growing seed tailor made to your garden

[niglefritz]

I know that I am most likely preaching to the choir here (and that there is a real one word term that is more specific than my title), but I found this interesting years ago. It is just common sense, really, but the documentary or whatever that I saw this on was very interesting. It had a lot of detail on the subject...much of which I no longer remember.

I learned that when you grow & collect your own seed from your strongest plants, that they will have adapted to your soil, the climate of that particular year, and so on. They will be tailor made and hardy for your zone and more specifically, your microclimate. This guy who didn't treat his garden lost all of his potato plants to wilt/fungus & bugs...all but one. It was in the middle of everything, but untouched. He thought that was interesting. He took the seed from that, planted more, and only selected seed from the strongest plants over the next couple of years. In the end he found he had developed a plant resistant plant to those invaders. He did this with other plants as well to help build genetic diversity. This as well cut his dependance on buying seed and kept his expenses down as well as created a better seed than what he would be buying from the seed stores.

One problem he had is that if he grew these things on a wet year, they might not do as well in a dry year, as they are not suited to it. I don't remember if he just marked his seed with conditions and saved them for that to re-occur or what.

Anyway, if anyone else has more to add to these thoughts, that would be great. It might help me fill in the blanks to the rest of that documentary. I am certainly interested in pursuing this, even though it takes many years to achieve the "perfect" seed.

[Sassy]

Well, I always saved seeds from my own grown plants, mainly flowers and especially the Red Scarlet Runner. (beautiful seeds they are) For many years I did not buy seeds for the Runner. Until I planted them on my new acreage, which soil is pure sand and they grew very poor. I couldn't save any seeds. I will try it this year again, adding better soil and fertilizer. I can imagine that it works to collect the strongest seeds that have adapted to the soil they grew in. That is nature right? The strongest survives and adapts to its environment. Maybe it only takes 2 or 3 years to get a good solid seed.

[niglefritz]

Had you amended the sand on your acreage? My aunt has lived in places with straight sand, and they said that they had to put in truckloads (upon truckloads) of old manure to get it to do anything. She grew fantastic gardens as far as I remember.

Good luck!

[Sassy]

Thanks! No , I did not do anything to the sand yet, but once the snow is gone, I will get some soil on it. And manure. And composted greens etc. :-)

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