A Seed Saver's Garden

[Branching Out]

Basil flowers are very popular with the bees.

We usually harvest them at such a rate that they don't flower.

The exception is Thai basil. Since we are ordering seed of other types, its standard practice to order that one as well. The seed lasts for years.

Steve

I order basil seed in quantity, and keep it in the freezer for long term storage.

 

[Dahlia]

Basil flowers are very popular with the bees.

We usually harvest them at such a rate that they don't flower.

The exception is Thai basil. Since we are ordering seed of other types, its standard practice to order that one as well. The seed lasts for years.

Steve

I love basil. My daughter makes a homemade pesto with the basil I grow in the summer time and it is so delicious!

 

[heirloomgal]

I love basil. My daughter makes a homemade pesto with the basil I grow in the summer time and it is so delicious!

I've had pizza where the baker used fresh basil pesto instead of the traditional pizza sauce. It was sooo good. Wonderful fresh flavor.

 

[heirloomgal]

I started the first tomatoes of 2025. I used my oldest possible seed for 2 varieties, just to see. 2019 micro tomatoes, and I'm pretty thrilled they were up in a week with 100% germination. 10/10. Of course, I used heat mats and one that is new too, so they are warm for sure. It's been reported that very warm germ mats can cause significant growth tip compromise, so I really watched for that but nothing. So 'Yellow Canary' and 'Micro Tom' are up and growing. The plan is to sell plants at Seedy Saturday along with the seeds. The plants will look pretty on the table and 'set the mood'. These little ones are all the rage right now, not sure why, most of them don't taste good. I guess plant varieties have trends too, so micro toms are everywhere. I can't quite figure it out.

On the one hand I'd like to order some new seeds of these micros for the greenhouse since I don't want to do so many peppers this year and want to use the space. Those would work real well in there and be a nice break from a pepper jungle. On the other hand, I generally don't like dwarfs, at least those that aren't in the Cross Hemisphere Dwarf Tomato Project. I find most mini tomatoes sour, blech, and not worth the effort of growing the little things.

So, I'm still trying to figure out what to grow in the greenhouse this year. Tzimbalo plants? It's a popular seed and I need to grow some more. And I did really enjoy those fruits. Cotton? That was fun and they did well in there. Decisions, decisions. I can already feel the Ho Chi Minh and Sarit Gat peppers calling my name.

 

[Dahlia]

I've had pizza where the baker used fresh basil pesto instead of the traditional pizza sauce. It was sooo good. Wonderful fresh flavor.

That's a wonderful idea! I already put loads of fresh basil leaves on my homemade pizzas. We often use homemade pesto for Salmon En Croute. Very tasty!

 

[Branching Out]

I started the first tomatoes of 2025. I used my oldest possible seed for 2 varieties, just to see. 2019 micro tomatoes, and I'm pretty thrilled they were up in a week with 100% germination. 10/10. Of course, I used heat mats and one that is new too, so they are warm for sure. It's been reported that very warm germ mats can cause significant growth tip compromise, so I really watched for that but nothing. So 'Yellow Canary' and 'Micro Tom' are up and growing. The plan is to sell plants at Seedy Saturday along with the seeds. The plants will look pretty on the table and 'set the mood'. These little ones are all the rage right now, not sure why, most of them don't taste good. I guess plant varieties have trends too, so micro toms are everywhere. I can't quite figure it out.

10/10 is a great start to the tomato growing year-- way to go! I would love to see 'Seedling Saturdays' pop up, both for selling and also as a great way to share excess seedlings too (mostly because I have a real aversion to killing my extra seedlings). For those who garden on patios or balconies the dwarf tomatoes are certainly a practical choice; hopefully tasty varieties will be offered, and gain popularity in time. We have really enjoyed having an Andrina micro-dwarf tomato around because there are only a few ripe tomatoes at a time, the form of the plant is attractive, they're fairly drought tolerant, and they produce until the frost. I also like the fact that you can start a whole bunch of these little guys indoors without them getting big really quickly like regular tomatoes, making it easier to fit them under lights.

 

[heirloomgal]

10/10 is a great start to the tomato growing year-- way to go! I would love to see 'Seedling Saturdays' pop up, both for selling and also as a great way to share excess seedlings too (mostly because I have a real aversion to killing my extra seedlings). For those who garden on patios or balconies the dwarf tomatoes are certainly a practical choice; hopefully tasty varieties will be offered, and gain popularity in time. We have really enjoyed having an Andrina micro-dwarf tomato around because there are only a few ripe tomatoes at a time, the form of the plant is attractive, they're fairly drought tolerant, and they produce until the frost. I also like the fact that you can start a whole bunch of these little guys indoors without them getting big really quickly like regular tomatoes, making it easier to fit them under lights.

Do you connect with your local hort society @Branching Out? I wonder if they have an early summer seedling event in your area? Ours do a seedling day, combined with perennial donations (they have hundreds, or more, of plants at these things) and that has been one place that I gave seedlings to so I didn't have to dispatch them - before I started to put them at the end of my driveway. The money goes to support hort society projects and such usually.

How do you like the taste of Andrina? I'm sure there has to be some good mini's out there, I just haven't found them yet! I agree, they are such a practical little kind of tomato, so many benefits to that size and manageablity.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I let the basil I grew this summer for seed dry out really, really well - I find those little seeds so hard to thresh from the pods if they aren't ultra brittle. I only broke the seed pods open today. Wow. SO hard to separate the seeds from the chaff. I'm sure I lost 75% of my seeds for the Siam Queen basil to the sink. So little in the bowl when I was done. The West African basil for some reason was a bit better, there was less chaff mixed in for some reason. I usually love winnowing seed, but this one was a let down! Ugh, all those beautiful, almost hydrangea like blossoms on the Siam Queen plants and yet so little seeds that I harvested. I wonder if those blossoms inhibit good seed development? For all that bulk of dried flowers I crumbled there seemed so little seed, and some of them were not black like they should be but brownish.

(Sorry for the delay, laptop was in the shop.)

This is how I do it.

1. Pick the basil pods one by one as they ripen (by the time the top ones are done, the bottom will have lost their seeds, so you need to go fruit by fruit for maximum seeds.) Place fruits in a small bowl (I use a ramekin)

2. Once dry, roll the fruits between your fingers repeatedly until it appears that what is in the bowl is green dust.

3. Then, take a pinch of the dust and spread it on your palm. Move the seeds around until they are all in one place in your hand. Then, pinch up the seeds and place in separate container. Wipe remaining dust off palm.

4. Repeat until you have gone trough all the dust.

It isn't perfect (besides the seeds, you're also stuck with the little brown nubs the seeds were attached to,) but it does a decent job (better than with mint, at least you can SEE basil seeds).

 

[heirloomgal]

(Sorry for the delay, laptop was in the shop.)

This is how I do it.

1. Pick the basil pods one by one as they ripen (by the time the top ones are done, the bottom will have lost their seeds, so you need to go fruit by fruit for maximum seeds.) Place fruits in a small bowl (I use a ramekin)

2. Once dry, roll the fruits between your fingers repeatedly until it appears that what is in the bowl is green dust.

3. Then, take a pinch of the dust and spread it on your palm. Move the seeds around until they are all in one place in your hand. Then, pinch up the seeds and place in separate container. Wipe remaining dust off palm.

4. Repeat until you have gone trough all the dust.

It isn't perfect (besides the seeds, you're also stuck with the little brown nubs the seeds were attached to,) but it does a decent job (better than with mint, at least you can SEE basil seeds).

Wow, this is attention to detail @Pulsegleaner. But I guess if you want to get all your basil seeds there is no other way is there. It just seems like that would be a daily check to pick each pod as they ripen. With seed so small I guess I have to face the fact that it has to be done this way, there isn't much room for error unless I'm growing a whole bunch of plants, which I'm not.

Well, I always wondered if the lower basil pods were opening and dispersing through maturity as I couldn't tell for certain with the naked eye. Good to know that, so I can be more careful in the future with this seed. I was always hoping those lower pods were staying closed waiting for the upper friends, so they could all dry synchronously.

Question about mint seeds - is Balkan Mint the same? With seeds like dust? I'm overwintering that right now with the hopes of getting seeds. But I'm not going to pursue those seeds if they're like dust. I don't remember planting dust like seeds when I first put them in the soil, but I can't remember clearly. Maybe I did.

 

[heirloomgal]

More seed mail from a overseas trade. Thrills I tell you. Thrills.

The Bavarian forest!!
Tomato kept by his family for generations to boot!
Must have a lucky over my head!