Rick Durham, Consumer Horticulture Extension Specialist, University of Kentucky
 

Using last year's vegetable seeds.

The avid gardener among us knows that seed catalogues are starting to show up in the mail box and hardware stores and garden centers have their seed displays in full view. If you are like me, your eyes are much bigger than your garden, and there were many seeds still in the cupboard from last season's purchases. Can you use these seeds this season? Is there a good chance they will germinate if planted?

Most vegetable seeds remain viable or able to germinate for three years or more when stored properly. A few vegetables such as spinach, onion, and sweet corn, produce seeds that remain viable for a shorter period of time. These would probably be best purchased fresh each year or at least every second year. However, most vegetable seeds can be stored for several years and still exhibit high rates of germination. But storage conditions are very important.

If you are keeping seeds from one year to another try to keep them as dry as possible. Enclosing them in a glass jar, plastic food storage box, or other airtight container is best. This will keep the seeds dry and will also protect against insect infestation and feeding by rodents. Check the seeds periodically to make sure there is no mold. Discard any damaged or decaying seed. Although refrigeration is not necessary, keeping seeds as cool as possible, but not freezing, will also prolong their life.

If seeds have been kept for a year or more, check their germination using a procedure called the rag doll test. Wrap 10 seeds of each seed packet in moist paper towel. The paper towel should only be moist, not dripping wet. Roll or fold the towel to enclose the seeds and stuff the seed-containing towels into a zip lock bag and seal. You will need to label each towel if more than one is placed in a bag. Label with a pencil or water proof marker prior to wetting the towel or enclose a label with the seeds. Place the seeds in a warm area where the temperature with remain between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Most seeds that are going to germinate should do so in a week or two. If 75% or more of the seeds germinated, plant the seeds as you normally would in your garden. If germination is around 50%, it is still fine to use the seeds but you may want to plant the seeds twice a think as your normally would to make up for the lower germination rate. If germination is low, say 30% or less, it would probably be best to purchase fresh seeds.

When you purchase seeds, be sure to read the label and buy only seeds packaged for the current growing season. This will ensure that you are getting the freshest seeds available.
 

A new technique for rooting cuttings of difficult species.

We're all familiar with Velcro-those fastener strips with little plastic hooks on one side and wooly fabric on the other. Researchers at Cornell University have found a use for Velcro in propagating difficult to root species. Here is a summary of their method as highlighted in the December 2000 issue or The Nutshell. This method is simple enough that the home gardener can use it to obtain rooted cuttings or many woody plants that do not respond well to traditional methods of propagation. In late winter or early spring, while plants are still dormant but just before they are likely to initiate new growth, cover the plants with black cloth or a black plastic garbage bag. This will promote etiolated growth (spindly, pale stems) that for some reason are easier to root that typical cuttings. Once the shoots have reached three to four inches long, a Velcro strip is wrapped around the base. The Velcro is coated with rooting hormone and pressed firmly against the stem such that some of the Velcro hooks penetrate the surface of the shoots. This type of wounding coupled with the rooting hormone will promote more rapid root formation. At this time the black covering on the plant is gradually removed over a one-week period. If the unveiling occurs too rapidly the etiolated shoots will suffer sunburn. The Velcro is allow to remain for one additional week after the covering is removed, then the Velcro is removed and the shoots are detached just below where the Velcro was located. The cuttings are then inserted into a rooting medium such as sand, perlite, peat moss, or a mixture of these materials. Rooting will usually occur withing two to six weeks. The researchers, Nina Bassuk and Brian Maynard, report that this method works with many nut trees, oaks, and maples, all traditionally considered to be difficult to propagate by rooted cuttings. So if you are interested in propagating some of the woody plants around your, give this method a try.
 

Crop rotation in the home vegetable garden.

Many soil-borne pests can be effectively managed using crop rotation. This means that the same or closely related vegetables are not planted in the same site year after year. By rotating crops, the pests inhabiting the soil are not able to increase in numbers to the point where they cause significant damage to the crop. Rather a new species that is not host to the pest is planted in the infested soil. Since the pest now has no host to feed upon, its numbers will begin to decline. For crop rotation to be effective, a given crop must be rotated every two to three years and replaced with a crop that is unrelated. For example, members of the Nightshade family, including tomato, potato, eggplant, and pepper, are all very susceptible to certain soil-borne fungi. It is a good idea to move these species around every few year. But one should not replace tomatoes with potato, pepper, or eggplant, since these crops are closely related and may be susceptible to many of the same pests. Rather, replace tomatoes with plants from a different family such as the Legume family (peas and beans), the Brassica family (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, collards, brussels sprouts), or the Grass family (corn). Crop rotation works best in a relative large garden. Many people will divide the garden in to quadrants of three or four sections, and rotate crops between these quadrants each year. A plant does not return to the same location for three or four years. In smaller gardens, there may be little benefit to moving plants only a few feet from their location during the previous growing season. For small gardens it is a better practice to rotate crops in time. For example, one might choose to grow tomatoes one year, followed by squash, cucumbers or melons the second year, and beans the third year. The forth year one would return to tomatoes. This doesn't mean, however, that you must do without tomatoes or squash during the off years. These plants do very well in containers in a patio garden, and if you have children, this can be a great activity for them during the summer. If you are interested in container gardening, a great video is available at your county extension office entitled, "Lunch from the Land." Check out this video and watch it with your kids. You'll be amazed at the vegetables you can grow in containers on your patio, and at the same time you can implement crop rotation in your existing garden.
 

National Gardening Bureau names 2001 as the Year of the Centaurea.

The National Gardening Bureau has named Centaurea as one of its plants of the year for 2001. So what's a Centaurea? The full name is Centaurea cyanus, you probably know it better as bachelor's button, cornflower, or basket flower. Centaurea is certainly not a new plant to the flower garden. It was likely introduced to America by the colonists who brought it from Europe to include in their gardens, and there are related native American species as well. These plants produce single or double flowers on stems that are 10 inches to 2 ½ feet tall. There are actually three species that can be found in nurseries and garden centers, either as seed or plants. Centaurea cyanus is the annual bachelor's button or cornflower, C. americana is a native annual known as basket flower, and C. montana or mountain bluet, is a perennial form. Flower colors include white, pink, red, maroon, and blue. The plants make a great addition to a border garden and will also produce stems for cutting. When cut fresh, the flowers will last in a vase for four or five days. The flowers also retain their form and color well when dried. For drying, cut stems with recently opened flowers, tie six to seven stems together, and hang them upside down in an airy dark place for two to three weeks. These plants are fairly pest free. Aphids are sometimes a problem but can usually be washed off with a strong stream of water. Powdery mildew and rust can also be a problem during wet weather or on plants that are placed in areas with poor air circulation. For more information regarding the National Garden Bureau visit their web site at www.ngb.org, or write, National Garden Bureau, 1311 Butterfield Road Suite 310, Downers Grove, IL 60515-5605.