Redwood Seeds Blog

  • Summer Seed Crops: A Processing Guide

      Elisa and Sheena cut open and scoop seeds from winter squash   Wet Processing Basics- Smash or cut open fruit into a container. Some fruits will need a fermentation time specified below. Add water after fermentation. In most cases the good seeds will sink to the bottom of the container and the ‘gunk’ will rise to the top. Carefully pour the vegetable matter off until you remove as much as possible without losing seeds. Add more water and repeat until the water is clear and you have removed most of the debris. At this point you can experiment with... read more »

  • Saving Squash Seed

    Let's talk squash! Here are some basic seed saving facts about this plant.   1. There are 3 main species you can grow in your garden without cross pollination. Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita moschata and Cucurbita maxima   2. Squash are outbreeders, meaning insect pollinated. 3. Squash will cross pollinate very easily. Isolation by distance or hand pollination are necessary to keep varieties pure. 4. It is a good idea to save seed from as many plants as possible. On a home garden scale that would be 5-20. So with these three facts in mind, let's have a look out in... read more »

  • Farming with Child

    Maisie planted the corn on the right hand side!   It is a good thing we are rich in seed I have realized lately. These past two weeks, really these past two months, we have been in planting season. Parenting does not stop when I have to go to work on the farm. Little Maisie now toddles, and almost runs, around the farm as we get our summer crops in the ground. Pre-baby, I remember speaking with other farming mamas I know and hearing the stories about their little ones...pulling up the freshly planted transplants, walking on the beds (oh... read more »

  • Brassica Basics: Seed Saving 101

    Listen up here! This is what you need to know if you want to save brassica seed in your garden and keep the varieties pure. Pay attention to scientific names. These are the latin names that all living plants, animals, insects and fungi have. This is the basic rule of thumb: any vegetable that has the same genus and species names can cross pollinate. For example cabbage is Brassica oleraceae and broccoli is also Brassica oleraceae. The first name is the genus and the second name is the species. Read more »

  • Bell Bean Cover Crop

    The act by legumes of 'fixing' nitrogen has always seemed like magic to me. Nitrogen makes up 78.1% of the air we breathe and is essential to plant life. How does this gas get converted into a usable plant food? Well, that is where chemistry and 'magic' come into play. Read more »