Are you ready to take your gardening skills to the next level? Although the actual process of saving seeds is easy, there are a few tips you should know in order to be successful.
In this Seed Saving class from the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of Stanislaus County, you'll learn:
- What types of seeds to save and the difference between heirlooms and hybrid seeds.
- How flowers are pollinated and how seeds develop.
- How far apart to plant varieties of vegetables to ensure seed purity.
- How to save seeds and how long saved seeds last.
During class, you'll have a hands-on experience of separating flower and vegetable seeds from...
- Author: Ed Perry
Some of the seeds from plants growing in your garden may be worth saving, but others are genetically incapable of producing satisfactory crops. To know the difference, it's helpful to divide seeds into three groups: hybrid, open pollinated from plants that cross with other kinds of plants, and open pollinated from plants that do not cross with other kinds of plants.
Hybrid
Most of the dependable varieties of vegetables that you grow in your garden are from hybrid seeds that were developed to improve the yield, quality, and dependability of crops. However, along with these advantages, the opportunity to grow seeds at home was lost because hybrid seed must be grown under very special conditions not found...
- Author: Julie Silva
Gardening is like the weather; both are perfect conversation starters with anyone you meet. In spring, one of the biggest gardening topics is tomatoes, since almost everyone loves home-grown tomatoes. The fragrance, the flavor, and what those fresh tomatoes can do to any dish are delightful!
Tomatoes come in many different sizes–from pea-size to almost 3 pounds and as large as a grapefruit! Different sizes fulfill different needs; cherry tomatoes are perfect for salads, omelets, kebobs, and snacking. Medium size round tomatoes are easier to use for canning. Oblong, meaty tomatoes with less moisture are perfect for sauces, paste, or salsa. Large tomatoes, referred to as slicing tomatoes, are your hamburger's best...
- Author: Dohee Kim
Dennis Pittenger, UC Cooperative Extension's area environmental horticulture advisor, released a new study, "Evaluation of Interspecific Hybrid Pears for Use in Southern California Landscapes." Pittenger looked at finding new varieties of ornamental pears in order to improve the performance and increase the use of these trees.
Conducted at the agricultural experiment station at the University of California at Riverside, he planted six promising, but untried hybrid pear selections from a breeding program by the nonprofit Landscape Plant Development Center and Washington State University. Unlike the Bradford ornamental pear and its close relative, the Kawakami pear, the new varieties have better disease resistance and branch...