Blazing Light, Love's Song

Over the last week or so, our location has received precipitation. Usually short bursts, plus two longer ones, and local Nature is responding quickly.

• The tomato plants that had flowered before mid-July, and largely went dormant protected under curtain sheers for shade, burst into ripening. Simultaneously, they are flowering as if to make up on lost time.
• The cooler night temperatures had prompted the drying beans to start to drying off, but the minerals in the rain sealed it for the bean plants. They don’t want their seeds to rot (fat chance this season!). So, the rain instigates completion before night and day cooler temperatures create those conditions.
• Rain and cooler nights also encourage the winter squash plants to produce the sugars in the fruit that would assist the seeds and entice animals to eat (like me!) and spread the seeds. Just like maple trees, the sap is decreased to the leaves and increased to the fruit (the squash); not to enlarge it but to sweeten it.

So, before thoughts on seeds (which are offered each season), some photos of

• ripening heirloom beefsteak tomatoes,
• fruit setting as quickly as the plants can muster,
• and the tomato plants -plum type- which never needed sun mitigation because of location

Seed saving is easy once you know a few basic things. With that information, seeds saved can be used next season with the benefit of being acclimated to your environment.

Things to know: 

1. Beans (all beans) self-pollinate and do not cross-pollinate. Your seeds will be true, as long as they are viable (completed growth, no rot to the seed, and stored properly until next season).
2. Winter squash will cross pollinate with any other winter squash. Seeds will not be true. They might grow something next season and be kitchen yummy, but likely will not produce true for seed.
3. Summer squash will cross pollinate with any other summer squash. Same situation.
4. Summer and winter cannot pollinate each other. The issue is neighbor’s gardens. Bees travel, often cross pollinating squash crops.
5. Most seed gathering books will state that tomatoes are mostly self-pollinating. Hmm. Keep seeds from your favorites. Dry them, store them properly. They will produce fruit next season, but it might have variations in the plant, the shape of fruit, or color if other tomatoes were in proximity. My garden regularly has many varieties growing, from saved seed. I’ve not encountered issues.
6. Select your potential seed stock. My string beans are being now let to seed, but only long pods are being left to complete. Shorter or curled are culled for supper. Similar with peas. Plump, round seed pods are left. Others are culled. This is how its been done for ages. Pretty straight forward.

Edible dry beans

Varieties abound of edible dry beans. You might have a landrace bean in your area. We have a few from the First Peoples here, mostly Pueblo People, with each pueblo having their own. Locally, it is a Bolita bean; a delicious small, salmon colored bean.

Drying beans are not picked through the season, but let complete their cycle on the plant. When the pods are dry, they are picked, and let dry some more (another month). I use paper lunch bags, and reuse them again next season. The bean pod will self-shuck if thoroughly dry. Otherwise, shucking is meditative and a peaceful way to relax into quiet time. Store the beans in glass jars, in a cool, dry pantry. Not the fridge.

The dried beans are also your seed stock for next season.