Organic Herb Gardening and Saving Seeds



Posted: Saturday, December 05, 2009

by Lisa Summerfield
http://herbgardensolutions.com

You have made the commitment of taking up the practice of organic herb gardening and it is time to buying your seeds! When you go to a greenhouse or gardening store, you will be met by rows of seed packets. There are millions of seeds in hundreds of different varieties belonging to several species. Now, turn over one of those seed packets and see what is written on the back. Chances are you will see either "hybrid" or "F1." This means that those seeds have been specifically cross-bred to be hardier or germinate according to climate specifications. However, the hardcore organic gardener will eschew these non-natural varieties and will instead employ methods for saving seeds for the purpose of organic herb gardening.

Saving seeds for organic herb gardening is a way for preserving the unique genetic characteristics of a specific herb. Some older varieties of herbs may have a slightly more robust or understated flavor than current hybrid varieties. Or you may simply get a great crop of dill one year and you want to ensure that you continue to get the same quality year after year. If you try and save the seeds from hybrid varieties you never know what you are going to get next because the traits expressed in the first generation of an extreme hybrid are not often expressed in the second generation. In organic herb gardening we aim at saving the seeds of a reputed breed so that we are able to get herbs that are as good as their parents.

Because herbs are generally smaller plants, there is a tendency to grow them closer together, but the closer your plants the greater is the risk of cross-pollination. In organic herb gardening this may become an issue if one grows two or three different varieties of mint or both garlic and garlic chives in it. In this case, you need to keep the different varieties far apart so that you do not accidentally create an unknown hybrid seed. If you cannot keep your plants far apart -we are talking fifty feet or more- you should try and cut off their flowers in rotation because in organic herb gardening it is important keep the seeds true to their parent plant.

Depending upon how your herbs flower and seed, there are different methods for getting the seeds off the plant. When one wants to collect the herbs for cooking they should be kept in a pre-flowering state as this creates the most flavorful cuttings - however, when you practice organic herb gardening and want to save the seeds, you first need to let the herbs flower. Once they have flowered, the easiest way to catch the seeds is actually the same method used to prevent cross-pollination in organic herb gardening. Wrap up the flowers in a paper bag or a small piece of cloth. That way, instead of the seeds getting dispersed, they will just fall into the sack.

Alternatively they can be wrapped in some clean paper. Just place the wrapped seeds inside a dry container (preferably glass or metal), you then store the container in a dark cool place or a cupboard. The advantage of non-hybrid seeds is that they can be kept for years if stored under the right conditions.

Saving seeds for organic herb gardening is the only way that you can truly ensure that the plants you are using are free from chemicals and genetic manipulation. You will know that you are eating only the real thing.

Lisa Summerfield is the author of "Secrets To A Successful Home Herb Garden" - compulsory reading for anyone considering to grow a thriving herb garden. Her website contains valuable information on organic herbs gardening... Even if you have never grown a garden before!

For a FREE 10 part mini-course on "The Secrets To Growing Delicious Herbs at Home!" go to http://herbgardensolutions.com

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