Saving for the Future

Every year I save seeds, whether I need to or not. I use some and sell a few, but most are given away. I try to start fresh every season. Really, the whole process is very time and mind consuming and has gotten completely out of hand.

Each seed pod or flower is cut into a basket in the garden. Then the baskets are moved into the house and the contents transferred into large brown grocery bags to dry. Some bags need to be shaken and the seeds rearranged to dry properly. I scribble the name of the plant on the outside of the bag. If you go into my attic in November, you’ll see as many as fifty labeled, open bags lined up like little soldiers.

When the weather cools off and after the seeds are well dried, I roughly clean and transfer them into old Santa Fe tobacco cans. Each can has a picture on its lid of the plant in bloom cut out from a seed catalogue. I try to work on a tarp, as this cleaning and transferring process makes a real mess. Some of the refuse is vacuumed, some composted, some goes to beautify the landfill.

The reason for not composting all of the remains is because I’ve discovered that sometimes the compost doesn’t get hot enough to nullify the hardiest of seeds and I don’t want just anything popping up in the vegetable beds. I do allow dill and a few other herb seeds free reign. We’ll discuss that in another post. 

 Okay, now all the seeds are canned up, placed in an open box where I can easily see the top labels and stacked. (I forgot to mention that certain roots, washed and dried are included in this saving process.) Any roots or seeds I wish to make into tinctures or extractive oils are generally put on the top.

Now I’m ready to either make teas or medicines, sow indoors or out and to send guests home with handfuls of future plants. With the seeds tucked away I can now turn my full attention to the retrieval of frozen organic berries or canned fruit juice I made last summer; let the jam and jelly making begin in earnest.

No one disputes the fact I’m nuts.