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Re: seed harvesting

Evonne wants to know:

>Im just learning how to harvest seeds this year, and I'm stuck on a couple
>plants, does anyone know how to harvest seeds from borage, penstamon,
>echinops, rudbeckia, perennial lobelia, or perennial sunflower? any tips
>would be much appreciated, also any ideas on how I can tell when they are
>ready.
>Evonne 
>

Penstemon species form a tear drop shaped fruit that begins various colors
and dries and hardens to a dark brown. As it ripens, the very tip will begin
to split open. I like to collect them at that point to avoid loosing seeds.
I remove the seed heads and shake them in a bag to remove the seeds. If you
don't wait long enough for the slits to open in the top you'll have to break
the heads open individually, which creates a lot more junk in your seeds
than you'll want. Penstemon seeds from some species (the larger ones) look
like bits of dark wood and are hard to identify as seeds if you've never
harvested them before. Just be confident that what is contained in the pods
is probably seed unless it is moldy or infested with larvae of some sort
(which often happens when penstemons are grown out of their native environs). 

Echinops seeds are one of natures garbage factories. Collect the seed heads
when they are brown and papery. As you take the seed pods apart you will
find layer upon layer of brown papery material and deep within a seed. The
seeds are long and cylindrical in shape and are a light brown when mature.
Many immature seeds are usually produced. The good ones will be hard and at
least 1/4" long. I wish I knew of a better way to clean these. They are a pain!

Rudbeckia seeds are produced among the remains of the brown disc flowers
that make up the dark center of the flower. The seeds of the annual
Rudbeckia hirta and it's many hybrid forms can be considered ripe for
collection when the yellow parts turn brown and fall off. Test to see if
they are ready by rolling a seed head in your hand. If the seeds are ripe
they will fall out easily. They look much like black splinters. Collect the
seedheads in a paper bag and shake vigorously to loosen the seeds from the
heads. Then pour the contents a little at time out into a shallow container
with a 1-2" side (like a small sour cream or chip dip container) blow gently
into the container and the excess material will be blown out and leave the
good seeds behind. You will loose some seeds this way, but not many and
there are always many produced. You can also lay the seeds in your hand and
gently blow the chaff away. (You'll loose more this way, but it isn't as
messy). Professionals use variable speed fans to do this. This same method
applies to some of the perennial forms, including missouriensis and
"Goldstrum", which is not a hybrid, but a subspecies of Rudbeckia fulgida
(specifically it is Rudbeckia fulgida ssp sullivantii). Rudbeckia maxima
(another wonderful perennial species produces huge seeds in large hard
elongated cones. They take a long time to mature after flowering, but the
seed head will fall apart easily when they finally ripen. Again, winnowing
(the method I described above) works quite well.  

Lobelia seeds (perennial types) are produced in seed pods that look like
green buttons with bits of dried brown paper stuck to them. When they just
begin to turn tan they are ripe and though you may not be able to see it,
there are then small holes that open in the tops of each pod. Pluck them
from the plant and place them in a container and shake. You will find under
the pods a lot of what looks like orange-brown dust (white in white forms).
These are the seeds.

Helianthus (perennial sunflowers) - the hardest part about harvesting
perennial sunflowers is beating the finches to them. If you wait until the
seed heads are brown all of the seeds may have already been harvested by the
birds. I pick the seed heads after I can peel a few apart and find firm dark
grey seeds in them. These seeds are fully formed, but haven't begun to
harden yet. If they are green or translucent they aren't ready to be picked
yet. I pick the pods whole, place them in an open container in a single
layer and allow them to dry completely. Then you break them apart and the
small black sunflower seeds are easy to see.

I've never grown borage, but it is related to the perennial Anchusa azurea.
The seeds should be fairly large and probably mature at different times
requiring hand collection. The seed pods may also be prickly, making them
irritating to collect without gloves. 

Hope this is some help,

Grow well,
Amber Hearn

SEEDS AVAILABLE FOR TRADE (I've got over 400 varieties now) - POINT YOUR
BROWSER TO 

http://wcn.simplenet.com/seeds/sdstrd.htm 

OR E-MAIL ME! 
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Amber & Wayman Hearn                    jadare@accessus.net
Whippoorwill Creek Nursery              USDA Z-5
943 Foxville Road                       mintemp = -15F/maxtemp = 102F
Kell, IL 62853
618-822-6000
Whippoorwill online - http://www.wcn.simplenet.com/Welcome/welcome.htm
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