Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with seeds

Heirloom Garlic in NE Illinois

glip — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:17:37 -0800

I'd like to find a source in NE Illinois or even Chicago for heirloom seeds and garlic for my Aunt, bricks and mortar if possible. I couldn't seem to find anything promising online, and there are a lot of online places, but I'm in Canada so I have no experience with the U.S. based companies. I'm looking for some large cloved hardneck garlics, as well as other types of heirloom seeds. Seed Savers Exchange is sold out of garlic but I might point her to them for other things. Ideally seeds grown in a similar climate would be better than getting seeds from elsewhere.

What is this strange seed/fruit that fell from the sky?

senador — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:13:50 -0800

This "fell out of the sky" near my house. I have never seen this kind of seed or fruit before. Does anyone know what this is?

Well, they ARE seeds...

werkzeuger — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 06:09:42 -0800

Are culinary seeds and beans (whole spices, dried peas, etc.) treated to prevent germination? All these items are, after all, seeds. Are the ones you can purchase in a typical American grocery store able to germinate, or are they treated to prevent that?

If so, is this regulated by the USDA or other gov't body?

I have had some success sowing whole spice seeds in the garden, mainly corriander and fenugreek. But, some of these came from an Indian grocery store which seems to have different distribution channels.

There is often a huge difference in price when compared to seeds actually grown for gardening.

BTW I'm not suggesting this is a good practice for gardeners. It's more for amusement.

Will my flowers grow?

boulder20something — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:59:22 -0800

How long is a pack of flower seeds good for? I have 4 packs of flower seeds (sunflowers and morning glorys) that I bought last spring but never used. They have been sitting in my dark, cool pantry unopened since then. Will they grow if I plant them? Or will I be wasting my time, hoping for flowers that never come?

where can I buy open pollinated seeds?

Mayor Curley — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 07:46:54 -0800

Is there a place in eastern Massachusetts or southern New Hampshire where I can purchase open pollinated/heirloom seeds in person? Prefer Metro-West, but I'll go where the seeds are.

If I bury this pot seed will it grow?

It ain't over yet — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:02:42 -0800

So every now and then a few seeds show up in the shake. Are these real, growable marijuana seeds? If I planted one, and gave it all the TLC yer supposta, would it grow? Or do you need to get your hands on some sort of special seed stock if you hope to raise a plant?

Entomology Filter: What are these these seed-like pods? Bug eggs?

plasticbugs — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 16:46:17 -0800

Entomology Filter: Ant-hill structures in my bedroom. Do I have ants or some other kind of bug? Strange that I haven't seen ONE bug in the three months I've lived here. (pics inside) I recently moved into a new apartment in Venice, California (four blocks from the beach). When I moved in, there were two piles of what looked like sawdust or bird-seed on my bedroom floor. The piles were about the size of ant hills and were against the wall. I thought maybe sawdust had come from my ceiling and landed in these piles (woodpecker, or some kind of bug).

Even if they were ant hills, there were no bugs around or ants. I was not really alarmed by this and just vacuumed them up.

Two months later, I now see two more piles against the wall in basically the same area on my carpeted floor. Now I'm alarmed.

Pile 1
Macro shot of Pile 1
Pile 2

The piles are dry, the pellets/eggs/whatever are not a uniform color. I've taken pictures. Any entomologists out there recognize these things? One is a macro shot, these pellets are absolutely miniscule - smaller than bird-seed.

Legality to mail US consumer vegetable seed packets to Kenya?

Quarter Pincher — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 20:36:32 -0800

Are there any export restrictions (or whatnot) regarding me (a US non-business entity) sending a bunch of packages of consumer vegetable-garden seeds to a foreign country (Kenya) as a gift? I'm sure there are some restrictions on receiving foreign seeds, but.. outgoing? A gentleman I met in Kenya last year (having been there myself) has requested a number of seed packets be sent to his rural/slum community. Would I be breaking some US export law (or Kenya import.. hmm) by sending them?

Keep my garden growing

nax — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:28:16 -0800

Where can I get quality seeds on line? Looking specifically for beets and chick peas (trying out mid-summer planting, why not). I have a broken ankle so I can't get to the garden store and they have garbage seeds anyway. Thanks!

ID this little white flower?

MaudB — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:40:32 -0800

Flower Identification filter: What is this plant? I planted a bunch of seeds in early June, including a couple of packets of wildflower seeds (one was Zipcar promo swag, of all things) that weren't identified. This little white one started blooming last week and I have no idea what it is. I've searched all over the Internets to no avail. It looks a bit like white flax, but I've determined that it isn't.

Seed sellers in Chicago

sk381 — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:44:56 -0800

Where can I buy quality seeds, specially for herbs, in Chicago? I'm looking for sellers that are within city limits. Thanks!

Asian Grocery Item Needs ID

franklen — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:39:51 -0800

Help me identify this Asian grocery item. An old roommate of my current roommate left this item in the cupboard, and I have no way to get a hold of them to ask about it. The package is yellow with all Asian language text of some sort. There is a picture of some beans and nuts. Inside are individual packets that seem to contain crushed seeds and/or nuts. What is this product, and what is it used for? i was just going to open it up and sprinkle on my oatmeal in the morning?

Grow little buddy, grow!

the dief — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:45:43 -0800

How do I get started with germinating cactus seeds? Hello. I love me some cactus. I have one growing right now and its awesome, but I bought it as a plant, not as seed. I'd like to get started with germinating cactus seeds, but I'm not sure about the best way to do it. Some caveats:

1) I live in Canada. So, uh, I don't exactly have a lot of warmth outside. Especially not now.
2) I'd *really* rather not use grow lamps or other heat sources. I do have multiple old school radiators, so I could probably use them, but I don't want to have a huge power drain. If there's some wicked awesome low power drain lamp solution that I don't know about, that would be nifty.
3) I don't have a yard, so this would be pots only. None of my windows get a hell of a lot of sun.

Oh and yeah, if you've got a nice reputable place where you buy cactus seeds and garden stuff in general (I'm in Hamilton, ON, but can tool around the GTA if need be) -- please let me know! Recommendations for particular species to grow are good too.

Botanyfilter: How to collect hosta seeds?

bolognius maximus — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 15:49:57 -0800

Do I really have to wait for hosta seeds to dry on the plant? I am going to try to grow hostas from seed. All the articles I pulled up on google said that one should wait until the seed pods turn brown and split open. Is this really necessary, or could I collect green seed pods and dry them out and still obtain viable seeds? Thanks for any info in advance.

Kernels of doom!

glip — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 20:39:15 -0800

Culinary uses for apricot kernels... is it worth the trouble of saving my pits? So, I've been saving my apricot pits and now have quite a few I've been shelling them, and from some googling it seems they are quite healthy but also contain some cyanide... so, I'm wondering if I can use some of these for baking purposes, I've heard they're added to marzipan. A co-worker told me her mother used to grind one or two and add it to pastries and cookies.

If anyone has any recipes that use them, I'd give it a go.

I kill baby plants!

thehmsbeagle — Thu, 17 May 2007 19:54:59 -0800

I kill baby plants! Help me, gardeners! So my problem is that I am unable to grow things from seed.

I do not, exactly, have a black thumb. Things I buy as plants grow vigorously, by and large. Also, I've read up on this problem, but all the gardening experts seem to think that seed-starting is incredibly easy, and don't give tips for MORONS such as myself.

When I grow things from seed, this is how it goes:

I plant the seeds in some variety of (sterile) starter mix or potting soil or those little discs that expand alarmingly when watered. I use new or clean pots. I plant the seeds at the recommended depth. I water thoroughly.

I put the pot/tray on my kitchen windowsill, which gets a reasonable, but not overwhelming, amount of light.

"Grow, grow, baby plants! " I say.

After a few days, the seeds sprout and grow! I cheer. But then, tragedy strikes. At about three, four days to a week post-sprout, the seedlings seem to stop growing.

The seedlings start to look sad. Not sick, mind you. Just... a general failure to thrive. They don't have bugs or look diseased or anything, they just stop growing. I nurse them along for another week or two with flagging hope.

Then I give up and buy generic tomato plants from the hardware store.

I want to be able to grow interesting things from seed! What am I doing wrong?

I realize that you're supposed to harden seedlings off, but surely not at four days? Am I overwatering? Are they not getting enough light? Am I planting the seeds too close together? The seedlings start to look depressed before they've gotten their first real leaf; should I be thinning right away? Should I maybe put them outside as soon as they sprout?

HELP. The only tomatoes I'm able to grow from seed are the vigorous plum tomatoes that volunteer themselves in the compost, which is totally unintentional and, frankly, kind of humiliating.

Any clear instructions on how to start plants from seed? A book or website would be very pleasing, too.

If it matters, I live in zone 10. (But the plantlets expire long before going outside. ARGH.)

It's a capsicum cotyledon consumption carnival!

mds35 — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 22:44:07 -0800

What are some unusual sprouts I can grow and eat? And where can I get organic seeds for sprouting? After Creed on The Office divulged that he sprouts mung beans in his desk, I embarked on a Google search that landed me on a sprouting-fanatic site. I ordered a sprout kit and a few seed samplers. I'm now growing a mix of arugula, cress, radish and dill in a jar. They smell tasty and I will harvest them tomorrow. Next I will sprout a mix of lentils and then some broccoli. I also plan to try black sesame seeds, onions and sunflower shoots.

In the last few days I've visited about every sprouting site on the web looking for even more interesting seeds to sprout.

Being a capsicum addict, I'm particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has successfully sprouted chile peppers (ancho, anaheim, poblano, jalapeno, etc). Also, I'm curious about celery seed for some reason.

Crushed red pepper and celery seed are available at grocery stores, I know. But I'd like to get some organic seeds that are safe to eat and likey to germinate, not ones irradiated for pest-resistance or long shelf-life. And likewise I assume that gardening seeds from Burpee and the like are treated variously for garden use in ways that sprouting seeds would not be.

So the question is, can anyone lend their personal experience with sprouting chiles, celery or other interesting/unusual seeds and can you also point me to a relaibe source for them?

I also plan to try my hand at essene bread soon. So if anyone has any pointers, let me know.

“Everyone who enjoys thinks that the principal thing to the tree is the fruit, but in point of fact the principal thing to it is the seed. Herein lies the difference between them that create and them that enjoy.”

barometer — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 07:29:03 -0800

Where can I buy pounds of Indian mustard seed (Brassica juncea)? We need it for a phytoremediation project in New Orleans and all of the seed suppliers in our area (NC) don't carry it. Any ideas? It's sometimes called "India mustard seed" and I'm not sure which one is correct. I'm not the project lead here, can you tell? Help!

Seedy clementines.

zackola — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 15:36:19 -0800

Botany filter: Is there anyway to guarantee that the clementines I buy will be seedless? I read on wikipedia that the loss of the seedless characteristics happen when bees cross-pollinate them with other fruit. So, other than raising my own clemintines in a bee-free zone, anyone have any suggestions?

What's so grape about these seeds?

zerokey — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 21:41:42 -0800

Can I do anything useful with these grape seeds? I mistakenly purchased red globe grapes with seeds. After eating some, something possessed me to keep all of the seeds, rinse them and put them away. By the time I'm finished with them, I'll probably have almost a cup of seeds. Can I do anything useful with them?

stockpiling sunflower seeds

lpctstr; — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 19:21:03 -0800

How long will an unopened bag of shelled sunflower seeds lasts? I've searched a while but I'm only finding about the longevity of bulk shelled sunflower seeds. I have shelled sunflower seeds still in the plastic bag.

Buying patchouli seeds

lnicole — Tue, 01 Mar 2005 16:24:41 -0800

Where can I buy patchouli seeds right now? I'd like to plant them within the next couple of weeks, and the only online retailer I have found so far that offers them (a nursery in Indiana) had to toss out their batch and won't receive any more for at least a month.