I am thrilled to present this guest post on saving seeds
by Petra Page-Mann and Matthew Goldfarb of Fruition Seeds!
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Saving seed is the origin of civilization. It is also easy as pie! Truly, some are easier than others and kale
is one of the easiest.
Kale is biennial, so it gathers energy the first season to
produce its seed the second season. In
our temperate Northeast climate, kale may overwinter as a full-size plant
uncovered but we plant our seed crop of kale in early September, finding the
overwintered young plants more reliably resilient. Some plants will inevitably not survive, but
those that do will be that much more adapted to your conditions!
Kale may be Brassica
napus (Siberian types, such as Red Russian, sharing the species with
rutabaga) or Brassica oleracea(all
other types, sharing the species with cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts and
more). It is critical to only have one
of these species flowering at any given time, unless you want them to
cross!
In the Spring the bedraggled plants will begin to grow again! Be sure to select for strong, vigorous
regrowth as well as leaf shape and color.
It is also important to thin
plants for increased air-flow around the plants as they go to seed. Our kale planted in September overwinters young
and thrives when thinned to ten inches between each plant, give or take a
couple inches.
Second year kale will bolt (go to seed) fairly quickly. Enjoy its tall, stately stalks lined with
pale yellow flowers covered in pollinators!
Each flower will turn into long green pods that swell and turn brown as
they mature. Once the lowest pods have
turned brown, dry and have shattered, harvest the whole stalk and set it on a
clean, hole-free tarp in a dry place for a few days to further dry down.
Separating the seed from the fully dry stalk can be done in
any number of ways! We have several
sticks we are fond of that knock the seeds out of their pods quite
effectively. I also love to wrap up the
stalks in the tarp (like a burrito) and dance/stomp on it!
Wading through an ocean of kale going to seed. |
The seed has now fallen onto the tarp, along with all the
chaff (bits of the dry plant). To clean
the seed from the chaff, use a colander or another screen you might have in the
garage. Also, pouring the seed and chaff
before a box fan and into a bin will allow the chaff to be blown away while the
heavy seed falls straight down.
Screening seeds. |
It is important to keep your seed well labeled, in a cool,
dark dry and rodent/insects-free place.
If stored well, your kale will last for years and years!
Thanks for such a wonderful post on how to save kale seeds! I've always been fascinated by seed saving and really need to learn more about it. I love that properly stored seeds can last for years - how awesome!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post! Thanks for sharing...will use this to help me save some "Mizuna" seeds from the greens this year. I also have Red Russian Kale and it would be great to save seeds from them too if I can find the space. Thanks much!
ReplyDelete