Tuesday, November 2, 2010

October Home Saved-Seed

In April this year, I bought a punnet of red odourless onion seedlings. This is our first attempt at growing them in our veggie patch. The onion plants were growing nicely until middle of winter  when something that look like buds were forming on some of the leaves tips. I feel cheated they all bolted. I think nurseries should not sell seedlings when it is not still season for them. This is not my first experience when I bought seedlings from the nursery and they all bolt. Our first and last bought cauliflower seedling also bolted. I find it is rude that some nursery still put in asian leaf vegetable like Pak choi in display when they are less than 5 cm tall but already producing flowers. Pea seedlings in display on the rack in October is also cheating customer. I resolved not to buy any brassicas or onions seedlings from nurseries. I will grow them by seeds. Since I am a novice at growing onions, I will need a lot of advices. I know that with many different variety of onions, day-length has to be taken in account. To make it worth the money I paid for those onion seedlings, I decided to be patient and collect seeds from them. Do you also have similar experiences like mine? I like to hear them.

Red odourless onion seeds about to pop out from the seed pods. I feel much better now I got fresh onion seeds that worth more than 10 dollars from our collection.

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To cut next year cost of buying flower seeds or seedlings, we tried collecting seeds from flower seedlings that we bought in autumn this year for next sowing seasons. This year linaria, stock and cineraria is a new flower member blooming in our garden from end winter and we are playing guessing game on how to collect the seeds and what the seeds looks like. The flower name also was a new name for me to remember. I have to remember the linaria are tall plants and need staking. Above picture are linaria seeds and seeds pod. I learnt a lesson, I have to let them pop up naturally and wait until the seed pods are dried.

DSC09707 Drying calendula seeds.

DSC09703 All our komatsuna (Japanese mustards) is ready to be harvested and the pest have start to attack them from last week. So this week will be komatsuna and leek week for us. The main vegetables for this week menu.

DSC09689 Here is another Ocean & Garden to Table Challenge. The whiting fish my husband caught on the weekend I cooked it with black bean sauce with leeks and last summer preserved chili pickles. A simple dinner with rice and stir-fry komatsuna freshly picked from the veggie patch.

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10 comments:

Stephanie said...

Calendula seeds looks like squids... girlie... ;-)

I going to use black bean sauce to cook pumpkin with pork ribs later. I hope it will be as delicious as yours!

miruku said...

I've certainly learned a lot from you, Malay-Kadazan girl! I've never tried to save any veggie seedlings from the veggie i plant (except chilies and lady's fingers), bcoz it is either i don't know where they hide or how they look like. I bought all the seedlings from the nursery and i don't have any problem with 'when to plant what' bcoz it's all year warm here- maybe it's good for a careless gardener like me? By the way, your hb catch fish and you plant veggie to cook for dinner, it sounds so warm :))

rainfield61 said...

Your calendula seeds look like chicken legs.

I have to convinced myself that they are calendula
seeds actually.

One said...

I have been buying seeds. Only started saving seeds these last few months. I don't see any seeds in cabbage, pak choy etc. Still need to buy.

takaeko said...

りっぱな小松菜ですね。おひたしはうちでも定番です。私の小松菜はまだ発芽したばかりです。

Your komatunas look great! And your dishes must be delicious, I believe. Especially pickled komatuna or "Ohitashi" is our family's favorite.
My komatunas just began to germinate.

fer said...

So many potential calendulas!
And your komatsuna looks great, I must harvest mine too.
I like how you put the seeds with the names. I have forgoten to put names on my seeds, good that I dont have that many.

kitchen flavours said...

It's good that you are able to collect seeds. I'm not sure when is the suitable time to collect the dill seeds and now my tarragon is starting to flower, will have seeds soon. Your fish dish looks really yummy. And I like stir-fry vegetables!

Malar said...

You have many seeds now for next planting season!
Your dishes look tempting!

Malay-Kadazan girl said...

Stephanie , Rainfield61~ I was surpised when I opened my first packet of calendula seeds. Never grown them before or even saw live one that time I hardly believe there was flower seeds shaped like this.

Milka ~ Sometime I wish I can grow all year round too and have long summer:)

One~ You need to let them flower long enough for the seed pod to develop. Then wait for the seed pod to dry. Of course you don't want them to flower if its for the kitchen.

Takaeko~ You have to teach me how to make pickled komatsuna and Ohitashi.

Fer~ You have clear glass jar that you can see the seeds. I keep my seeds in from recycle paper home-made small envelope. So I need to label them.

Kitchen flavours ~ I never planted dill and tarragon before so I too not sure how. But coriander is producing many seeds now in our kitchen garden. What surprise me is the small little white flower of coriander can develop to big coriander seeds!

Malar~ Many seeds but not many space to grow-lah.

Quay Po Cooks said...

Learn so much about plants from you.. Interesting!