FARM GIRL'S CORNER - Never buy seeds again!

Farm Girl here and we're going to walk you through the garden cycle of cucumbers step by step, as we show you how to create your own home grown seed inventory. Your own brand of heirloom seeds, if you will, to pass down through the family. To swap with friends and neighbors, to sell here and there.

FARM GIRL AND FRIEND

What fun, how practical, and what a nice cost saver to boot!
 
And, you can thumb your nose at Monsanto for a while as well or at least until they buy a few more Senators. Then, in the interest of public safety Department of Homeland Security bulldozers will scrape up every last home garden and jail known seed hoarders.

But relax and have fun that's still two or three years down the road, boys and girls!

Now, Constant Reader, I'm certain that you recall my detailed instructions on saving cucumber seeds which I tapped out for you last fall but just in case we have a new reader (postulating an infinite universe it could happen, I suppose) the topic is covered here in Part 1, Part 2 and predictably enough, Part 3.

But, to summarize:

FIND AN ELDERLY, YELLOWED CUKE OR TWO AND SAVE IT/THEM INDOORS UNTIL IT IS SOFTENED, BUT NOT TOTALLY DECOMPOSED.



BREAK THE CUCUMBER OPEN WITH YOUR FINGERS, SEPARATE THE SEEDS FROM EVERYTHING ELSE TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE WITHOUT DAMAGING THE SEEDS.

 

Place the seeds and the pulp which adheres to them in a clean glass or plastic container, or an old crock with room temperature water and leave for at least 3 days or until the seeds have sunk to the bottom. Be sure to cover the crock and to check the contents and stir it daily.

 



SEEDS STILL FLOATING, NOT YET READY TO REMOVE AND DRY.

 

 

When the seeds are all at the bottom, remove, rinse, air dry for two or three weeks in a single layer. Store dried seeds in a paper envelope properly labeled until it is time to think of planting cucumbers once again.

 

Do you start your cucumbers indoors? New cucumbers, whether started in pots or directly seeded into the garden begin where our old, yellowed cukes left off, with saved seeds.

 

A WELL DRIED VIABLE GROUP OF SEEDS, READY TO POT OR PLANT

 

 

 

 





PLANT A FEW SEEDS 1/2" DEEP PER POT

 

 

A LITTLE TIME YIELDS HEALTHY SEEDLINGS

 

FIND A NICE PATCH OF SOIL AGAINST THE FENCE, DIG DEEP AND TURN IT WELL

 

ADD GENEROUS AMOUNTS OF SIFTED COMPOST

 

ALSO ADD EPSOM SALT FOR MAGNESIUM AND CRUSHED EGG SHELLS FOR CALCIUM, ALL CRUSHED FINE, A HANDFUL PER PLANT WELL WORKED IN

 

MAKE A HOLE LARGER THAN THE POT, FILL IT WITH WATER, LET THAT DRAIN AND THEN GENTLY REMOVE THE PLANTS FROM THE POT, PLACE THEM IN THE HOLE AND COVER, WATER AGAIN.

SAFE IN THEIR NEW HOME

 



A LITTLE FOLIAR FISH AND SEAWEED EMULSION WHEN FLOWERING BEGINS GIVES A BOOST OF ENERGY AND IMPROVES YIELD.



 

 



CRUNCHY DELICIOUS LADIES KNIGHT CUCUMBERS, OUR OWN HOUSE CUCUMBER HERE AT UNCLE MAC'S

 

And really, other than yes, you must weed, water and trellis this is all you need know, not only to grow great cucumbers but also to grow them year after year, from the same initial packet of seeds.

 

Thanks for visiting Farm Girl's corner!