Seeds are a crucial part of plants renewing life, and life on earth. Each seed contains the DNA of the parent plant to enable the seed replicate the parent plant. Seeds can travel amazing distances, being transported around the world via water, bird life, wind, and the fur of animals. Then, when dropped onto the ground, when the time is right, the seed can awake to life. Some seeds are edible and delicious raw – think sunflower seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds.  Not to mention peas, broad beans, sesame seeds, soya beans, poppy seeds, fennel seeds… the list is endless and so useful!

If a crop has gone to seed, pick the plants and let them dry out, then lay out some newspaper and shake the plants to release the seeds.  Or you can pick them straight off the plant and then stored in a dry dark place (not in plastic). I usually pop them in a named and dated paper envelope away from the mischievous mice.

For example my rocket crop was massive, well beyond what we could eat or give away, so I allowed it to go to seed. The plants look magnificent when seeding. Because I had the space I allowed them to dry out, mostly in the ground before pulling them out and hanging upside down until completely dried. Once they were completely dried out, I sprinkled them everywhere directly off the rocket plant, which was heaps of fun. Kind of like a rocket wand!  They started to grow in a week and I now have a huge space filled with beautiful rocket, all self sown. Plus there’s plenty of spare seeds in a paper envelope for later sowing. I did the same with a great crop of coriander/cilantro, which I let dry off, then tucked some away for future planting, and the rest are in my kitchen pantry, ready for adding amazing flavours to cooking!

My little sis received the sweetest gift from a friend one day not long ago. A packet full of home grown calendula seeds. What a delight! When people give these gifts you know their heart has gone into their plants, their seeds and therefore the gift itself.