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Seed Collection from Produce?

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  • Wiliamr

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    Tomatio, Jalapeno, and cherry as well as salad size tomatoes, cantaloupe, honey dew melons, pumpkins, squash and zucchini just by pitching the seeds into the compost piles and waiting for germination. Also grew potatoes from russets.

    The biggest problem in central Texas is that the rain is sporadic and not conducive to growing a garden, so you have to water. At least in Austin, watering garden raises the cost of growing to equal or above store bought produce for last 20 years. I use drip irrigation and cover several plant root systems irrigation under plastic sheets. Still requires a ton of water.
    DK Firearms
     

    Sasquatch

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    Tomatio, Jalapeno, and cherry as well as salad size tomatoes, cantaloupe, honey dew melons, pumpkins, squash and zucchini just by pitching the seeds into the compost piles and waiting for germination. Also grew potatoes from russets.

    The biggest problem in central Texas is that the rain is sporadic and not conducive to growing a garden, so you have to water. At least in Austin, watering garden raises the cost of growing to equal or above store bought produce for last 20 years. I use drip irrigation and cover several plant root systems irrigation under plastic sheets. Still requires a ton of water.

    Thankfully we're on acreage with a well - the only cost to water will be the little bit of extra electricity usage to run the pump. I've been contemplating how to go about watering because currently the only "water" out there is the aerator's sprinklers from the septic system, and its not where I'll be putting the garden. I'll either hafta run a hose, or install a soaker system or sprinklers.
     

    GasGuzzler

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    To be more clear, melons aren't hard to grow it's just that the seeds from store bought fruit are faulty. Melons like sandy soil and it's good to dump the seeds on mounds. Tomatoes require a lot of sun therefore need to be kept watered ... but avoid getting the leaves wet. Soaker hoses work best. Peppers need about the same amount of water but they can be sprayed.
     

    Kayt00

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    My minor experiences with store produce seeds has been hit and miss. As stated somewhere else, tomatoes seem to do fairly well however when I was in my chili phase (I wish I had room to do it again) we tried doing some hatch chili's that we got from Central Market (unroasted) and they didn't do anything.
     

    baboon

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    Out here by the lake!
    Thankfully we're on acreage with a well - the only cost to water will be the little bit of extra electricity usage to run the pump. I've been contemplating how to go about watering because currently the only "water" out there is the aerator's sprinklers from the septic system, and its not where I'll be putting the garden. I'll either hafta run a hose, or install a soaker system or sprinklers.
    The new neighbor @ I talked about a sallow water well. With the lake across the street it shouldn’t take much to hit ground water.

    I have seen videos of digging one with a garden hose. Hopefully the ground ain’t all gravely!
     

    BRD@66

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    I wouldn't be surprised if most store bought produce has sterile seeds to keep you buying it!

    You want heirloom seeds try walking RR tracks out in the sticks. We use to find all kings of stuff growing just off the track from when people traveled by train & ate while traveling. Before they had septic system & the shit hit the rail.

    We would find all manners of berries, tomatoes & asparagus along the right aways
    ^this.
     

    lordmorgul

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    Organic Live Lettuce packages (often Butter Crunch) with the cylindrical root ball (typically from an aquaponic grow cup) have transplanted well for me. Eat most of the head keeping the youngest leaves inside to maintain shape as it grows new ones and drop it into soil right away. They have gone to seed and reproduced more than once as well.
     

    candcallen

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    Little Elm
    Anyone collect the seeds from the produce they buy at the grocery store and successfully grow food from it?

    I have the notion to start collecting the seeds of the vegetables and fruits we buy most often and attempt to grow them myself. Tonight I used a single jalapeno pepper in making dinner, and collected up the seeds and set them aside in a paper baking up to dry. I got as many seeds from that one pepper as you typically get in a package you'd pay a buck for at the store.

    We eat a lot of peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, and cucumbers. Potatoes are easy - chunk 'em up and plant them in the ground after they sprout eyes. I've grown cucumbers from seed packets before, always gone with pepper and tomato starters vs seeds. I'd like to start growing my own veggies. We got a rototiller a couple days ago, and I have notions of turning a large chunk of our front yard into a garden. I've got three citrus trees I planted earlier this year - my plan is to eventually line the entire driveway (at least one side, wife wants frickin Crape Myrtle on the other side) with citrus or fruit trees. We have a lot of yard space that I can make into a garden.

    On a related note - who here grows a winter garden? Aside from the handful of days last winter where it got freezing (and the damn snow storm I blame on my wife) the climate is very "spring in the PNW" like - we used to put our garden in the ground in late April or early May - and winters here are very very much like spring up north. I'm thinking that insulating the plants with plastic and piles of straw could save them from a freeze, and its not like the cold weather just sets in rapidly - the forecast will usually give you a few days notice to prepare.

    I'd like to really reduce our dependence on the store for vegetables and fruits. Can / freeze what we don't consume fresh. Maybe trade with neighbors or give away some to those who need it too.
     

    candcallen

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    Little Elm
    I canna see what you posted there - facebook thingy that my ad blocker says "No bueno" to
    It's about growing plants from the seeds of veggies and fruit and nuts from the store of bell peppers onions tomatoes strawberries walnuts dragon fruit watermelon ets

    Even corn on the cob.
     

    wakosama

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    Kinda late on this ....JMHO... most produce is hybrid and the seeds won't give you the same plant or fruit. Maybe someone already said this. Best option is like others mentioned... GMO and definitely heirloom seeds that reproduce same as planted..
     

    no2gates

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    Kinda late on this ....JMHO... most produce is hybrid and the seeds won't give you the same plant or fruit. Maybe someone already said this. Best option is like others mentioned... GMO and definitely heirloom seeds that reproduce same as planted..
    My wife does it but she does it only with organic produce.
    Mostly tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers and a few others I know that I've forgotten about.
     

    Axxe55

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    Lost in East Texas Elhart Texas
    I have collected seeds for growing as well. But have found out that commercially bought seeds just work so much better. Collected seeds are kind of hit or miss. Also need to take the soil into consideration as well. Soil plays a big factor in what vegetables will or won' grow well. Also check the growing zones. Some vegetables will grow around here, but will never produce crops.

    Also consider container gardening vegetables. This will allow you to custom adjust soils to a particular vegetable plant.
     

    mroper

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    I have two avacado trees growing from seeds . I am working on a third . Hopefully they will work out. with avacaods there is no gaurantee you will get the same type that you plant i e a Hass seed may not produce a hass tree. Plus you need at least two trees to get fruit
     
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