Seed dryer

[FarmI]

Whether it works depends. It depends on your climate, the plant and the viability of the seed.

I live in a climate that gets hard frosts but snow is as rare as rocking horse poop.

In Autumn I frequently strip the seed heads of things and just strew the seeds around the garden to lie there and come up or not as they want to do. I generally don't bother with putting the seeds in anything but I have done it sometimes using old broccoli boxes. My problem is forgetting seeds in pots so I'd rather the seed did its own thing.

Things that grow easily from using this strewing technique are parsley, coriander, basil, calendulas, aquilegia, mustard, silver beet (chard) and probably others that I would recall if I took a walk around my garden.

Other things that grow voluntarily from my cold composting techniques are pumpkins and apple trees and various other squashes.

[CanopyCo]

Thanks. I think I will give this a try next year.

[Higgs Boson]

Why fermenting? Straight question.

Does anybody ferment any other plant seeds before drying?

TIA

Persephone

then run them under running water and then dump them out onto a

[FarmI]

Tomato seeds straight from the tomato have a slimy coating (think snot like). Leaving them for a few days in water gets rid of the slimyness and then all you have to do is pour them into a kitchen sieve and run a bit of water on them and then dump them onto a bit of kitchen towel wait for the whole bit of towel to dry, roll it up and put it away till tomato seed planting time..

[Gary Woods]

Fermenting is reputed to kill some pathogens. It definitely breaks down the gel sac around each seed, making them much easier to handle once washed and dried. The Seed Saver's Exchange farm in Iowa has a huge German-built machine to extract tomato and other seed (think a Foley on steroids), but they still add water and ferment the tomato seeds for a few days.

Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

[Gary Woods]

Having done that, I just spread the seeds out in the sieve and point a small desk fan at it. They dry in a couple of hours.

Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

[bookmarkmaster]

The Seed Counter is computerized one and specially designed for quick counting of Seeds. This machine is useful for grains and pulses laboratories where counting of Seeds is a routine requirement. It is microcontroller based highly advanced unit with alphanumeric display of the commodity name and its other details. The machine can be attached to personal computer for maintaining the records of the samples obtained. It can also be connected with a serial and/or a parallel printer. It counts seeds in a given weight or volume quickly and accurately. Electromagnetic vibratory action moves the seed upward along with the track. Seeds are arranged into a single line before they are discharged. As the seed speeds down the chute, it is detected by a solid state sensor.