Self-Seeded Additions
Posted by: TammyI’ve had some good fortune this planting season! Last year I saved off seeds from both my dill and celery. I needed both for pickles and to provide seed for this year’s planting. Well, my saved dill seed fell victim to an accident this winter when someone accidentally dumped the little paper bag and then vacuumed up the seeds to clean up his mess. My celery seed didn’t fall victim like that but instead fell victim to me when I missed an early spring weather forecast and the seedlings froze overnight in the mini-greenhouse! Yes, it had been that cold that night that frost formed on the seedlings!
I had saved off one mature heirloom celery plant from last year in a bucket in the house over the winter. Celery is a biannual so it will produce seed every TWO years. Parsley and carrot do the same. I had obtained last year’s seeds from a wintered over plant, as well. I’m working so hard at NOT having to buy plants and save off my seeds for my next year’s plantings that I decided I would forgo the purchasing and just live without. I would also get a bit of celery off my saved plant until it had to put off energy to seed.
Well, Divine Providence has smiled on me! I have found self-seeded dill growing in the garden! I guess this isn’t as much of a surprise as I thought because with a little research I found out that dill LOVES to self-seed. I have found it in a few, less than ideal areas, so I might attempt a transplant but it’s still an excellent find!
I had honestly given up on the celery until I was weeding out the Egyptian walking onion patch this morning! As I began to pull weeds, I noticed familiar, small leaves. Looking carefully, I found celery seedlings poking up, miniature replicas of their parents! I couldn’t believe my Good Fortune! I weeded carefully, trying to give my seedlings the room and sun they needed to develop. I also found at least three seedlings that I felt could handle transplanting to the other bed where they wouldn’t have competition from the onions. I honestly don’t think I could have grown better seedlings myself.
Here is a picture of my baby celery!
The seedling next to the mature 2nd year plant:
I have learned a good lesson here, too. I’ve been aggressively weeding out these areas all along. I wonder what poor, little, innocent self-seeded additions were weeded out by me in the early spring. I’ll have to look more carefully next spring and maybe be a little less energetic with my efforts until I see what has planted itself in my garden.
- Tags: celery, dill, growing, self-seeding