Harvesting is the most fun part of gardening, and saving my own seeds means I get to harvest not only the veggies, but also the seeds. Yesterday I harvested parsnip seeds. After putting them through screens to remove bugs, twigs and other foreign objects, it looks like I will get about a gallon and a half of seeds, a lot since parsnip seeds only last a year.
Parsnips are biennials that make the roots you eat their first year. In the Bitterroot, they can survive in the ground, uncovered over winter before sending up a stalk and making seeds their second year. Carrots and Beets are also overwintering biennials, but both need to be covered or dug, stored over winter and replanted the following spring in our climate. Beets will cross with chard if they are blooming at the same time. Carrot seeds will last about three years, beets will last six.
Seed Saving Books
Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth
Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties by Carol Deppe
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