Attn farmers and gardeners

Joe-from-MO · Sep 10, 2014

I have gardening question and I thought before joining a gardening forum I,d pick the brains of the farmers of America. Any help would be appreciated. We planted our garden this year , ( used an IH 674 to plow and disc.....that kinda makes it a tractor conversation right?) and we used heirloom seeds to try our hand at saving seed for next season. My question is, at the end of every season we usually till the remaining crops under before winter, but since they are heirlooms will they replant themselves next year and grow back in an unorganized mess or will the winter cold kill them off?

oldtanker · Sep 10, 2014

(quoted from post at 13:44:19 09/10/14) I have gardening question and I thought before joining a gardening forum I,d pick the brains of the farmers of America. Any help would be appreciated. We planted our garden this year , ( used an IH 674 to plow and disc.....that kinda makes it a tractor conversation right?) and we used heirloom seeds to try our hand at saving seed for next season. My question is, at the end of every season we usually till the remaining crops under before winter, but since they are heirlooms will they replant themselves next year and grow back in an unorganized mess or will the winter cold kill them off?

I'd bet they come back.

Rick

Mike Kork · Sep 10, 2014

You pull up the volunteers, just like weeds.
Lott of the seeds will sprout early in spring and the frost will kill them, later when you till for planting you will get more of them.

Don't worry be happy.

old · Sep 10, 2014

A lot depends on how many seed you leave on the plant when you till it under. Many Tomato's plants will come back and I have found most of the time they are harder then ones you plant your self. Also depends on what the plant it self is and if the seeds get berried to deep to come back up. I threw out a pumpkin last winter and it came up this spring

Dave H (MI) · Sep 10, 2014

Not if you PICK the crop, since most of the seed is in the edible parts. Either way, you can pull out what you do not want.

showcrop · Sep 10, 2014

Yes, their seeds will be sprouting in the spring provided that they are close enough to the surface. BUUUT, they will be barely noticeable amongst the thousands of weed seeds that will be sprouting anyway.

Joe-from-MO · Sep 10, 2014

I guess I'll just have that many more weeds to pull out! As if it wasn't hard enough already. Seems like a waste. Guess I could save as much as I can and just give some away to anyone who needs some.

RayP(MI) · Sep 10, 2014

Some may. Many seeds will need to be properly
dried and stored in a cool dry place. Some seeds
need to be frozen, or specially processed. Might
better buy new seed next spring. Weed seeds
excepted. They'll winter just fine.

As an aside, I rent a small plot of land to local
septage hauler. Regularly find self seeded tomato
plants growing from seeds in the septage. Must be
hardy seeds indeed.

gtractorfan · Sep 10, 2014

Don't think it makes a difference whether the plants and seed are heirloom or hybrid. I've been piling up garden debris over winter with some 12-12-2 fertilizer added. Grind it up and reuse. Hasn't bothered anything so far, seems to help the ground. Got zinnias along the edge over 5 feet tall, broom corn behind is 10' tall.

paul · Sep 10, 2014

Heirloom, conventional, gmo, hybred - all seeds want to grow
and will sprout.

Some won't like winter and won't.

Some will sprout this fall and die in winter.

Some will come in early spring and die when you work the
garden.

Paul

notjustair · Sep 10, 2014

I have a hog pen that faces north - every winter I try to leave it
empty as the shed there is so cold. Come spring there are
tomato plant growing everywhere in there. I give the hogs the
slop from when I can tomatoes. Some varieties are hardier
than others but I find no rhyme or reason.

Joe-from-MO · Sep 10, 2014

Those are some hearty seeds indeed to go through the digestive process of hogs (and humans according to septic guy) and still grow. God is amazing! And what's funnier yet is how hard it is sometimes for me to get things to grow in my garden! Maybe I should get some hogs???

Nebraska Cowman · Sep 10, 2014

You will want to till the garden in the spring
as the ground warms up to kill the early
sprouting weeds. That will also stop and
volunteer vegetable plants that have started.
Soil temp has a big effect on germination and
some crops will sprout in colder soil than
others. Then go ahead and plant your saved seed
as you normally would with store bought seed.
Yes, you will have some volunteer plants come
up where you don't want them but just pull them
along with any weeds. If you just allow things
to grow helter-skelter you won't be able to do
good weed control and you will just have a big
mess.

Spudm · Sep 10, 2014

So that's what broom corn looks like. I've noticed it growing in my fields this year. I don't know where it came from....

Attn farmers and gardeners

Joe-from-MO

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oldtanker

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Mike Kork

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old

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Dave H (MI)

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showcrop

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Joe-from-MO

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RayP(MI)

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gtractorfan

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paul

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notjustair

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Joe-from-MO

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Nebraska Cowman

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Spudm

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