Saving seeds

If you have ever joined in with the rising chorus of voices accusing monsanto and the global agricultural community of exploitation and negligence then you will have to either been saving seeds for a long time or you have arrived on this blog page in an attempt to find out how to do so. Saving seeds is one major weapon we have in the fight to retain control of our own food supply. When crop strains are genetically modified, a legal precedent has been set for these strains to be patented and declared the property of the company responsible for the genetic corruption. I know, ridiculous isn't it. They destroy a plant and then tell us that they own our plants when their damaged DNA pollinates our own safe crops.

By harvesting seeds from your organically grown food plants you can ensure your own future health as well as making a contribution to worldwide efforts to maintain the integrity of the food supply.

How to Save Seeds

First set aside the healthiest and most productive plant of your crop. You are selecting the best quality genes to plant next year. Sometimes plants in less than perfect condition may have damaged genetic material which could cause their seeds to fail to germinate. Different plant's seeds should be harvested at different times. It doesn't do to harvest seeds too early or too late. For most plants you will find that when the seeds are dry and easily removed, that is the appropriate time to harvest seeds. Lettuce seeds for example should be allowed to dry two to three weeks after flowering before harvesting the seeds. Practical experience is a winner when it comes to knowing how and when to save seeds, which is why this information is covered in educational and fun workshops run by Positive Cycle in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Positive Cycle Garden.

The joys of a well established and thriving food garden cannot be overstated. 

It revolutionises your lifestyle and puts you in a position to take charge of your health. 

Not only that but it is also so very restful to spend time in a thriving garden full of plants absorbing the sunlight and producing fresh food. Daily.

 It is nothing other than a habit to keep on going to the shops to buy food. Even if you don't have the time to prepare beds and set up organic recycling systems like compost heaps it is quite possible to find someone else to do it for you. Just think, how much of your food budget goes on produce? Vegetables and fruits, the most important part of a healthy diet can be grown in your own garden, better than they can on a farm. it is simply a question of know how.

 Positive Cycle operates a service called Gro4U.
An expert comes out to your place and assesses your garden before proposing a design for you. The design will be accompanied by a maintenance plan which can include instructing your own staff in the art of caring for a food garden.

Don't be mistaken, food gardens look very attractive too. Any visitor to the Positive Cycle garden in Auckland Park in Johannesburg can see for themselves how food plants and herbs can be used in conjunction with ornamentals and indigenous plants to create a wonderland of delights with a fully functioning ecological balance of its own. Gardening is no longer a hobby. Vegetable gardening has become an important part of many people's lives.