ARE YOU green-fingered?
Well, if you like getting your hands dirty in the garden, we’ve got just the thing for you.
Gardening guru Monty Don is one to trust when it comes to gardening tips and if you want your garden to look fantastic this summer, you’d better listen up.
And don’t worry, you won’t need to go out to your local garden centre and spend a fortune on fancy plants or tools.
According to Monty Don, collecting seeds is an “easy” way to grow plants “without cost”.
The Gardeners’ World lead host claimed that gardeners can get “dozens of free plants” by using this method, so if you want to impress your friends and family with your garden, but don’t want to have to splash the cash, start taking notes now.
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If this sounds of interest to you, Monty Don has shared his top advice on collecting seeds in gardens so you can expand your outdoor space without spending a penny.
In his recent blog post for August, he explained that growing your favourite plants from seeds is “easy” and “practically without cost”.
The gardening expert wrote: “Growing your favourite plants from seed is easy and practically without cost.
“Not only will this give you dozens of free plants for future years but also spares to give or swap with friends and family.”
According to the gardening pro, August is the time to begin collecting seed from your garden.
To carry out this task, Monty revealed his simple but clever trick – using brown paper envelopes.
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He explained: “Use brown paper envelopes – A5 is the ideal size – and either carefully cut the seed heads and upend them into the envelopes – seed head and all.
“Or place the envelope over the seed head, seal it and then snip the stem off and store it upside down.
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“Label each envelope clearly with the date, name of the plant and, ideally, the position in the garden, and store them in a cool, dry place.”
The gardening expert explained that after a week or two the seeds should be dry and can then be sieved, cleaned and stored in sealed packets.
If this sounds like something you would like to do, you can try collecting seeds from trees, shrubs, vegetables and herbs at different times of the year.
Much like plants and flowers, seeds come in all shapes and sizes and you might ensure that you are careful when handling and sorting them.
It’s important that you ensure your seeds are kept away from pests too.
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By collecting seeds, gardeners can populate new areas of their garden with specific flowers that they love, without the cost of buying plants brand new.
Seeds are usually ripe about two months after the plants have flowered, which will therefore differ depending on the flowering time of the specific plant.
