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24 Comments
I found that i have to harvest the heads before the birds get them all. They can be put onto screens upside down to continue their drying process. As long as the seeds are fully developed, I chop down to the stem level about 6 inches below the head. Store to dry on racks in ventilated area.
We're picking up our seed garlic today! So excited.
Thank you for sharing 🙏🙏🙏
Did the Sasquatch ever come around and eat the nuts off the ground from your trees or forage in your garden, do you think?
For the Sunflowers, in general I wait until the yellow pedals turn black and shrivel up. However, when it looks like they are almost ready, I'll wander by I'll pick out a few seeds. If the embryo is full and the seed is darkening and hardening up well (and the seed tastes good), I'll pick it and let it finish drying out on the porch. This also helps reduce how much I loose to the squirrels and birds, but I always leave the smaller heads out there for them anyway. If the seeds are white and a bit soft they are not ready.
I’ve planted garlic in September before and it did fine. I hope Sasha is doing well. I know the last month of pregnancy can be challenging but also exciting. Best wishes!❤
I am very curious about the remaining potatoes. Would you mind showing a closeup once they have been harvested (shape, skin, cut in half)?
I am doing an experiment this year. I usually wait until the first birds attack and I leave those couple heads for them. They seem to focus on the ones they have already found. I then cut all the heads that are the most mature. I have cut them leaving about 5 feet and the leaves on this year. I am hanging them upside down from the rafters of our house garage. I am wondering, if I leave all that plant material with the heads, will it help the seeds get to maturity. It will be interesting to see if it makes a difference.
Nice Sunflowers, love Garlic happy plantings love the mulch looks nice😊🇦🇺+,
I think you need a horse and plough😍 and discs to break the soil. I hope Sasha is well. Xxx
Would really love an instructional video on digging up those large Japanese walnuts, and other tree like crops.
All you can do is shake those sun flower stalks hard to shed the rain water once the heads have drooped. I have to use an old long handled push broom to give the heads a good thwack being such a shorty. At some point, if it keeps raining, just reconcile yourself to some rot. I don't plant them in large blocks anymore because they are too hard to thwack that way.
We are all so stoked for yall to grow your family. As a fellow small business owner, your decision to tell everyone you are hitting the "pause button" is admirable. What is this all for if there is not room to take that time generously? Much love from KY!
The dryer the seeds the better. Really dry. If they aren't dry, expect mold. Three weeks with a fan on the thinly spread pile was not enough. The birds were on them so much I picked some early. Bad move. VOE.
During my years of trucking for a living, I pulled a hopper wagon for a while. I loaded a lot of sunflowers in Montana. It seems like I remember thinking they had just forgot them; they looked completely dried up and dead. Low and behold they harvested perfectly full seeds. Now those were black oil seeds, so maybe there is a difference. But it seemed to me to be very similar to harvesting corn: late, late- completely dry. But I'm certainly no expert.
Edit: Nevermind, I see now that you have plenty of experienced advice about sunflowers. Good community here. 🙂
Big congratulations on the news you two! That kiddo is going to have à couple.of amazing examples of caring and hard work to look up to! Hope everything with the birthing process goes well!
If you don't need it for income my suggestion would be to leave most of the sunflowers to reseed that row while feeding hungry critters (instead of your other over wintering crops…hopefully!)
Yes, definitely yellow or brown for the flower heads. The seeds should start to dry down as well
i have my garlic from you waiting for planting. I'm in zone 7b/8a elevation 4000ft. when should I plant?
Best wishes for the little one!
when under pest and life pressure (work) I have harvested at this green stage – I just make sure I keep them well dried and the seeds sprout and grow the next spring – if for eating – then they for sure are fine now.
Soooooo excited to see your little one grow up around all the chickens and the plants and the immense knowledge you have to pass on to a future permaculture-ist.
If you are going to shell the sunflower seeds, I would be interested in seeing the process. YT has plenty of videos of mini shellers made with cardboard, but I have yet to see something that looks like it will last.
All the best for the mini Sean/Sasha.
Hello there, in this video you can see a sunflower get harvested, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA9VGeBHbzw. It is the kind with the black seeds and I don't know how long they need to dry, but I thought you might be interested.