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09-28-09 All About Seeds

Broadcasting the Week of 09-28-09
In this episode of P. Allen Smith Gardens we take a look at growing flowers and vegetables from seed.  We’ll visit the Bonnie Plants Farm in Alabama, discuss starting seeds indoors, and try a recipe for pickled okra.

Features:

Proven Winners® Superbells® Plum Calibrachoa
I can still remember the first time i came across Calibrachoa. I was completely enchanted by the tiny bell-shaped blooms. Proven Winners® Superbells® are disease-tolerant, self-cleaning, and have a self-branching form. The petunia shaped flower is a light plum with dark-purple veining and a yellow throat. Calibrachoa is especially suited for containers because it prefers a soil that's a little on the dry side and doesn't need much fertilizer to bloom continuously.

Premier Horticulture Presents Allen’s Mailbox:  Saving Seeds
"Allen, I have quite a few seed packs of seed left over, and I didn't get them planted this summer, so may I save them for next year?"

Well, actually, Suzanne, you can, and let me give you a couple of tips.  You want to keep the seeds dry and very cold. First put them in a plastic zip top bag and just pop the bags in the freezer.

The same storage techniques apply if you are saving seeds collected from your garden. Just be sure that you have thoroughly dried them on newspaper before putting them in the bags.

Next year when it is time to plant the seeds you can check their viability with this simple test. Place approximately 10 seeds of the same variety on a damp paper towel. Roll up the paper towel and put it in a plastic bag - do not seal the bag. Keep the bag in a warm area. The top of your refrigerator is a good location. Check the seeds daily and keep the paper towel moist. After 2 or 3 days count the number of seeds that have sprouted. This will give you a pretty good idea of how the seeds will do in the garden. If half the test group germinated, then it is likely that half of the rest of the seeds will grow in your garden.

Pickled Okra
Some vegetables love the summer heat – the hotter the better!  Okra for instance really takes off when the temperatures rise.  Here is a recipe for pickled okra that can be canned and preserved for eating in winter.

People and Places:

Bonnie Plants in Union Springs Alabama started with just 2 pounds of cabbage seeds.  Today the company is a predominant supplier of vegetables and herbs across the nation.  Production manager Lamar Rotton explains how something like a tomato goes from a tiny seed to a healthy plant ready for growing in the garden.

Tom Smith with Proven Winners show off their new “Pop, Drop and Grow” plant offerings.  Plants are grown in biodegradable pots that can be “popped” right into a container.  These are available as single specimens so you can create your own design or as flower and foliage combos that take out all the guess work.