Planting seed from Store Bought Produce

[davaroo]

I dried out a bunch of different pepper seeds, harvested from store bought fruit. So far none have shown the first sign of life.

All my other seeds; tomatoes, melons, cukes have all sprung forth by now.
Even some cantalope seeds from the store have sprouted.

The peppers, for their part, remain unphased.

SO whats up? Is it the "hybrid curse?"

 

[Catalina]

What kind of peppers were they?
Most peppers in the store are picked when they are immature.

 

[TillinWithMyPeeps]

I would kind of like to look into this book regarding growing plants from store bought produce: Don't Throw It, Grow It!

 

[davaroo]

What kind of peppers were they?
Most peppers in the store are picked when they are immature.

Various types, reds, greens and yellows.
I just went ahead and got some packaged seeds, California Wonders.

 

[aquarose]

Shallots bought from the store work grow really well.

 

[digitS']

Dad is always trying to grow something from the store - usually tomatoes that he found particularly tasty.

He "sticks" it in the little growing area behind his chair in the dining room. Never have these things turned out well once they've gotten into the garden. But, at 91 - who cares?

Dad has this optimism and the most modest commitment. Something is always so "special" because it has 2 blooms on it or something. After a year or two, he's completely forgotten about it .

To show you the differences in our personalities: Dad once had a volunteer tomato in his garden. I paid almost no attention to it because volunteers usually have ZERO chance of maturing a crop in our short-season area. But, this little plant managed to ripen a few tomatoes just before frost killed it.

"Hey Dad, these look just like those Sweet Chelsea you grew last year! That was a hybrid but these came back looking the same and they taste good!"

"Yeah," says Dad.

He was disappointed that they weren't "special" - something totally new and different. I was amazed that they'd ripened and pleased that there was a possibility of "de-hybridizing" Sweet Chelsea . . . Dad expected the lights of Las Vegas. My interest was piqued by a much more modest possibility.

Here's an idea - - organic spuds . . . ! Huh, huh ?!? Hey, they weren't sprayed with a growth retardant so they should sprout easily. Of course personally, I plod off to the bins at the garden center and, after hours of indecision, take whatever is left after the stampede of gardeners have gone thru . . .

Steve

 

[davaroo]

Dad is always trying to grow something from the store - usually tomatoes that he found particularly tasty.

He "sticks" it in the little growing area behind his chair in the dining room. Never have these things turned out well once they've gotten into the garden. But, at 91 - who cares?

Dad has this optimism and the most modest commitment. Something is always so "special" because it has 2 blooms on it or something. After a year or two, he's completely forgotten about it .

Steve

Lovely little tale, Steve. Thank you.

I've been doing some research into this possibility, i.e., the whole notion of store bought fruit and vegetable seeds for re-growing.
It's not like it's rocket science - seeds is seeds, after all. But, depending on who you read, it is either a total waste of time or a veritable bounty of nearly free food.

Most often cited as the reason against it store produce seed is the element of chance resulting from hybridization. In essence, the theorists propose, you could end up with some sort of Frankensteins monster, instead of the cucumber you had wanted. In practice, those who do it offer results that are rather less lurid.

According to those who actually practice it, you'll likely get a cuke, one that is edible and probably little distinguised from it's store-bought forebear. Yes, such progeny will breed out into some throwback variant of the parent stock. This means, it may lack some element which was the reason for the hybrid in the first place. Maybe it wont be as drought tolerant, who knows? But it is still going to be a cucumber.

I think the issue with my peppers was I had salvaged them last year and dried them out. They've been sitting high and dry ever since. I never did test them for viability; I simply stuck them in some peat pots along with everything else.
Well, the commercial seeds grew fine and the store cantalopes, too. The peppers didn't. I may give them a second shot, just for the heck of it. I have plenty of seed, so it'd be a shame to see it wasted.

Besides, thats one of the attributes of store bought produce for seed - you get a lot of seed for your money!

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi there!

daveroo,

The opposite has happened to me. The seed merchants seeds have done nothing ( Anheim Peppers) but the Thai ones from the supermarket have finally produced a whole lot of seedlings -- or rather one if them has. I picked out three tiny hot peppers (which had dried off in my kitchen) & put the seeds in 3 different containers. One is full of seedlings ; the other two have 3 or 4 & they are smaller. I started the Anheims on April 3rd & the Thai on the 7th April. They have all been at the same heat in the same room with the same amount of light.

I will not be putting them out for a while yet as it's still too cold but I have very deep window sills so they can get plenty of sunshine & heat. This is the first year I have grown peppers so it is fascinating me. Of course I have no idea if these Thai peppers are F1 hybrids or will taste like it's parent!! I still have some Anheim seeds left so I shall put them on some damp kitchen towel & put them in a zip-lock bag to see if it is viable. I think I might also buy some Anheims at the supermarket & sow those seeds --all in the spirit of research ! Heaven knows what I will do if they all germinate eventually........!!!! HOT STUFF in the FALL

I hope you have a good week. We have a public holiday tomorrow :happy_flower

:rose Hattie :rose

 

[davaroo]

Hi there!

daveroo,

The opposite has happened to me. The seed merchants seeds have done nothing ( Anheim Peppers) but the Thai ones from the supermarket have finally produced a whole lot of seedlings -- or rather one if them has. I

... but I have very deep window sills so they can get plenty of sunshine & heat. This is the first year I have grown peppers so it is fascinating me. Of course I have no idea if these Thai peppers are F1 hybrids or will taste like it's parent!!

I still have some Anheim seeds left so I shall put them on some damp kitchen towel & put them in a zip-lock bag to see if it is viable. I think I might also buy some Anheims at the supermarket & sow those seeds --all in the spirit of research ! Heaven knows what I will do if they all germinate eventually........!!!! HOT STUFF in the FALL

I hope you have a good week. We have a public holiday tomorrow :happy_flower

:rose Hattie :rose

Why, thank you, Hattie. I certainly do hope you have a nice day off.

Fortunately, Anaheims are not all that hot. Piquant, pungeant or spicy, maybe, but not really hot. Thai peppers are, on the other hand, like dynamite in my experience!

I suggest that once you tire of them in their fresh, explosive state, you puree them into a jar with a tight fitting lid. Add a dollop of olive oil on top to seal their surface against oxygen and they should last you through the winter as a condiment/flavoring paste.

Along these lines, I visited the store today and spotted dried, New Mexico peppers. Typically, these are known as Anchos and are used in the dried state to make "mole" (pronounced mole-ay), the quintessential flavoring paste in Sonoran cuisine. Since we have a lot of native hispanics in this area, such things are readily available.

I opened them as the first step to preparing mole. This involves steeping them in boiling water till they swell and soften. Then you puree them with garlic, cumin and salt to make the mole paste. I then store it as I suggested to you above for future use. I suppose you could freeze it, too.

However, in the interests of science, I removed all the seeds for testing. Wouldnt want such a chance to escape me now, would I?

Here's the result of my 'mining efforts':

Dried peppers on the right, seed on the left. That is a lot of seed! I'm guessing that these peppers are not hybridized to a great degree, as they are native to their growing region and are mostly used dried.

To my knowledge there isn't much other demand for them as a fresh vegetable, since they are not very "meaty." Once in a great while you see them in specialty bins, but that is far and few between. Since there isn't a lot of reason to hybridize them beyond the local level, I'm hopeful.

However, they are edible fresh, as are all peppers, and I've eaten them that way over the years. So, I'm hoping they will be more like a heritage seeded pepper. I've just put 40 of them in a test tray and we shall see in a few days how well they sprout.

Again, have a great day off.

 

[Catalina]

Anchos are called Poblanos when they are fresh. They sell like hot tamales around here - everyone wants to make chile rellenos with them.

Good luck with your seeds!

Edited: I can't spell.