Let's make a difference! I need YOUR help! (Contest details and discussion)

[mymilliefleur]

A few things. The first is break down the seed coat so they sprout better. The second is an increase in disease resistance in your seeds ( not a part I really understand ) it mimics the natural rotting and seeding plants do on there own...

How interesting, I will have to try that some time.

 

[hennible]

Wow, it really pays to ask!  That all seems easy enough, and definitely not how I've been doing it  Thanks Sam.  How long do you typically leave them in the water to wait for the mold to grow?  It looks like the jar is in a sunny window -- does that help with the process? --April

It's just a convenient spot by my sink, The sun may or may not be helping... four days usually, sometimes longer... Many times I leave mine months (they get a bit smelly )... Usually it's fine, but once and I while they have sprouted when I've left them like that... With squash and similar plants its good to age the fruit after picking, up to a month, and pick when ripe or past that for better results...

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote:
Oh, so those squash seeds that don't look so good in the decaying squash might not be a lost cause. I assumed that if the fibrous network that holds them in place looked infected that the seeds weren't good, but it sounds like they might be fine as long as they're not squishy. That's why I have so many squash and pumpkin coming up in my compost pile every year. (Those really are the best ones!)

 

[hennible]

Lol!
Yeah as long as there not squishy, sprouting or empty, they'll probably grow. I opened an old squash for the chickens today, it had soft spots and a bit of mould inside... The seeds where all sprouting!

 

[Sydney Acres]

Hey, speaking of squash, I just thought of another way to reuse something. We had 4 bee hives, each 4 boxes tall, where the bees died over the winter and rotted -- yuck!! I was told that those boxes shouldn't be reused, as there could be some bee infection that might sicken future colonies. They can't be cleaned or disassembled to use the wood for another purpose -- too sticky! They can't be burned, as the enamel paint on the outside would probably produce toxic smoke. I thought I would need to throw them in the trash, which I hate to do. But I can use them to support the little hills that I make to plant melons and squash!!! They're the perfect size in every way, and the stickiness and possible bee viruses won't affect the ground or the plants. The dark green paint on the outside will probably even help keep the soil warmer, which is a huge issue in Western WA.

 

[hennible]

Nice!

 

[hennible]

Up cycled

 

[hennible]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/alaskans-no-cost-bantam-coop
Totally up cycled coop.

 

[torilovessmiles]

Quote: Quote: Love these!!
I just planted some seeds in rinsed-off Styrofoam cups. Hey, works right?
I'm also planting some in eggshells!

 

[mymilliefleur]

We were taking some garbage to the dump a few months ago and my dad saw a guy throwing away several large sliding glass doors. He ran over just as the man was about to throw the last one into the dumpster, and asked if he could have it. It is a nice large sheet of glass, we haven't decided exactly what to do with it yet though. To bad we couldn't save more of them, the guy had like five of them that he was throwing away.