Secrets for Success with Seeds _ Growing Fruit and Vegies _ Gardening Australia

As a passionate gardener, I never underestimate the power of seed. Of course, every plant's life begins as seed, and today I'm going to show you the various ways I work with these tiny little wonders. That sounds a little seedy. You've probably saved seed to propagate plants in your own garden, and for the more than 500 species I have in my garden, propagation by seed is probably the most cost-effective and efficient way of growing plants. Here in subtropical Brisbane, it can be hot and dry in spring, and I use this time to let my winter crops go to seed, and rather than watering, which can be really hard work, I use the conditions to help ripen my seed. So I use spring to create my primary seed crop. This is my Ethiopian cabbage, and to save the seed, you just harvest a few pods, and then it's simply a matter of pressing the seed along the seam, and that liberates the seed, and I can save them and sow them again next year. Don't they look cute? Like peas in a pod, except they're cabbage. For really small seed, like this Nicotiana, you need to use pantyhose. The seed from this plant make the cabbage seed look like footballs, and the problem is they disperse so easily, but pantyhose is just brilliant. You put this over the end of the plant, and all of the seed are captured. You just tie it up at the end. Now the brilliant thing about this is that if it rains, the seed will dry very quickly. They won't get spoiled by moisture. My top tips for successful seed storage are to always dry the seed before storing it. Use silica gel packs to help remove excess moisture. Use an airtight jar and label it clearly. Store the seed in the fridge, and common seed like peas, beans, tomato and capsicum will last for up to 10 years. Of course, a lot of seeds aren't just used to grow food-producing plants. They are food in their own right. Rice, lentils, peas feed billions, but I've got a few which you can get a good crop out of, and you don't need acreage. And these are my much-loved sword beans. These are the seed, and these are the plants. They've just started growing. I'll harvest these in winter, and they're a heavy cropper. You peel the fresh seed and boil them, and as far as protein content goes, they're every bit as nutritious as steak. Another favourite edible seed of mine is sesame. It's a heat-tolerant, quick-growing crop, and these seedlings here are just ready for thinning. I find the flavour of black sesame is far richer than the shop-bought white sesame seed, and it's far more nutritious as well. Many spices are made from seeds, such as cumin, coriander and mustard. I've got a few spicy numbers growing in my garden, including this black pepper, which is happily climbing a fruit tree. It's more commonly grown on palm tree trunks because it accepts quite a lot of sunshine. The seed is black peppercorns, and this is a distinct before-and-after moment in your life, because once you've grown your own and you've smelled the aroma and the flavour of home-grown peppercorns, there's no going back. My black cumin has just started flowering. It's an easy ornamental that produces seed with ease, and the seed are slightly bitter and peppery, and they're amazing for breads, curries and pickles. Take a gander at my coriander. This spice is absolutely essential, and look how easy it is to harvest. It's just so simple. You just rub the seed off using your fingertips. People complain that coriander goes to seed, but that's the second crop. My curries wouldn't be the same without it. Seed can also be turned into fresh, tasty sprouts in a matter of days. The process of sprouting is so simple. Sprouts are essentially germinating seeds, so most things work. Think beans, radish, mustard seed and pumpkin. So why not experiment? You don't need a garden to grow sprouts. All you need is a well-lit windowsill. To get them going, you use a sterilised jar. I put a tablespoonful of mung bean seed in, soak them in water overnight. The following morning, you put a little bit of shade cloth over the top, use a rubber band to hold it in position, and then you turn it upside down to drain off all the surplus water. Every morning, every evening, you fill it with water, rinse it around and then drain off the water. And in days, you've got nutritionally dense food, which is at its best before the seedlings produce their first pair of true leaves. I think seeds are absolutely wonderful, in particular, the way they give a gardener agency. They give you a real sense of power and they're portable. This is half of my garden. If you exploit their potential to the max, your garden and your kitchen are going to flourish.