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Honoring Independence with Seed Saving
July is here, and with it come the first signs of seed readiness in the garden. Early bloomers like chives and columbine are beginning to go to seed—an exciting reminder that seed saving season is underway!
To harvest chive seeds, wait until the blossoms have dried and the seeds inside have turned dark and hard. Snip off the whole blossom and let it dry a bit longer in a paper bag or tray. Once fully dry, rub the flower heads between your hands to release the seeds, then winnow or sift to separate them from the chaff.
| | Columbine seeds require a bit more care. You don’t want to harvest the seed pods too early—but if you wait too long, they’ll burst open and scatter. The sweet spot is when the pods are starting to dry and turn from a green to a yellow, but haven’t opened. You can test a few by gently rolling the seed pod between your fingers, if they crack open and expose black seeds they are ready to harvest. The easiest method is to snip off the pods directly into a bowl or bag, so if they pop open, the seeds are still caught. Allow to dry fully, shake the seeds heads in a plastic bag to loosen the seeds, and then you can cut a small hole in the bottom of the bag to pour the seeds out into another container. | | Too Early: pod is still bright green and seeds are green | | Too late: pod has dried and burst | | Correct time to harvest: Pod is yellowish green and when rolled exposes black seeds | | |
If you’re planning to collect seeds this year, now’s the time to start thinking ahead: protect blossoms from cross-pollination if needed, label your plants, and keep an eye on seed development to ensure healthy, true-to-type seeds. (Read the next article for more tips.)
Looking ahead, mark your calendar for Saturday, September 13, from 1:00–3:00 p.m., when we’ll host a One Seed, One Community Seed Return and Seed Steward Training at the Children’s Edible Garden. From 1:00–2:00 p.m., Peggy and Melissa will lead a hands-on seed saving workshop. Then from 2:00–3:00 p.m., participants will have the chance to harvest veggies straight from the garden—assuming the bunnies leave us a few!
Whether you’re returning seeds from this year’s “One Seed” or looking to grow your skills as a community seed steward, we’d love to see you there.
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One Seed One Community Program:
Seed Selection Time
This year, the One Seed One Community program has chosen a pepper plant to highlight the significance of pollination and the importance of preventing cross-pollination. The selected plant is a wet-harvesting seed, offering participants a new learning opportunity about this type of seed harvesting. The Pepperoncini variety was chosen by the majority of the seed team for its delicious taste and versatility. This pepper is not only flavorful but can be used in a variety of culinary applications, making it an exciting choice for the community to explore.
To prevent cross-pollination when saving seeds from pepper plants, follow these steps:
- Isolate Blossoms: Use a pollination bag to cover individual blossoms, groups of blossoms, or the entire plant as soon as a blossom forms.
- Remove the Bag After Fruit Forms: Once the fruit appears, you can safely remove the bag, ensuring the blossom was pollinated without outside interference.
- Mark Your Peppers: Use string or a twist tie to mark isolated peppers, so you know which ones to save seeds from once they are fully ripe.
By following these steps, you’ll preserve the true characteristics of the Pepperoncini variety.
Happy gardening!
🌱The One Seed, One Community Team 🌱
Submitted by Peggy, N.E.W. Master Gardener
| A big thank you to Associated Bank for including the Brown County Seed Library in their annual Day of Service. Their team was able to get 2,376 envelopes packed in around 2 hours! They also managed to get 140 envelopes of peas into a 1 gallon bag... A current Seed Library Record! | |
Succession Planting:
Keep Your Garden Harvesting All Season Long
July is a good time to do succession planting because you will have harvested some of your early crops and can also reseed areas where seeds didn’t germinate or plants died. Succession planting involves sowing small batches of seeds every couple of weeks to ensure a steady supply of fresh vegetables right through fall. This technique helps you maximize your garden space and extend your harvest well beyond the first round of spring plantings.
Many of the seeds available in our Brown County Seed Library thrive when planted in intervals during summer, maturing before the first hard frost, usually mid to late October in Green Bay. When timing succession planting, it’s important to consider the days needed for crops to fully mature before frost and the shortening daylight hours in fall.
Some crops, like carrots, peas, certain lettuce varieties, radishes, and spinach can tolerate light frost and be harvested afterward, allowing your garden to continue producing fresh food into early winter if conditions permit. Others, like cilantro and tender lettuces, need to be harvested before frost to avoid damage.
Succession planting these varieties every 1–2 weeks through mid-summer ensures you’ll enjoy a continuous harvest and avoid large gluts or gaps in your garden’s production.
Seeds for Succession Planting
Now through Mid-Summer for Fall Harvest
Peas (snap, shelling, snow)
Varieties: Sugar Ann, Green Arrow, Dwarf Sugar Gray
- Sow outdoors as soon as soil can be worked
- Succession sow every 1–2 weeks early spring through early to mid-August
- Can be harvested after light frost
Carrot
Varieties: Tendersweet, Cosmic Purple
- Sow outdoors every 2 weeks through mid-July
- Can be harvested after frost if soil is workable
Lettuce
Variety: Garden Mesclun Blend
- Sow outdoors every 2 weeks through mid-August
- Some varieties tolerate light frost and can be harvested afterward
Radish
Variety: French Breakfast
- Sow outdoors every 2 weeks through mid-September
- Can be harvested after light frost
Spinach
Variety: Bloomsdale Long
- Sow outdoors every 2 weeks through mid-September
- Can be harvested after light frost
Beets
Variety: Golden Detroit
- Sow outdoors every 2 weeks through mid-July
- Can tolerate light frost
Cilantro
Variety: Slobolt
- Sow outdoors every 2 weeks through late August
- Harvest before frost
Cabbage (green and red)
Varieties: Golden Acre, Mammoth Red Rock
- Sow outdoors mid-July for fall harvest
- Can tolerate light frost
By planning your succession plantings with these growing times and frost tolerances in mind, you’ll maximize your garden’s productivity and enjoy fresh produce well into fall—and for some crops, even beyond the first frost.
Happy gardening—and happy harvesting!
Submitted by Melissa, N.E.W. Master Gardener
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Book Review
Good Nature: Why Seeing, Smelling, Hearing, and Touching Plants is Good for Our Health
by Kathy Willis, format: book
Willis is a professor of biodiversity at the University of Oxford in England. From findings of various studies and her own research, Willis shares with readers the numerous services of the interaction between our senses and the natural world around us. Readers learn that the impact this interaction can help prevent cognitive decline which might otherwise occur with age and the promotion of our mental equilibrium. Throughout her book, Willis reviews the specific benefits of stimulation on each of the five senses from experiencing colors, perfumes, bird song, tree-hugging, and tasting the food we grow. Full of photos, history, and ideas for adding more plants in our lives, Good Nature is a perfect read to keep us motivated during the growing season!
Submitted by Jennifer, Brown County Central Library Associate and N.E.W. Master Gardener
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Calendar of Local Garden Related Events:
July 1, 5:30pm - 7:30pm (free)
Grassroots in the Garden: Growing Community
Seymour Park Food Forest, 314 S. Ashland Ave, Green Bay
July 8, noon - 1pm (free)
Planning a Perennial garden
Virtual, University of Minnesota
July 15, 5:30pm - 7:30pm (free)
Grassroots in the Garden: Growing Community
Seymour Park Food Forest, 314 S. Ashland Ave, Green Bay
July 15, 6:30pm - 7:30pm (free)
Planning & Planting a Rain Garden
Brown County Central Library, 515 Pine St, Green Bay
July 16, 5pm - 7pm (free)
Locktender Garden Open House
DePere Lock, along the riverwalk at Voyager Park
July 19, 9am - 3pm ($)
Gardeners Club of Green Bay Garden Walk
7 gardens in Brown County
July 21, 1:30pm - 2:30pm (free)
Ask Your Gardening Question: LIVE
Virtual, UW Extension
July 22, 5pm - 6:30pm (free)
Growing the Native Plant Movement Together
Virtual, Wild Ones
July 23, 10:30am - 1:30pm ($)
Intro to the Bumble Bee Brigade
Green Bay Botanical Garden, 2600 Larsen Rd, Green Bay
July 23, 6:30pm - 8:30pm (free)
Diseases of Herbaceous Ornamentals
Virtual, UW Extension
July 30, 6pm -7:30pm (free)
Tour Lee Hansen’s Gardens
225 Kalb Avenue, Green Bay
August 5, 5:30pm - 7:30pm (free)
Grassroots in the Garden: Growing Community
Seymour Park Food Forest, 314 S. Ashland Ave, Green Bay
August 13-17 ($)
Brown County Fair
1500 Fort Howard Avenue, De Pere
August 18, 1:30pm - 2:30pm (free)
Ask Your Gardening Question: LIVE
Virtual, UW Extension
August 19, 5:30pm - 7:30pm (free)
Grassroots in the Garden: Growing Community
Seymour Park Food Forest, 314 S. Ashland Ave, Green Bay
August 20, 6pm - 8pm ($)
Valentine Gardens: Adult Camp - Herbal Basics
3026 Nicolet Drive, Green Bay
August 27, 6:30 - 8:30pm (free)
Deciduous Tree and Shrub Diseases
Virtual, UW Extension
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Cilantro: Love It or Hate It?
Some gardeners crave cilantro’s bright, citrusy flavor. Others swear it tastes like soap—and some just can’t decide!
What do you think?
Click to vote in Our Cilantro Taste Test
We’ll share the results in next month’s newsletter—and keep reading below to learn more about growing cilantro in your own garden!
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Cilantro
Cilantro, known for its unique flavor and aroma, is a great addition to any home garden. It enhances many dishes and offers health benefits, though its taste isn't loved by everyone. Here’s how to grow this herb, explore its benefits, and address its divisive taste.
Cilantro thrives in full sun to partial shade with well-draining, rich soil. It’s a cool weather plant and seeds can be sown after the last frost. It’s a great succession plant and for a late summer harvest you can plant it now. Harvest leaves when plants are 6-8 inches tall by snipping outer leaves.
Cilantro is nutrient-rich, containing vitamins A, C, and K, and essential minerals. It has antioxidants, aids digestion, and may help detoxify the body by removing heavy metals.
Even if you're not a fan of cilantro's taste, growing it in your garden can still offer significant benefits. Cilantro flowers attract a variety of pollinators, including bees and butterflies. These beneficial insects help pollinate other plants in your garden, leading to increased yields and healthier plants overall. The small, delicate white or pale pink flowers are an excellent nectar source, supporting the vital ecosystem of pollinators. By including cilantro in your garden, you contribute to biodiversity and the health of your local environment.
Cilantro's fresh, citrusy flavor is loved by many but not all. For some, it tastes like soap due to genetic differences affecting taste perception. If you’re not a fan, you’re not alone. Whether you love it or leave it, understanding its benefits and how to grow it can enhance your gardening and culinary experiences.
Submitted by Peggy, N.E.W. Master Gardener
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A Trio of Favorite Cilantro Recipes
Corn & Bean Pasta Salad
Ingredients
• 6 ounces pasta uncooked
• 1 can whole kernel corn drained
• 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes quartered
• 1/4 cup or 1 bunch cilantro roughly chopped
For the dressing
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ package of ranch or taco seasoning
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain; set aside to cool. Once cooled, add the pasta to a large bowl. Add the corn, black beans, tomatoes, and cilantro. Stir together.
- In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.
- Add the dressing to the pasta salad. Stir to combine.
- Refrigerate covered until ready to serve.
Submitted by Eileen, N.E.W. Master Gardener
Cilantro Lime Dressing
by Love and Lemons
Ingredients:
Make it creamy (optional - choose one):
Instructions:
- In a food processor, place the cilantro, garlic, lime juice, maple syrup, coriander, and salt and pulse to combine. With the blade running, pour in the olive oil and process until smooth.
- Make it creamy (optional) - blend with 1 avocado or ½ cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- Serve over salads, grilled veggies, or grilled chicken or shrimp
Submitted by Janie, N.E.W. Associate Master Gardener
by Love and Lemons
Ingredients
- 1 cup long-grain jasmine rice, rinsed well and drained
- 1½ cups water
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3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
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1 small garlic clove, finely minced
- 2 scallions, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
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¼ to ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
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Pinch red pepper flakes, or ¼ diced jalapeño, optional
Instructions:
- Combine the rice, water, and 1 teaspoon of the olive oil in a medium saucepan with a lid. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes (or check the time listed on the package of your rice).
- Uncover and fluff with a fork. Add the garlic, scallions, and lime zest and stir to combine. Let cool for 1 minute, then add the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, lime juice, cilantro, and red pepper flakes or jalapeño, if using. Stir to combine and season to taste.
Submitted by Janie, N.E.W. Associate Master Gardener
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