of plants.
2.
Start with the easiest seeds to save: Peas, Beans, Tomatoes, Lettuce and Native
Plants.
3.
Grow your plants making sure they are not cross-pollinated with other
varieties. Select the healthiest plants to harvest seeds. If growing
vegetables, also select good tasting fruit with high yields. Don’t choose wonky
looking plants and select fruits from more than one plant if possible.
4.
Gather fruits or seed pods at the correct time. See details below.
5.
Dry seeds thoroughly. Store seeds in paper envelopes or small clean jars in a
dry, cold location. A plastic or glass container in your refrigerator is a
great place to store seeds.
6.
Label, label, label! Include the date,
location and other notes about the plant, such as days to maturity or sun
preference. You will forget come springtime.
Peas and Beans
Allow
pods to ripen on the plants until they are dry and start turning brown. Peas
and beans must be completely ripe or they won’t germinate. This will take about
a month after harvesting the other peas/beans for eating. You can either strip
the pods from the plants or pull up the entire plants whole and spread them to
dry inside or other sheltered well-ventilated area for a couple of weeks. Shell
pods and store in paper envelopes or jars. Pea and bean seeds remain viable for
3 years.
Tomatoes
Allow
fruit to ripen fully and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Put the seeds and pulp
in a glass jar with some water. Let sit at room temperature for 2-4 days,
stirring once a day. Each day pour off the pulp and seeds that float to the
top. Viable seeds will sink to the bottom. After 4 days, remove the seeds at
the bottom, rinse thoroughly, drain and spread on newspaper or paper towels to
dry. Package in paper envelopes or jars. Tomato seeds remain viable for 4
years.
Lettuce
You
must allow the lettuce plant to bolt or grow a stalk which will make a flower
head with small yellow flowers. They eventually change to feathery white tufts
which contain black or white seeds. Lettuce seeds don’t ripen all at once, so
monitor the plants for a month or two. Each time you see some seeds turning
dark, shake the plant over a paper bag to catch the seeds. Dry indoors for a
week before storing. Lettuce seeds remain viable for 5 years.
Native Plants
Most
native plants produce a flower, which if pollinated, will make a seed head or
pod. Late in the fall or after a frost, collect the seed pods or heads and
allow to thoroughly dry. Remove the seeds before storing. Many native plants,
especially milkweeds, attach a fluff bit to each seed to allow the seeds to
disperse in the wind. To remove this fluff put the opened seed pods in a bucket
or container with a lid. Add a couple of coins and close the lid and shake. The
shaking with the coins will remove the fluff from the seeds. After shaking, the
seeds will be at the bottom of the container.
Most
native seeds require a moist cold period of time called stratification before
they will germinate. The easiest way to grow these seeds is to plant them in
the fall and let them go through the winter where they will sprout in the
spring. Otherwise you will need to simulate winter by placing the seeds in
moist sand and storing in the refrigerator for a set number of days before
starting inside.
RESOURCES
University
of Minnesota Extension information - http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/vegetables/saving-vegetable-seeds/
Seed
Savers Exchange – http://www.seedsavers.org/
Native
plant growing from Prairie Moon Nursery - https://www.prairiemoon.com/
Seed Sowing and Saving by Carole B. Turner
Starting and Saving
Seeds
by Julie Thompson-Adolf
Local Greenhouses and
Nurseries
As
a request from our volunteers I am adding a list of various local greenhouses
or garden centers that sell plants. Many of these establishments do not use
neonicotinoids on their plants that they grow. But the buyer should beware: they may sell plants that were grown
previously at a different wholesaler which did use systemic pesticides. You
should ask the growers at these establishments whether neonics were used on the
plants you wish to purchase.
Neonicotinoids
or ‘neonics’ are a systemic pesticides used on plants to kill insects.
Unfortunately, these insecticides also harm pollinators as the insecticide gets
into all parts of the plant including the pollen and nectar.
The only way to be sure
a plant has not been treated with neonics is to buy certified organic seed and
grow it yourself, or buy a certified organically grown plant.
More
information here.
Goldman’s Greenhouse – East Bethel, MN
Website:
Goldman's
Outback Nursery – Hastings, MN
Seller
of Minnesota native trees, shrubs and perennials.
Website:
Outback
Prairie Moon Nursery – Winona, MN and order
online
They
have hundreds of varieties of native plant seeds, plants and bare root stock.
Website:
Prairiemoon
Prairie Restorations – Scandia, MN
Seller
of Minnesota native plants.
Website:
Prairieresto
Pam
Contact
info for the Seed Library:
Email:
wblseedlibrary@gmail.com
Blog
site: WBL Seed Library
