Arugula is our first Brassica for #seedsavingformarketgrowers. I’ve chosen to start with arugula because it is the only crop of the Eruca sativa species. That means it won’t cross with any other Brassicas in your garden. So, you don’t need to worry about isolation distances for this one. If perchance, you’re growing more than one … More You Can Cut Your Arugula And Save The Seed Too!!!
Did you know that leafy greens like Mizuna, Tatsoi, Tokyo Bekana, Komatsuma, Bok Choy are all Brassica rapa? And so are budding and flowering Brassicas such as Choy Sum, Hon Tsai Tai, and Rapini? Not to mention Napa cabbage? And turnips? (And by turnip I mean those tender white fleshed roots that are so delicious … More So Much Brassica Rapa Seed To Save!
Ahhh, Brassica oleracea – That wonderful magical animal that brings us Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Collards, Kale, Gai Lan, Cabbage, Kohlrabi, and Cauliflower. All of these crops stem from the same leafy common ancestor. Farmers have been selecting away at them for the last couple millenia to bring us this current selection of Brassica oleracea. Needless … More Brassica Oleracea – That Wonderful Magical Animal
Mustard greens are an easy choice for #seedsavingformarketgrowers Mustard greens are in the Brassica juncea species. I’ve heard that there is a whole world of Brassica juncea diversity out there including heading mustards and turnip root mustards and swollen stem mustards. I can’t vouch for those. But what I do know is that there is … More Brassica juncea – another crosser for your seed plan
This is a Public Turnip Announcement. There are Rutabagas and there are Turnips. And maybe you think they are the same thing and maybe you insist that they are different. I’m not here to tell you how you should use these words. I just want to make sure you’re equipped to save their seed. Because … More Rutabaga And Turnips – Brassica Napus In Your Garden
There are 2 kinds of Radishes Spring Radishes – small, round and ready in 3 to 4 weeks from sowing. You can plant them all summer if you treat them right Winter Radishes – larger radishes and daikon that are sown midsummer for fall harvest. These store well through the winter. Both are in the … More The Misery (And Joy) Of Radish Seed
Here’s a Brassica cheat sheet for #seedsavingformarketgrowers There are 6 common brassicas species. If you grow two crops of the same species. They will cross pollinate together. For better or worse. Mostly worse if you want something true to type. But if you grow two brassicas of different species side by side, they will not … More Brassica Seed Cheat Sheet
There are things you know a lot about and things you don’t know as much about. I know a lot about Brassicas seeds and Brassica cross pollination. But now that we’ve ran out of seed Brassicas to talk about, it’s time to move on to other crossers on #seedsavingformarketgrowers. And next up are some storage … More My Seed Saving Zone Of Discomfort
Should you save carrot seed? To answer that, start off by thinking about the carrots you grow. Are any of your carrot varieties open pollinated? Or are they all F1 hybrids like Napoli, Yaya, or Miami? If you’re only growing F1s and you don’t want to trial any OPs, then carrot seed saving is not … More Should you save carrot seed?
Beets is chard and chard is beets. That’s right, they are both the same species Beta vulgaris. And that means they will cross up if you let them. My favourite thing about growing beet/chard seed is the elongated stems of the flowering plants with their defined edges and stripes that offset the vivid colours. My … More Beets is chard and chard is beets.