Question
I am new at harvesting seeds and I have searched for an answer to my question. I hope you can help. I am in zone 4 and just this year realized you can harvest nasturium seeds. Can I pick them while they are green, as I am just noticing them now. And do I pick the green soft material off from around the seed. Also, do they need to "freeze" to germinate? Thanks, Pamerama

Answer
Hi Pamerana:

No you never pick anything green if you want to harvest seeds. You have to wait until the seed pods are brown or you will get immature seeds that will not sprout.

Nasturtium is one of a few plants that do not have a seed pod. What you see is the seed. Those seeds will turn brown or a beige or even a blackish brown and shrivel up. You'll have to get them before they fall off the plants--or off the ground but before they get wet and start to sprout or rot. Let them sit on a paper towel, inside and away from sunlight, for a few days so any moisture will evaporate. Then put them in a labelled sealed envelope. Store in a relatively cool, dry, dark place.

As with saving any seeds try to have heritage plants. These are the first form of the plant, but growers have hybridized most plants. Hybridized plants may not produce seeds that come true--the same as this years plants--but instead revert back to the original. For instance the spurless Whirlibird Nasturtium may have spurs on next years plants from saved seeds. However it is worth a try to see what you get. I have had some hybrids come true to form.

Some plants like Nasturtium have hard outer seed casings. To get them off to a good start next year try this. 1 or 2 days before you want to plant, wrap your seeds in a wet paper towel. When you plant,dig your hole and fill it with water and let it soak into the ground. Drop in your seeds and cover them in. The towel trick swells the pod and the moisture in the hole helps them germinate right away. To get an earlier start they can be started indoors in pots, about 3 weeks early. Just do it the same way.

Nasturtiums are frost hardy. They will withstand frosts of a few degrees.

Here's a little trick for starting them outside early. cut the bottom out of a clear plastic bottle. You want one that is about 4 inches or more across the bottom. Press it into the ground about 2 weeks before you plant the seed, to warm the soil. Plant as stated before, then remove the bottle cap to let excess heat escape or you will cook your seed. Then set the bottle over the seed. You have created a mini greenhouse. You will have to watch and water because the heat generated will dry the soil. Remove the bottle when it gets warm and before the leaves touch the sides of the bottle or they will burn.

Hope this helps                                  Myrna

I forgot to mentiom that when you use the bottle trick not to put the bottle back on when the plant's leaves are wet after you water. The sun will burn wet leaves.           Myrna