Saw this old lady at the park saving seeds from a dying plant and it stuck with me

Last Sunday I was at the community garden down on Pine Street and noticed this older woman carefully pulling dry seed pods off a milkweed that was clearly on its way out. She told me she's been collecting seeds from the same spot for 12 years and replants them every spring along the bike path. I always just bought new packets from the store each year but now I'm wondering why I never thought to harvest my own. Has anyone else started saving seeds from their neighborhood plants instead of buying them?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisa512d ago

Seems like we're all forgetting stuff that used to be second nature. My grandmother saved seeds from her tomatoes every fall, never bought a single packet. Now everyone acts like they discovered something new. Same with fixing your own clothes or making soup from scraps. We traded self-sufficiency for convenience and called it progress. That lady at the park probably knows more about growing stuff than half the internet combined.

norathomas12d ago

Start by checking if the pods are fully dry before you pick them. If they're still a little green, they might not store well. I learned that the hard way when my first batch got moldy in the jar. After you harvest, shake out the seeds and let them sit on a paper plate for a few days before bagging them up. Milkweed is tough but you'll have way better luck if you cold stratify them in the fridge for a month before spring planting.