Going to Seed with Dan Brisebois

Dill and Cilantro just want to go to the seed.

But does that make them great candidates for #seedsavingformarketgrowers?

For a  home garden – I think  it’s a definite YES (Unless they’ve already self seeded so effectively that you never have to buy or save seed again!)

I have a few reservations recommending saving Dill and Cilantro seed wholeheartedly for market gardeners with a lot of other things on their plate.

The main reason is that farm-saved Dill and Cilantro seed can have unreliable germination. And maybe that’s just something we experience saving seed in a wet climate. Or maybe I’m missing an ideal harvest window. But I’ve been frustrated on a number of occasions when our dill and cilantro germinate at 40%.

Another reason is that Dill and Cilantro seed is pretty cheap and readily available from a number of great seed companies.

So, if you’re only going to grow a couple seed crops, I think you should prioritize other crops first.

And I only recommend Dill and Cilantro when you’re trying to add more species to your seed saving list.

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Even if you’re not going to save the seed, you should still definitely have flowering Dill and Cilantro throughout your fields to create a Pollinator and Beneficial Insect Frenzy.

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One more thing, I talk about Dill and Cilantro together here, but that’s only because they are so similar in terms of growing.

They are NOT the same species and will not cross with.each other.

The PROS of saving Dill or Cilantro seed:

• They just want to go to seed!!!
• Pretty clear where the seeds are
• Easy to harvest, easy to clean
• Only open pollinated varieties (afaik)
• Annual – from seed to seed in 1 season»

The CONS of saving Dill or Cilantro seed:

• Crossers gonna cross (though Dill and Cilantro don’t cross together and are you really growing more than 1 dill or cilantro variety?)
• Seed is cheap – you might be better off spending seed saving time on another crop
• Germination not guaranteed!!! (Do a germ test before you use the seed)
• Prefers dry climates

SEED YIELD:

10 lbs to 20 lbs from a 100ft bed

SEED LIFE:

4 years