Introducing Brad and Susan Emery – avid gardeners and members of the Dunnville Horticultural Society. They will be taking over the Get Growing column and are sure to provide many insightful gardening tips. Many thanks to Lester Fretz who is passing the baton. Lester’s many informative articles provided readers with seasons of hearty gardens! Thank you Lester!
While most people are busy planting their fall garden, we are focusing on seed saving. We find it a rather addictive task of gardening, and due to the size of our garden, saving our seeds is a great benefit.
We let the herbs and other veggies such as radishes and fennel bolt (allow to flower and go to seed), to take their seeds for next season. Many other seeds such as tomatoes, peppers, and squash are collected while they are being prepared for dinner. Just don’t forget to label your seed collection! All squash seeds look alike once removed from the squash.
It’s not just your vegetable seeds either; I love my Gerbera daisies and would love a whole field of them. Collecting seed from them was a cinch, and next year I might just be able to start with a large bed of them.
Expand and diversify your garden by bringing your extra seeds to a Seedy Saturday event for trading. In February, the Wellandport Community Centre and the Dunnville Horticultural Society both host a seed exchange. This year we traded for some Chinese Long Beans and are so happy to have them as an addition to our garden.
Check out this resource for seed saving: seeds.ca/sw8/web/home.
Stay in touch with the Dunnville Horticultural Society via posts on Facebook, or visit dunnvillehortandgardenclub.org.
Happy gardening!