Collecting Seeds In June
June is usually dry, cold, and windy. Last year’s Egyptian spinach plants are drying up, and their seed pods are opening. The seeds will self-seed and grow into the next group of plants. Continuous self-seeding is an advantage of not using herbicides, though some seeds should be harvested and stored for the future. Collecting tiny seeds from very dry pods prevents mold, but the seeds are easily lost to the ground or wind.
Maximizing Seed Collection
Placing a sac or flat basket under the plant to catch the falling seeds increases the number of seeds salvaged and ensures that none go to waste. In addition to this, collecting the pods into a plastic bag will capture any seeds from pods that open up during harvesting, allowing for maximum seed collection. Once the seeds are collected, the pods can easily be separated from the seed pods. We uprooted the remnants of the dry plants, which provided valuable material that can be used as excellent kindling to start a warm wood fire. We store the Egyptian spinach seeds in cool, dry cardboard with no added chemicals. These seeds retain their viability for two to three years, offering ample time for future use. Below are the accompanying pictures of our weekend seed-collecting exercise.
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