The female plant 'going to seed'
It has been just wonderful to have lots of fresh organic spinach this spring and early summer for smoothie-making! But, alas, now the spinach has run its course. What to do? I’m spoiled and hate to go back to store- bought. To think of the money we’ve saved!
When I looked for information on saving the seed of my spinach plants, I had trouble finding anything much. It was time to do some detective work in my garden. So I watched and waited.
It had confused me to see two very different kinds of stalks. One was dusty (pollen?) with no real discernable seed (below); the other had round, distinct seed (above). I remembered when I planted the spinach, the seeds were much larger and dark brown. I knew one explanation I had read mentioned a female seed stalk and a male seed stalk.
The male plant with its dusty pollen
This is what I have observed. The first stalks to go to seed were male and contained the pollen; this I did notice … lots of yellow dust when bumped. The male seed was doing it’s job of spreading the pollen to the female stalk. Female seeds developed which were much larger, and this is the seed I knew to be the one to plant in the future. (A mini biology analogy– sperm (the pollen) are mobile and small. Eggs (seed) are large and don’t develop until fertilized.)
If you pull the stalk when green, it won't turn brown. Let it dry in the gound!!
So don’t pull out all of those spent spinach plants just yet! Keep one or two of the female plants, let it dry out completely. Pull the dried stalks and put them over a screen or metal pan and roll the tight balls of seeds between your fingers. The seeds will just drop off.
Should anyone have further knowledge on this subject of saving spinach seed, please comment. It would be helpful to know. Now I will have to see if the saved seed actually grow! Come back and see what I find out late this summer!
I think they are close to dry enough. I left more to harvest on the stalks if not!
Note: I’m interested to see if this seed comes this fall like the excellent and prolific crop we had this spring. I planted Vital Green spinach by Gurney Seed Co. It is not an heirloom seed, as far as I know.
Hopefully, we’ll have a ready supply of seed to plant for a new crop of spinach greens. More smoothies, here we come 🙂 Well, maybe.
“Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1: 11-12
Thanks for reading!
Alicia says
I stumbled on your web-site looking for a detox mix and found all these great tips for recipes and saving seeds. You’ve inspired me to start saving seeds and plant them next year!
Keep up the great work!
Regards,
Alicia
Jacqueline says
Oh, that makes me happy to think that the things the Lord puts in my heard are helpful!
There is such a satisfaction in being able (simply) to sow, raise, eat/ save seed, and then to sow all over again. It is a beautiful cycle of life from the Creator 🙂
Thanks, Alicia!
Kalman Morris says
Jacqueline-
I liked your detective work on the spinach seed mystery. I truck-garden organically for my income, and I’ve planted “Vital Green” spinach about 5 long rows at a time, here in southern-most Texas (near Brownsville), and made good money at the Farmers Markets I sell at. A wonderful flavor and texture, my customers always seem to want it, stands good in the field, makes a second cutting, slow bolt – I haven’t saved the seeds – yet. Got my seed usually from Gurney,
but MY planting times (zone 9) are so different I sometimes have to plant something other, like right now, ’cause they’re out of stock. I’ve planted Tyee and will soon plant Spargo.
My “winter” in the garden is JULY and AUGUST and I usually plant in Sept., but this year was SOOO HOT (ground temp too) I had to wait until October.
But – Vital Green” – the seed packages from Gurney don’t list it as a F1, but it must be a hybrid, don’t you think? Well, I’M DYING TO KNOW if the seed you saved returns the same plant as mothered it. You’ve got my e-mail up there, so shoot me a line. Thanx –
Kal Morris Two Pines Farm (kalmanmorris@hotmail.com) just in case.
Kalman Morris says
Jacqueline- Thank you so much for your response. It IS exciting to hear your news. I reckon the seed is true, so (if it was a hybrid, and I feel pretty certain it was originally) so now it looks like it has morphed into a “variety”. It will breed true to seed. Hopefully for generations. I’ll certainly save that seed. (I do for many of my garden seed – cilantro, dill, arugula, basil to name a few)
I will plant Vital Green spinach as soon as I can get seeds, but it will be a while before I can report my findings, looks like, what, about 9 months from now.
Nice talking, Kal.
Amy says
I just saw this post for the first time this morning, but see that it’s been 9 months from your above comment…any report? I’d love to know what happened with your experiment! Seems fairly easy to do if it works well!
Jacqueline says
Amy, the seeds did germinate nicely and at first the spinach looked like the same thing, but as it grew, I could tell it wasn’t ‘true’ to the crop from last year. It was shorter, harder to pick, and bolted in about half the time. It was because it was a hybrid and not an heirloom. We can learn so much by experimenting. I will be trying 2 Seed Savers Exchange spinach which are true heirlooms. The ones I just ordered are America (for traditional row planting) and Malabar, a neat climber from India. It is not a true spinach, but tastes just like it and grow and makes succulent leaves all summer when other spinach stops growing. You can cut it up just like normal for quiche, salad, greens in smoothies, etc. Fun, eh?
Natalie says
Hi! I always read reports that Malabar tastes “just like spinach,” but it does NOT taste just like spinach. It is mucilaginous, similar to okra. I planted Malabar once and never again. Okra is one of the few veggies that I don’t like, because of the texture. Unfortunately, Malabar was relegated to the same group with okra.