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29 votes
Accepted

Do potatoes produce seeds that you can store and/or replant?

Most potatoes, as far as I know, have the ability to flower and set fruit. The fruits, known as berries, are small green globes reminiscent of tomatoes, which makes sense seeing as how they're in the ...
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20 votes

Will I get lemons from a tree grown from a lemon seed?

Strictly speaking something like a sour orange is possible. A lot of things are possible really. Citrus hybridization can get very complicated. There are four 'parent species' of citrus (Citron, ...
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14 votes

Do vegetable seeds have a shelf life?

Yes, all seeds have an average "life span", but the length varies between species and is greatly influenced by storage conditions like temperature, humidity and light. As a rule of thumb, dry, cool ...
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13 votes

What are these small brown curved seeds?

They look like Lunaria (Money Plant) seeds to me. They could be one of many other species, but I'd bet on Money Plant. They're often traded because of their easy culture and their novelty factor. You ...
  • 3,036
13 votes

Do potatoes produce seeds that you can store and/or replant?

The tubers that are used for "seed potatoes" are grown and harvested exactly the same way as other potatoes, except for one thing. Like other members of the same plant family (e.g. tomatoes),...
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11 votes
Accepted

If I save seeds from sweet million cherry tomatoes will I get more sweet million tomatoes

Sweet Million are an F1 variety, so will not come true. Seeds saved from their first year may grow what are known as F2 types, which may be quite close to the original F1 Sweet Million, but any seed ...
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10 votes

Will I get lemons from a tree grown from a lemon seed?

John McPhee wrote a very witty book on oranges, entitled, not surprisingly, 'Oranges'. One chapter recounts an effort to grow limes from seed, due to the pervasive presence of a virus in existing ...
10 votes
Accepted

What does soaking hot pepper seeds in weak tea accomplish?

The aim of it is to mimic the action of a bird's intestines prior to pooing out the seed - many seeds which pass through a bird's digestive system germinate more readily, because the outer coating of ...
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10 votes
Accepted

What to do with 250 seeds!

Seed lasts quite a while. It is said at least 30 percent of your seed is non viable the next year but I've seen maybe 10 percent or really normal germination. Keep your excess seed in the dark, ...
  • 39.9k
10 votes

Large seed pod from Mediterranean region - identification

Looks a lot like a Jacaranda seed pod. Image from wikimedia. Looks like Jacaranda is native to Malta, and at least grows in Cyprus. It's also common in the San Francisco area.
9 votes
Accepted

Is "Days to Harvest" measured from planting date or sprouting date?

It varies by type of plant and sometimes between seed sellers. It could mean from when you sow your seeds or when you transplant. Burpee is one of the seeds merchants that is pretty clear about what ...
9 votes
Accepted

What flower will grow from this long narrow seed?

Found it! There's a great site for identifying seeds. And my flower is: Cosmos bipinnatus!
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9 votes

Does keeping lettuce seeds in an open package affect their viability?

Yes, this will affect the seeds' viability but depending on your climate, it may not be enough to worry you. In general, lettuce seeds last about 2-5 years. If your climate is hot and humid, the ...
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8 votes
Accepted

Should I save seeds from corn suckers?

What you have there is referred to as a tassel-ear. You are correct that corn is a monecious flower, but the way it develops is a little different. When the flower (both tassel and ear) first form ...
  • 5,839
8 votes

Do I plant miniature hot peppers whole or cut them open and plant just the seeds?

What I have done is open up the peppers and then clean and dry the seeds out. I subsequently store the seeds and plant them at the appropriate time in the season. In my case I plant them indoors in ...
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8 votes
Accepted

Can I grow a cherry tree from seed without stratification?

Cherry seeds need both warm and cold stratification to overcome the seed's dormancy. But you can germinate fresh cherry seeds using the plant hormone Gibberellic acid. In March 1969, partially ...
8 votes
Accepted

How to make curly parsley produce seeds?

Parsley is an umbellifer and a biennial. This says that the flowers are produced in umbrella-like clusters and its growth takes two years to complete; in the first year it focuses on growing a solid ...
8 votes
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What is this brown seed pod found under a large evergreen tree?

This is Casuarina equisetifolia or "Australian Pine". It's an invasive species from Australia. See Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Here's a nice anecdote by someone else who was ...
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8 votes
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Help identifying fern-like plant

I think it could be a baby conifer tree. Those seem to have multiple bright green cotelydons and look sort of like that. I found a couple of pictures on the internet that didn't look exactly like the ...
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8 votes
Accepted

How should I store wildflower seeds embedded in a piece of cotton, for several months before planting?

What a nice gesture of this animal hospital, sorry to hear about your loss. The best way to keep these seeds is in a dry and cool environment. So not in the fridge (too much moist), and not above the ...
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8 votes
Accepted

Can maize reproduce itself without human help?

Domestic corn or maize needs humans to be successful From gardeningchannel.com "Corn vs. Maize, What’s the Difference?" What’s the difference between corn and maize? Not much! Corn and ...
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7 votes
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Will sunflower seeds that have been left out all winter germinate?

If they're still there (not eaten, bored into, etc), then yes, they will grow. I have sunflowers naturalized along the woods' edge in one spot. They return year after year on their own. If you want ...
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7 votes
Accepted

Is late April too late to plant herbs from seed in the US Pacific Northwest?

Just a quick answer to get started, based on my experience. I never lived in the Puget Sound area, but know it quite well. Will continue to fill in as I have time. Short answer: Get started now, ...
  • 15.6k
7 votes

Will I get lemons from a tree grown from a lemon seed?

Your seedling will eventually get lemons if the conditions are right. It could take 5-10 years. Since you are growing from seed, it is impossible to know whether the lemons you get from your tree will ...
  • 9,424
7 votes
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Easy trees from common fruit/vegetable seeds

If you find avacado easy, then pretty much anything else will be a cake walk. You can grow pretty much anything you buy in the produce section if it has seeds or a pit. Pitted fruits have a step you ...
  • 6,336
7 votes

How can I identify the gender of Papaya seeds?

You can't, as a seed - and not only that, papaya are variable, some years producing all male flowers, in some seasons producing male and female (perfect) flowers, and sometimes just female flowers. ...
  • 131k
7 votes

What flower will grow from this long narrow seed?

Those seeds are indeed from a cosmos bipinnatus. I don't know your climate, but I've had great success growing them, and other cosmos varieties, in Northeast United States, growing zone 6. I purchase ...
7 votes

Can I store pumpkin seeds that have gotten damp?

Dry them off and put them on a paper towel. If they still sprout, you can plant them then.
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7 votes

What is the best way to germinating seeds in compost?

re: "Any tips how can I do so (i.e.: have a higher [genermination] success rate)?" Ensure your compost is well decomposed. If it is too hot or it contains too much tannins from unfinished ...
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7 votes
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What is this bush with small yellow flowers and an orange substance in the stems?

This is definetively Chelidonium majus or greater celandine. In the US it's a neophyte, probably imported by early settlers that used the orange milk to treat warts1 and other skin conditions. It ...
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Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible