If there's one thing I've learned since we began growing our own food...
It's that Life Wants To Grow. Food wants to be in abundance. Abundance is food's natural state. The amount of seeds that only one fruit or vegetable gives, never mind a whole plant, bush or tree, is testimony to that. I've only been saving seeds for two years now, and I've already got almost too much again. Last year I mailed out 30 envelopes stuffed with all different kinds of seed and I still have a tonne left over.
Needless to say I'll be sending out seeds again this spring, to ensure my friends and family in Canada can grow food for less money. I'll be sure to let everyone in Canada on Steemit know and I'll send you some seeds too! Another reason I have such a surplus of seed is because I have some great friends who mail me their own seeds. It's a beautiful way to stay in touch and enrich each other's gardens.
Kale seeds. All from flowers (which turned into seed pods) off of just 8 plants. Wait until you see this...can you even imagine how many kale plants can be grown now? Life Wants To Grow.
Time for Beans.
I made ratatouille and harvested squash seeds at the same time ;) Hey I always said I'm a damn fine multitasker.
And Now For Every Gardener's Porn...My Seed Stash!
Sunflowers seeds from my monsters this year.
Very special tobacco and Hemp Seed sent to me in the summer by White Walking Feather @wwf, I cannot wait to plant them this spring!
A tonne of different tomato and medicinal flower seeds sent to me in the spring by @karenfoster. I still have some left and our greenhouse has a lot of tomato in it that we will be harvesting the seeds from soon.
These beauties were mailed to me all the way from the UK by the amazing Salli @ontheinside in the Spring as well. I'm looking forward to planting them this season!
Dill.
Spinach.
Well that's it folks, thanks for stopping by and witnessing my seedy porn hahaha! Remember to save your seeds <3 <3 <3 To ensure that @foodisfree!!
I'm currently trying to get the broccoli seeds harvested. I tried enlisting my daughter's help, but it didn't get far! Lol! Usually I leave them too long and lots of seeds drop giving me new plants voluntarily and I end up not needing the ones I collected! Glad to be able to pass them on though.
Your collection's looking fantastic!
Thank you very much for liking my collection @minismallholding! Sounds like your daughter will be growing up with many skills to help her become a great gardener like you :) :)
Not sure I'd call myself a great gardener! 🤣 More like bumbling!!
I hear ya, I can relate haha :) It sure is fun though with unexpected delights!
Impressive collection of seeds there!
After having success with a few seeds I collected last year, I've started really getting into seed collecting this year. I like trying new varieties (including from Chase Organics) but I hope by next year I'll be able to use at least 50% of home produced seed.
The other area of propagation I've got into this year is cuttings. It is amazing what will grow. We were drying a whole bunch of sage a couple of weeks back, and after stripping off the leaves I chopped up the stalks into 1 inch lengths. I popped them in damp compost and amazingly about 80% of them have taken. Isn't nature wonderful!
Wow, I really need to get into cutting! Thanks for the inspiration to take it to the next level @pennsif!!
I went on a one day plant propagation workshop last month that got me going on this. Once I realised how easy it is I've been taken cuttings all over the place. I've got dozens and dozens and dozens of little pots on the go now - plenty to share around in the spring.
How exciting!!
Love your seedy porn Lyndsay! Reminds me of growing up and working with my mom in the garden... and learning that we didn't get to harvest everything to eat; we had to save some for next year. Reminds me of sitting at the kitchen table and folding little paper envelopes from big sheets of paper so we could save seeds. And then there were the occasional experience that NONE of a certain seed did anything the next year.
Good for you for being self-sufficient and growing your own food!
That is great that you have such fond memories of growing and saving seeds! I hope my boys look back as happily as you do @denmarkguy. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
I hope they do, too! In our complex technological world, there was just something about that being a "simpler" time that appeals to me. Different things-- of more "substance"-- mattered.
I showed your article about the seeds to my 6-yr-old daughter, Olive, who is sitting on my lap. She wanted to decide for herself how much of a vote to give you. She says that she likes every plant and seed that you have.
Tell Olive that I would be honoured to send her some seeds this spring! Woohoo!! Thanks for your support Olive!! :) :) :)
Olive is very excited about that and says that we will definitely plant them,
because she loves seeds.
She wants to know which type of seeds you are going to send us.
Green/Yellow/Purple beans
Sunflowers
Cosmos
Hollyhock
Spinach
Dill
Zucchini
Corn
Tomato (if you are going to start some seeds indoors)
Comment stalking again, lol ;)
Yes, we have to save seed.
That is really awesome!! I will be starting out in the spring. I have in my plan for the spring planting to have some of my fruits and veggies to go to seed to lighten my wallet for future planting.
Good for you for taking these important steps to self sufficiency.
Seedy porn, hahaha, I love it!
Glad I could make you laugh :) :) :)
Omg that is some serious seed porn...want to trade stuff this year again? I can send you sweet potato slips 🙄
Oooh yes my friend, nothing would make me happier!!
Can't wait. My seed game this year was kinda weak lol. Got some cool stuff to share tho!
you are amazing, my parents are also farmers. now I also plant some vegetables in the garden yard of the house. and what you do is very useful @lyndsaybowes
Blessings to you and your parents, I hope your planting goes very well!
I have never seen such a hobby!
you're a very special person and you have much connection with nature
I'd like to be closer to plants as well, gardening is like miracle for me)
Thank you very much for taking such an interest @taliakerch!
I was going to make a post about this, but you beat me to it! lol I guess I'll change it to how to thrash seeds to clean them for storage then! Bravo. I look forward to seeing some tobacco and hemp pictures next season!
I really look forward to seeing any of your seeds, your stash, your methods of saving, it will be great! xoxo
Got a little stash myself. We have a bad case of moths and butterflies right now we are battling the catapillars. May have to switch it up for a while. Hope you all are well! 🐓🐓
Ooh what are the moths and butterflies doing?
haha best kind of porn to have!! You said it best, life wants to grow!! I love the picture you got, your seed collection is looking a lot like mine! mostly plastic baggies. I used change money from the car for my first seed order and haven't bought any since. food is free. and it wants to grow! Half tempted to try out a mini-food forest in the back yard and just let it do it's thing. see what happens.
I always enjoy reading your posts. Glad you are sharing your love and seeds!!
Oooh super excited hearing about your mini food forest idea @tiredmama! You can do it!! I will love to see this <3 <3 <3 <3 The sky is the limit!!
Seed saving is so important!! Especially since so mnay seed companies are bought out by the big boys and we already lost so much diversity in our plants. Good on you for saving and sharing!!
Oooh you got it @mariannewest!!
That reminds me of my house. So many bags of saved seeds! Great work!
Thanks @homesteadbuilder, and I'm so happy to hear your stash is full of your own little bags too, way to be sustainable!!
I'm waiting to see if any of my pole beans mature enough on the vines to be viable. I don't always have the best luck with pole bean seeds because of cross-pollination. I've been saving carrot seeds for several years, those usually do pretty well.
That's awesome about the carrot seeds Amber, do you just leave a few carrots in over winter and then they go to seed in the spring or?
Yes, that's basically what I do. The little carrots that aren't worth pulling out get left in over the winter, and they produce seeds the following year. I actually just let them seed themselves for 3 years to see how that would work. They end up everywhere in the garden except where you want them.
Almost done collecting seeds, little bit left in the backyard I think.
Way to go you guys! :) :) #FoodIsFree!!!
What I'd like to start doing is grow my own herbal plants that I could use for brews and teas, such as Burdoch and Red Clover. It's becoming increasingly difficult to find a store that sells dried herbs like that. I'm just not sure how to start and how to keep it. I'm wondering if I should get a green house.
Already looking forward to next year's garden!
In the civil war letters I'm transcribing from my 3x-great-grandmother, she was just going on about all her seeds and how her husband hadn't labelled them properly before he went off to war. So it's a hoot to see how well-organized and sorted yours are.
Hmmmm....I'm going to start reading your Civil War Letters, you've piqued my interest!
There's lots of good homesteading details in there. They survived by growing and selling plants to the neighbors. I can't get over how much she accomplished with hand-tools. (Do you have a dung-fork?)
Food is free like you pointed out. I love agriculture so much and everything that cones with it. Used to farm when i was still in my diploma programme in school.
The seed looks good and viable, could have really wished to have some to practice with our soil here.
Love the seed collection, you have a number of nice and productive seedlings there.
Thank you for sharing.
Looks great. A lot of effort, but worth doing it. 👍 I do it with my peppers as well. Good to have everything ready for the next season.
In hot or cold places
In Canada, a cold place :)
Can it be done in Egypt?
Yes :) Do you grow food?
That is so wonderful, you will have so much food!!
Sorry for jumping in..
But if i get @tag2017 very well,is like she just want to start farm work..she need your help i guess.
So important to save seeds and black krim are one of my favorite toms!
Mmmm yes they are so delicious!
Lovely post, I actually save tomatoe seeds often. Problem is that the monkeys keep eating all the ripe tomatoes after growing.
Haha, seedy porn. You really are the most awesome homesteader babe.
It's great to see your posts doing so well. You're the best Lyndsay ❤️
Hhahaaa thanks for always supporting my dark side lololol
Wow!! You have an abundance there! Awesome that you send to fam and friends. Growing food with love for sure!
:) It was so life-giving to see everyone's photos of their gardens with my little grandbabies growing in them :D <3 xoxooxoxox
Awww that is wonderful! How cute!! An ever-growing cycle! xoxo
I love saving seed and sharing seed. I'm in the US if anyone here wants exchange some seeds that sounds like it could be fun. Follow me and I'll follow you let's ensure a diversity of food is growing for everyone.
That's a very genius way to keep farming every year..it is good not to put all eggs in just one basket ..with this your way of keep seeds you will find it easier for yourself and relative to have more food for the future ..how i wish people are practicing this kind of live style..keep it up @lyndsaybowes
This is awesome! I need to start saving seeds too, although I don’t have that much of a variety in my garden (yet). Free veggies for years to come!
And the super bonus they become tailored to your environment <3 <3 <3
Life is miraculous!
What a great collection!
I have seed envy right now.
Hemp? Will be looking into that one. Maybe tobacco too (hubby is a smoker)
Both very fulfilling plants to grow. I wish you all the best @goldendawne! You got this!
I have faith in myself!
Doing beans next year too. Going to keep them dried out for soaking and eating later. Still learning the process
Most states in the U.S. won't let you grow hemp. It's pot's low THC cousin.
Oh wow! Best be careful then
Holy crap that's a lot of seeds. you'll be busy next spring at planting time..
Oh yeah busy as a bee! Every year we turn more of this land into gardens, and we have big plans for this upcoming season. :) :)
That's great. Maybe you'll get enough extra to barter with
Great, you've made me jealous, now I just need to find a place to plant something.
Do you have a bit of space for a garden? Even a balcony would do wonders, there are so many veggies and fruits that can thrive in pots.
Heck yeah- definitely going to be a project for next spring.
Super cool! I love your resourcefulness and the fact you're helping others out. Thanks for adding high quality content to #teamanada. U rock girl 👊😎
Thank you very much for enjoying this seedy post @goldenarms!
I was going to make a post about this, but you beat me to it! lol I guess I'll change it to how to thrash seeds to clean them for storage then! Bravo. I look forward to seeing some tobacco and hemp pictures next season!
This post has been resteemed by @msp-canada courtesy of @goldenarms from the Minnow Support Project ( @minnowsupport ). Join us in Discord.
Upvoting this comment will help support @minnowsupport.
This post received a 20% vote by @msp-canada courtesy of @goldenarms from the Minnow Support Project ( @minnowsupport ). Join us in Discord.
Upvoting this comment will help support @minnowsupport.
Congratulations @lyndsaybowes!
Your post was mentioned in the hit parade in the following category: