Easily Save Seeds For Your Garden With This Pantyhose Hack
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If you're a budget gardener that's looking for ways to save money, there are a few things you can do to get cheap seeds. Instead of buying seeds for your garden, you could get them for free from a seed library or trade with a neighbor. However, there's also another way you can get seeds for free: collect them from your own garden at the end of the growing season. Furthermore, if you want to make this task easier, repurpose an old pair of pantyhose. All you'll do is place a piece of pantyhose over your flowers late in the season so that all the seeds are contained in the material.
To try out this hack, simply cut the pantyhose into sections that are large enough to surround an individual flower. Toward the end of the blooming season, the petals will begin to drop, indicating a mature seed pod and your time to act. Tie the top of the pantyhose section in a knot and slide it over the flower, securing it in place with an additional knot at the base of the bloom where it meets the stem. When the flower drops the seeds from its pod, the pantyhose pouch will catch them. At the end of the blooming season, clip the stem and flip the flower upside down. Untie the knot by the stem and pull out the dead flower, leaving a bountiful pile of seeds in your nylon pouch.
What makes pantyhose ideal for seed collection and storage?
Due to the stretchy, mesh nature of pantyhose, they're an ideal item for collecting seeds from a flower. The small holes in the fabric allow circulation so that the flower gets enough airflow, avoiding rot in the seed pod. The elasticity of the stockings also allows the flower to continue to grow, expand, and move as needed without restriction or damage. In addition, the pantyhose prevent the flower seeds from becoming bird food before you are able to collect them. The humble pair of pantyhose is the perfect seed collection tool. However, a nylon-wrapped flower isn't exactly the prettiest thing to look at, so choose blooms tucked away at the back of the flower bed if you would like to keep your garden looking its best.
Once the seeds have been collected, the pantyhose piece becomes an essential vessel at the beginning of the seed storage process as well. In order for seeds to survive the winter, they need to be stored in a location that is cool, dark, and (most importantly) dry. To start things off on the right foot, use the mesh pantyhose pouches to allow airflow to fully dry the seeds out before transferring them into airtight containers for longterm storage. Containers should be stored in closets, cupboards, or cool, dry basements until the following spring for the best results.
A similar alternative you could use
While stretchy mesh pantyhose check all of the boxes for an ideal seed collection instrument, there is an inexpensive alternate option you could use as well: mesh drawstring bags. You can purchase the 100-piece Kslong Small Mesh Bags Drawstring for $7 on Amazon, making the price of each bag just $0.07. Just like with the pantyhose, these can simply be slipped right over the top of flower heads but can then be easily attached to the stem using the built-in drawstring.
The convenience of the all-in-one bag makes installation quick and easy. Further, while these are great for collecting seeds, the decorative bags can also protect home-grown vegetables from being eaten by pests. However, keep in mind that these small bags may lack the stretchy feel of pantyhose, so they're ideal for putting over flowers once they've already grown to their largest size. Regardless of whether one uses pantyhose or mesh bags for gathering, the seeds collected from just a few flowers should create a plentiful supply for next year's thriving garden.