i've done things the other way -- grown fennel, cilantro and celery, let them go to seed, dried the seeds, and then used them in the kitchen... i wonder if i could sprout mustard seeds and use them in salads? i've also thought of using garbanzo beans as green manure/cover crops.

speaking of poppies and seeds... my paeonie poppies keep damping off -- first time it's ever happened. crazy weather or a bunch of bad seeds.

ILL,

if the garbanzo beans are not a hybrid, you stand a great chance on getting them to grow true.

You just reminded me, we can also grow all sorts of dried beans/peas from the grocery store for a fraction of the cost of a package of name brand seeds. That is of course if they are not hybrid. Speaking of hybrid, I am NOT totally convinced that they dont grow true. I have saved seeds from hybrid matos and planted them for several seasons as a test and they always grew true. I am not sure if they simply 'say this' so we dont bother trying to grow hybrid seeds and buy new packs of seeds or not.

I would think after selling Better Boy seeds for this many yrs now, that they DO NOT bother cross pollinating their crops every yr just to make the Better Boy, do you?

I am sure many things wont grow true, but my experience is that they do.

Ever grown stuff from the kitchen? .....hmmmmm......

Jalepeno peppers.
Sweet potatoes.
Avocados.

All propagated from store-bought produce.
That's it so far. Heck, I wish the stuff from the birdfeeder would germinate...

I got a BUNCH of sunflower seedlings happening at this moment.

I have peanuts growing too because I put em out for the blue jays and they drop a few every now and then.

I hope these poppy seeds germinate and provide some decent colorful flowers.

Hmmm...interesting experiment, Tony. But I wonder on the poppy seeds...haven't they been toasted already? Maybe I'm confused. Yes, I'll admit it...I sometimes get confused! (Repeating to self, Tony's not in Tampa, Tony's NOT in TAMPA!) ;o)

Let us know if they grow!

Marcia

Hi Marcia,

Toasted?! Ya know that makes sense, they are really dry and crunchy arent they? I have some soaking on the window sill I took off of fresh store baked bread which I doubt will germinate but hadnt even thought the other seeds which we had bought were processed.

See, you are not confused at all.

later
Tony

I grow Cinnamon, Tony. It is a tree that needs to be chopped back so it will send up runners. Those shoots are where the spice "cinnamon" comes from - the inner bark.

I don't know if they are grown from seed. I bought mine as a tree.

Is it legal to grow Poppies? I thought I'd read that poppy seeds were treated to prevent germination. Because of opium/heroin? Or are baking poppy seeds from a different plant?

Lisa

Some type of POPPY plant seeds are readily sold, I am sure the illegal ones are not(yea right) , BUT I do recall somewhere to have a few of the bad ones growing is allowed because they are attractive, not 100% sure on this though.

Hiya Tony!

I don't know about poppy seeds, but I believe sesame seeds will grow here in the summer. You can also grow amaranth.

I recall growing Poppies, the baking type, many years ago in NC. I don't remember where I got the seeds/plants. They did very well.

Tony,

I buried some slimy scallions, along with some other rotten stuff from the hydrator, in a huge pot of dirt a month ago.

wouldn`t ya know it the scallions started to grow these beautiful green tops ! YUM !

Well, sad saddddddd news. None of the poppy seeds from the loaf of french bread or from the bag of cooking poppies I tried to germinate happened. I was just curious what the plant and blossoms looked like that produces all the seeds we enjoy in cakes and on breads.

I am done trying.

Edible poppy seeds ARE from the opium poppy, papaver somniferum. They have also been grown for the flowers for centuries and I am sure they are handed down as viable seeds in many places. I have also heard that they have naturalized in some parts of the Pacific Northwest.

That said: It is also true that the poppy seeds sold to the baking and grocery industries have been treated by heat or irradiated to prevent them from sprouting.

Additionally, if you are required to take drug test for your job, you will want to be careful eating poppy seed cakes, bagels, etc. They can cause you to test positive for opiates!

I have just planted rapini trimmings and they look like they may be growing already. I hope to get seeds for next winter.

Here is a link that might be useful: rapini

Sorry my response is over 3 years old, but I planted some of the McCormick poppy seeds. They sprouted within a week. Mine are still seedings. I'm anxious to see what color blooms I will get. Its kind of like a present that you must wait months before opening it. I read that the blooms might be all pink or a mixture of colors. I will find out this summer.