Tasks for the Garden this week:

1)      Pick up fallen pears and apples from the orchard and deposit them in the compost piles

2)      Have a healthy snack of cherry tomatoes and blackberries

3)      Cut off any dead flower buds on rose bushes and any other flowering plants

4)      Pull weeds in the vegetable beds 

5)      Pick up and dispose of any trash

6)      Water the smaller apple trees in the orchard

7)      Make sure the bird baths at the entrance have water

8)      Water anything that looks dry (the areas that are not yet irrigated include: the flowers to the left as you enter the garden; the flowers surrounding the reading circle; the butterfly garden near the shed; and the orchard)

9)      Water the compost pile (it should be as moist as a wrung out sponge)

 

REMINDER: At the end of the school day, please lock up the garden if it is unlocked.  The garden is usually unlocked during the school day and I am not always around at pick up time so please take a moment to make sure it gets locked up.  Thanks. 

 

Looking ahead to the Thursday Farmer's Market at Edna (2:45 - 3:15 pm):

The squash is nearing the end of its summer run; there are a few blossoms that may yet yield some squash but it is almost done.  Tomatoes will continue to ripen and be available for harvest.  Apples and pears are ripe on many of the trees in the orchard. There are a few blackberries still coming in.  Herbs are available with mint around, and basil, oregano and thyme in the first bed.  Some corn is ready (look for thick ears).  Anyone who wants to take tomatoes home to make marinara sauce or apples/pears for sauce or crisps to sell at the market would be appreciated.

 

 

 

Teachers and garden parents can add this to the weekly tasks/class project.  It's a fun and useful project: seed saving!

 

A truly sustainable farm/garden saves some seeds from its harvest to provide the seeds to start the next years plantings.  This is a relatively straightforward task which differs with some plants.  Below are some examples for the plants that we are now growing (from : http://www.seedsave.org/issi/issi.html).  Many of the tomatoes are ripe so these would be good to start with this week.

 

For tomatoes, the tools you will need are: kitchen knife, glass jars, paper towels (to cover the jar), rubber bands to keep the cover in place, screened colander, paper plates to dry the seeds and envelopes to store the seeds.  Students will be able to observe the fermentation that is necessary to prepare the tomato seeds for planting or storage.  The whole process will take a few days (good thing to start on Thursday or Friday so it will be ready for the next stage on Monday).

Tomato

HARVEST: If possible, allow tomatoes to completely ripen before harvesting for seed production. Unripe fruits, saved from the first frost, will ripen slowly if kept in a cool, dry location. Seeds from green, unripe fruits will be most viable if extracted after allowing the fruits to turn color.

PROCESS: Cut the tomato into halves at its equator, opening the vertical cavities that contain the seeds. Gently squeeze out from the cavities the jelly-like substance that contains the seeds. If done carefully, the tomato itself can still be eaten or saved for canning, sun-drying or dehydrating.

Place the jelly and seeds into a small jar or glass. (Add a little water if you are processing only one or two small tomatoes.) Loosely cover the container and place in a warm location, 60-75° F. for about three days. Stir once a day.

A layer of fungus will begin to appear on the top of the mixture after a couple of days. This fungus not only eats the gelatinous coat that surrounds each seed and prevents germination, it also produces antibiotics that help to control seed-borne diseases like bacterial spot, canker and speck.

After three days fill the seed container with warm water. Let the contents settle and begin pouring out the water along with pieces of tomato pulp and immature seeds floating on top. Note: Viable seeds are heavier and settle to the bottom of the jar. Repeat this process until water being poured out is almost clear and clean seeds line the bottom of the container. Pour these clean seeds into a strainer that has holes smaller than the seeds. Let the excess water drip out and invert the strainer onto paper towel or piece of newspaper. Allow the seeds to dry completely (usually a day or two). Break up the clumps into individual seeds, label and store in a packet or plastic bag.

More detail from: http://gardening.about.com/od/totallytomatoes/ss/TomatoSeeds.htm

Selecting Tomato Seeds for Saving and Starting the Process

Many plant seeds can be saved simply by collecting them as they dry. Tomatoes take a bit more work. The tomato seeds are enclosed in a gel like sack that contains growth inhibitors, preventing the seeds from sprouting inside the tomato. The best way to remove this gel covering is to allow the fruits to rot and ferment. In nature this happens when the fruit falls off the plant. For seed savers, we're going to speed up the process.

The first step is to choose your best looking tomatoes. You want to save seed from the finest fruit, so that next year's plant will have good genes.

Slice the fruit in half so that the stem end is on one side and the blossom end on the other. This will expose the seed cavities better than if you sliced through the stem end. In some paste and smaller tomatoes, the seeds are so concentrated in the cavity that you can scoop them out and still be able to use the flesh of the tomato for cooking. Many slicing tomatoes will require scooping out all of the flesh with the seeds. Whichever the case, scoop the seeds into a clean bowl or jar.

Tomato Seeds Must be Fermented to Germinate

If the seeds are not floating in liquid from the tomato, add up to a cup of water to help separate the seeds from the pulp. Then set the bowl of tomato seeds and pulp in a warm, out of the way spot. You will need to allow 2-4 days for the fermentation to take place. As it does so, the mixture is going to begin to smell awful, so store the bowl where you won't pass by frequently.

If you have glass jars available, they make a good container for fermenting tomato seeds. The extra space at the top of the jar controls some of the odor and the clear sides let you keep tabs on what is happening. Covering the top of the jar with cheesecloth or paper towel will keep fruit flies out and also diminish the spread of the unpleasant odor.

Remember to label each variety!

 

Fermentation is Complete

What you eventually want to see is a layer of mold on top of your seeds & pulp. The process is done when bubbles start rising from the mixture or when the entire bowl is covered with mold. Don't leave the seeds fermenting past this stage or they may begin to germinate.

Checking the Seeds in the Jar

It is harder to seed the layer of mold through the glass jar, but you can generally tell the fermentation is complete when the seeds settle to the bottom of the jar in a watery liquid and the thicker pulp and mold sit on top of them.

Getting the Tomato Seeds Ready to Save

Finally you can remove and dispose of the mold covering. Lifting it before rinsing the seeds will make rinsing easier, but it's not necessary. You can add some water to the jar or bowl and stir or shake vigorously. The good seeds will settle to the bottom, allowing you to drain off the excess first.

Cleaning Your Fermented Tomato Seeds

Strain the seed mixture into a colander and rinse the seeds well under running water. Try to remove any remaining pulp bits.

Drying Tomato Seeds

Spread the seeds onto either a paper plate or glass dish, to dry. Don't use paper or paper towels or the seeds to stick and be difficult to remove. Set them in a warm, dry spot and allow to dry completely. Shake them on the plate daily to make sure they don't clump and that they dry evenly. Don't try to speed the process by using heat.

Storing and Saving Tomato Seeds

Once the seeds are thoroughly dry, you can store them in an air tight container, in a cool, dry place. The envelop shown here will be placed inside a canning jar. Remember to label and date your seeds!

 

 

Squash

HARVEST: Squash must be fully mature before harvested for seed production. This means that summer squashes must be left on the vine until outer shell hardens. Allow to cure 3-4 additional weeks after harvest to encourage further seed ripening.

PROCESS: Chop open hard-shelled fruits and scoop out seeds. Rinse clean in wire strainer with warm, running water. Dry with towel and spread on board or cookie sheet to complete drying.

 

Peppers

HARVEST: If possible, allow tomatoes to completely ripen before harvesting for seed production. Unripe fruits, saved from the first frost, will ripen slowly if kept in a cool, dry location. Seeds from green, unripe fruits will be most viable if extracted after allowing the fruits to turn color.

PROCESS: Cut the tomato into halves at its equator, opening the vertical cavities that contain the seeds. Gently squeeze out from the cavities the jelly-like substance that contains the seeds. If done carefully, the tomato itself can still be eaten or saved for canning, sun-drying or dehydrating.

Place the jelly and seeds into a small jar or glass. (Add a little water if you are processing only one or two small tomatoes.) Loosely cover the container and place in a warm location, 60-75° F. for about three days. Stir once a day.

A layer of fungus will begin to appear on the top of the mixture after a couple of days. This fungus not only eats the gelatinous coat that surrounds each seed and prevents germination, it also produces antibiotics that help to control seed-borne diseases like bacterial spot, canker and speck.

After three days fill the seed container with warm water. Let the contents settle and begin pouring out the water along with pieces of tomato pulp and immature seeds floating on top. Note: Viable seeds are heavier and settle to the bottom of the jar. Repeat this process until water being poured out is almost clear and clean seeds line the bottom of the container. Pour these clean seeds into a strainer that has holes smaller than the seeds. Let the excess water drip out and invert the strainer onto paper towel or piece of newspaper. Allow the seeds to dry completely (usually a day or two). Break up the clumps into individual seeds, label and store in a packet or plastic bag.

Beans

HARVEST: Allow pods to dry brown before harvesting, about six weeks after eating stage. If frost threatens, pull entire plant, root first, and hang in cool, dry location until pods are brown.

PROCESS: Small amounts of pods can be opened by hand. Flail larger amounts. Remove large chaff by hand or fork. Winnow remaining particles.

Corn

HARVEST: Corn seed is usually ready to be harvested 4-6 weeks after eating stage. If growing season is not long enough, pick ears after husks turn brown. Pull back husks and complete drying in cool, dry location.

PROCESS: Process all but very large amounts of seed by gripping dried ears by hand and twisting allowing kernels to fall into container. Any remaining silk and chaff can be winnowed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by Saor Stetler on September 14