Thunderstorms, some heavy during the morning hours, then skies turning partly cloudy during the afternoon. High around 85F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..
Tonight
A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
The recent heat makes some people want to give up on this year’s garden and start dreaming about next year’s,
There’s still quite a bit of gardening season for this year, but planning can put you in a good place for the next garden season.
Seed saving is a fun way to enjoy gardening without breaking the bank. Most plants produce seeds that can be saved from one year to the next. However, not all seeds are equally suited for saving.
Jesse Gilmore, Wildcat Extension District Horticulture Extension Agent, will discuss the merits of seed saving, the different types of flowers and seeds, and which plants are most suited to seed saving.
This is the topic of the next K-State Garden Hour on Wednesday, Sept. 6 from noon to 1 p.m.
You can register for the program or view the recorded version usually by the next day.
The previous programs are available on the K-State Garden Hour website.
There are a few crops that I will save my seed from this season’s crop.
The yard long bean is a crop that comes true from the seed.
I will enviably miss a bean pod or two that gets past prime harvest time.
Letting it mature to a dry pod allows for harvesting the beans out of the pod. Seeds are kept dry and cool in the basement for planting next year.
Some seeds are stored in the garden. Portulaca, marigold, and zinnia reseed themselves in the garden.
I don’t need to harvest and store inside, but it could be done. Thinning is usually the gardening task needed with these seeds.
Sweet corn is one crop that I won’t ever harvest for next year. The variety I like is a hybrid.
Two known parents produce the offspring that makes the corn I like.
Saving the seed would not produce the same results. I prefer to eat the seeds of this crop instead of saving them.
My butterfly weed is maturing and releasing the seed now. I could collect it and try to start it indoors.
Another method is to collect it and move it to a desired location in the garden before it blows away.
You can find out more information on this and other horticulture topics by going to the Riley County, K-State Research and Extension website at www.riley.ksu.edu. Gregg Eyestone may be contacted by calling 785-537-6350 or stopping by 110 Courthouse Plaza in Manhattan or e-mail: geyeston@ksu.edu.
