I have a section of drainage ditch at the very north end of my farm. The banks are low, the whole surrounding area stays damp, and I seldom disturb it, preferring to shove some willow whips and dogwood cuttings into it during the late winter months. Happily, I found a large number of jewelweed clumps growing along the margins.
The deer have been heavily browsing the jewelweed all summer, and I decided to swing by the patch this morning to check it for seed pods. They were loaded-so I filled a pocketful.
It takes a deft hand to collect these, for as soon as you put pressure on the pods they explode, sending the seeds flying! Grab them quickly, and release them into a bag (or pocket) where they crack open with a satisfying POP!
The resulting mess will get dried out on a paper plate, where I’ll separate the seeds from the dried hulls, and put them aside for spring planting.
I’m using a method called “winter sowing” in jugs(which also works great for starting any seed that needs stratification) and I hope to establish this plant in a damp section of my old field next to my yard.
The deer have been heavily browsing the jewelweed all summer, and I decided to swing by the patch this morning to check it for seed pods. They were loaded-so I filled a pocketful.
It takes a deft hand to collect these, for as soon as you put pressure on the pods they explode, sending the seeds flying! Grab them quickly, and release them into a bag (or pocket) where they crack open with a satisfying POP!
The resulting mess will get dried out on a paper plate, where I’ll separate the seeds from the dried hulls, and put them aside for spring planting.
I’m using a method called “winter sowing” in jugs(which also works great for starting any seed that needs stratification) and I hope to establish this plant in a damp section of my old field next to my yard.
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