fast and dirty seed production of bienniels
Aug 24, 2013 7:19:51 GMT -6
Tucson Grower and FrostyTurnip like this
Post by macmex on Aug 24, 2013 7:19:51 GMT -6
If you have grown beets, carrots, parsnips, chard or even cabbage; it is not hard to go a step further and produce seed. Most of these plants require a certain number of "cold hours" in order to flower and seed. Oklahoma provides that in almost every case. So, you just let some of your plants remain in the garden over winter. In the case of cabbage, I'd probably mulch it sometime just before Christmas, to protect it against a potential DEEP freeze, like we had in 2010, when I measured a morning temp at -16 F. Come spring, these plants start growing again, and they flower. Each species will have different requirements, in regard to spacing. A cabbage, when it flowers, will probably need something like 3-4' on every side, because it will be huge. Beets are close behind. Parsnips can be spaced at about 2 1/2'. Carrots can be even a bit closer.
These plants not only produce seed. But their flowers produce nectar for bees! So, you do get an extra benefit.
If you plant parsnips in the fall (wait until temperatures are a bit cooler than now). They will grow some, go into a winter stasis. They probably won't make a usable crop. But they WILL go to seed in the spring. This means you can produce parsnip seed, to plant at the very beginning of 2015, by planting parsnips, say, the end of September 2013. Have you priced parsnip seed?! You pay several dollars for a small package. If you let a couple plants go to seed you can easily harvest a couple QUARTS of seed! Parsnip seed doesn't keep its viability very long. So you either have to plant it within a year or else use cold storage. It will last a couple of years, dried and stored in an air tight container in the freezer.
There are varying ideas about how many plants one needs to use for seed production, in order to maintain the genetic depth of a root crop. Different crops also differ. But I would say, in brief, you should save from a minimum of six or seven plants. More is better. If you are going to lose a variety because of not growing it out, it is better do make do with less than optimum numbers and save it. It may be possible to find and introduce more seed stock at a later date.
George
Tahlequah, OK
These plants not only produce seed. But their flowers produce nectar for bees! So, you do get an extra benefit.
If you plant parsnips in the fall (wait until temperatures are a bit cooler than now). They will grow some, go into a winter stasis. They probably won't make a usable crop. But they WILL go to seed in the spring. This means you can produce parsnip seed, to plant at the very beginning of 2015, by planting parsnips, say, the end of September 2013. Have you priced parsnip seed?! You pay several dollars for a small package. If you let a couple plants go to seed you can easily harvest a couple QUARTS of seed! Parsnip seed doesn't keep its viability very long. So you either have to plant it within a year or else use cold storage. It will last a couple of years, dried and stored in an air tight container in the freezer.
There are varying ideas about how many plants one needs to use for seed production, in order to maintain the genetic depth of a root crop. Different crops also differ. But I would say, in brief, you should save from a minimum of six or seven plants. More is better. If you are going to lose a variety because of not growing it out, it is better do make do with less than optimum numbers and save it. It may be possible to find and introduce more seed stock at a later date.
George
Tahlequah, OK