4.10.09

Saved seed verses bought

It's interesting to note how my own saved strain of sunflower seeds compared to a packet of bought seed of the same variety. I've been saving my strain for about 6 years. This year I only had quite a small amount of saved seed to plant because I didn't do enough collecting in Autumn, so I bought a packet. I sowed one tray from the bought seed and one tray of my own seed on the same day in the same potting mix and raised them under identical conditions.
So there they are sitting next to each other, my seed on the right is growing bigger and healthier looking plants. I am very encouraged.
Just wanted to show this good recycling idea too. We buy old ironing boards from the recycling centre for $2 each. Because they fold down flat they are ideal as market tables in summer, with a cloth over them you'd never know. Then when they get to tatty for that I use them as potting tables around the garden and in the glasshouse.
My plant tags are cut up icecream containers or venetian blinds.

4 comments:

Jo's Place said...

WOW that's pretty amazing with the seeds. Just goes to show the seeds you saved were obviously from happy plants, whereas the brought seeds were grown specifically for the purpose of producing seeds. Hope you get what I mean :)

Sandra said...

Inspiring as always Gilly.

Jodi said...

I use our plastic milk bottles for our lables as they last forever, easy to clean and can use over and over again!

Ruth @ Camellia Rose said...

Great idea for recycling ironing boards - I've been wondering what I could use as a bench in the glasshouse and that's a good portable idea! My own ironing board is permanently set up as an extra workspace in the craft room... it very rarely gets used for acutal ironing!

Very interesting to see how the saved vs commercial seeds have gone. I'm definitely going to make more of an effort to save some this year.