Try self-seeders for a more self-sustaining garden

Zinnia and Egyptian walking onions

Sunday, September 2, 2018

An easy option for a plant once and be done are self-seeders.  These are plants that produce many seeds.  One trick to self-sowing is letting the seeds sprout before adding a thick layer of mulch in the spring which may dampen how many seedlings can push up through the crust if put down before they have a chance to sprout.

There are many self-seeding vegetable and herbs.  Here are a few we are growing:

*Arugula

*Borage

*Cilantro

*Cultivated dandelion greens

*Dill

*Chives and Garlic Chives

*Purslane

*Sorrel

*Egyptian walking onions

*Basil

*Marigold

*Spinach

*Lettuce

*Chard

*Mache (corn salad)

*Miner’s lettuce (claytonia)

*Giant Red mustard
*Peppers

*Tomatoes

*Brilliant Red orach

*Celery

*Nasturtiums

*Chamomile

*Calendula
*Cocks comb
*Hummingbird vine

*Morning glory

*Sunflowers

*Zinnias

The trick to self-seeders is you have to let them go to seed in the garden.  That means leaving the brown flower heads on the plant or the dropped tomatoes on the ground so they can leave their seeds.

I have "volunteer" tomato plants that sprout every year, here and there.  They are easy to pop out of the ground and plant where you want them or leave them where they are.  I always let them grow because they must be happy and adapted to my garden conditions.  It is always a surprise to see what type of tomato it is.

In the garden right now, I have cock's comb and zinnias that have filled the garden.  Several fully mature volunteer basil plants.  There are baby cilantro, chard, corn salad and lettuces popping up.  Spinach re-seeded earlier.

  

A caution with growing self sowing plants is that they can self sow a little too well.  The only one on the above list that I would not let loose in my garden is the purslane.  I only let it grow in pots.  The rest are easy to pluck out the ones you don’t need.