Any reliable seed house can be depended upon for good seeds, but even so, there is always a great risk in seeds. A seed may to all appearances, be all right and yet, not have within it, vitality enough, or power, to produce a hardy plant.

If you save seed from your own plants, you are able to choose carefully. Suppose you are saving seed, of aster plants. What blossoms will you decide upon? Now it is not the blossom, only, which you must consider, but the entire plant. Why? Because a weak, straggly plant, may produce only one, fine blossom. Looking at that one blossom, so really beautiful, you think of the numberless, equally lovely plants, you are going to have from the seeds. But, just as likely as not, the seeds will produce plants, like the parent plant.

So in seed selection, the entire plant is to be considered. Is it sturdy, strong, well shaped and symmetrical, does it have a good number of fine blossoms? These are questions to ask, in seed selection.

If you should happen to have the opportunity, to visit a seedsman’s garden, you will see here and there, a blossom with a string tied around it. These are blossoms chosen for seed. If you look at the whole plant with care, you will be able to see the points, which the gardener held in mind, when he did his work of selection.

 In seed selection, size is another point to hold in mind. Now we know no way of telling anything about the plants, from which this special collection of seeds came. So, we must give our entire thought, to the seeds themselves. It is quite evident, that there is some choice. Some are much larger than the others, some far plumper, too. By all means, choose the largest and fullest seed. The reason is this: When you break open a bean and this is very evident, too, in the peanut, you see what appears to be a little plant. So it is. Under just the right conditions, for development, this ‘little chap’ grows into the bean plant, you know so well.

This little plant must depend for it’s early growth, on the nourishment stored up, in the two halves of the bean seed. For this purpose, the food is stored. Beans are not full of food and goodness for you and me to eat, but for the little baby bean plant, to feed upon. And so, if we choose a large seed, we have chosen a greater amount of food, for the plantlet. This little plantlet feeds upon this stored food, until it’s roots are prepared to do their work. So if the seed is small and thin and the first food supply is insufficient, there is a possibility of losing the little plant.

This pantry of food is called a cotyledon, if there is but one portion, cotyledons if two. Thus, we are aided, in the classification of plants. A few plants, that bear cones, like the pines, have several cotyledons. But most plants have either one, or two cotyledons.

 From large seeds, come the strongest plantlets. That is the reason why, it is better and safer to choose the large seed. It is the same case exactly, as that of weak children. 

There is often another problem, in seeds that we buy. The trouble is impurity. Seeds are sometimes mixed with other seeds, so like them in appearance, that it is impossible to detect the fraud. Pretty poor business, is it not? The seeds may be unclean. Bits of foreign matter, in with large seed, are very easy to discover. One can merely pick the seed over and make it clean. By clean, is meant freedom, from foreign matter. But if small seeds are unclean, it is very difficult, well nigh impossible, to make them clean.

The third thing to look out for, in seed, is viability. We know from our testings, that seeds which look, to the eye, to be all right, may not develop at all. There are reasons for this. Seeds may have been picked before they were ripe, or mature. They may have been frozen and they may be too old. Seeds retain their viability, or germ developing power, a given number of years and are then useless. There is a viability limit, in years, which differs for different seeds. 

From the test of seeds, we find out the germination percentage of seeds. Now if this percentage is low, don’t waste time planting such seed, unless it is small seed. Immediately you will question that statement. Why does the size of the seed make a difference? This is the reason. When small seed is planted, it is usually sown in drills. Most amateurs sprinkle the seed, very thickly, so a greater quantity of seed is planted. Enough seed will germinate and come up, from such close planting. So quantity, makes up for quality.

But, take the case of large seed, like corn, for example. Corn is planted just so far apart and a few seeds in a place. With such a method of planting, the matter of percentage of germination, is most important indeed.

Small seeds, that germinate at fifty per cent, may be used, but this is too low a percentage for the larger seed. Suppose we test beans. The percentage is seventy. If low-vitality seeds were planted, we could not be absolutely certain, of the seventy percent coming up. But, if the seeds are lettuce, then go ahead with the planting. See what is meant by this?

How does lazy gardening appeal to you. Find out how to have a lovely garden without any digging. Get the book Easy Gardening. It is one of the best sellers and a worthy guide to all serious gardeners. See more here. http://dersalsites.com/eg/

Sally Robson is an up and coming, South African internet marketer, with a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans and non U.S folk, to have equal opportunity and success on the internet. She and her husband Derek, have started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles, as part of Dersalsites. She also has a passion for gardening.

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