Share The Seeds
Gardening Area => Seeds and Germination => Topic started by: Mangrove on July 31, 2019, 07:31:08 AM
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In my area there is a large abundance of artichoke (a very very prickly plant) which is currently seeding, and was wondering if anyone may have any advice to offer on how to properly & safely harvest & store the seeds for maximum shelf life. I thank you for your time and help.
Shadilay,
Mangrove
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How I would do it is to go to the heads that are opening and beginning to release seed, cut them with several inches of stem, place them in a clean paper bag, and set it in the shade for several days. I would then tease the seeds out of the heads with a butter knife, proceed to remove the fluff from the seeds, and dry the seeds on a plate in the shade for several days before sealing in a plastic bag for storage.
If I wanted to keep them viable for more than a couple of years I would do a final 3 day drying in a jar with silica desiccant and keep the seeds sealed in a jar in the refrigerator, in the back near the bottom.
The closely related cardoon was found to drop to 50% seed viability after 7 years.