At this time of the season- end of summer here in New Zealand there is often a feeling of things coming to an end as the veges and the flowers in the garden come to the end of their life and start going to seed.
However in that end is a new beginning. Seed for the next year or season.
In my garden lots of the veg are making seed. Some of it will be collected and saved and some will be allowed to drop in the garden and come up wherever and whenever the opportunity is to its liking.
The seed in this summer squash will probably be ready to harvest in a few weeks as soon as the outer skin becomes hard.
Left in the garden it may even self seed next summer.
The basil seed will need to be saved until it warms up again next summer. In a few weeks as the seed matures I can start collecting it.
I don't bother to save the seed from the calendula. It is happy to drop the seed and start to produce seedlings no matter the season. There always seem to be calendula flowers in odd corners and on the paths.
This pea is ready to drop its seed on the ground and will probably sprout and grow quite happily all winter. If the birds don't discover the seeds first that is.
Beans on the other hand will need to be saved as they mature and dry on the vine. They can be saved and eaten as dried beans over the winter. It is just a matter of not eating all the seed and saving some to start again next spring.
The amaranth is looking beautiful right now. In a few weeks I'll harvest it and use the seeds in my bread. Some of the seed will be saved for next year.
With the recent heat and dry spell most of my lettuce has gone to seed. Some of it can be harvested in a few weeks, but the plants can also be left in the garden and they will happily self seed around the garden providing baby lettuce over the winter months and into the next spring.
This parsley will also self seed and provide a perpetual parsley patch in the garden with little or no work.
However in that end is a new beginning. Seed for the next year or season.
In my garden lots of the veg are making seed. Some of it will be collected and saved and some will be allowed to drop in the garden and come up wherever and whenever the opportunity is to its liking.
The seed in this summer squash will probably be ready to harvest in a few weeks as soon as the outer skin becomes hard.
Left in the garden it may even self seed next summer.
The basil seed will need to be saved until it warms up again next summer. In a few weeks as the seed matures I can start collecting it.
I don't bother to save the seed from the calendula. It is happy to drop the seed and start to produce seedlings no matter the season. There always seem to be calendula flowers in odd corners and on the paths.
This pea is ready to drop its seed on the ground and will probably sprout and grow quite happily all winter. If the birds don't discover the seeds first that is.
Beans on the other hand will need to be saved as they mature and dry on the vine. They can be saved and eaten as dried beans over the winter. It is just a matter of not eating all the seed and saving some to start again next spring.
The amaranth is looking beautiful right now. In a few weeks I'll harvest it and use the seeds in my bread. Some of the seed will be saved for next year.
With the recent heat and dry spell most of my lettuce has gone to seed. Some of it can be harvested in a few weeks, but the plants can also be left in the garden and they will happily self seed around the garden providing baby lettuce over the winter months and into the next spring.
This parsley will also self seed and provide a perpetual parsley patch in the garden with little or no work.
This year I won't be saving so much of the seed as we are leaving New Zealand, but I will leave the seeding plants in the garden to provide the new owners with a variety of self sown veges and flowers.
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