Seeds are truly one of nature’s precious gifts. Seeds, like eggs, hold the promise and everything that is needed for new life. Seeds are plants’ way of regeneration. Man has taken advantage of many of these seeds for food, medication and sometimes decoration.
Because they provide us with food vegetable seeds have probably seen the most development and intervention from man. Hybrid varieties and genetic engineering have been used to produce bigger, better, tastier vegetables and fruits to suit our convenience. Many garden ‘experts’ will tell you to only use certified garden seeds, particularly for food. The reasons for this are supposedly to assure you that you will get the best crop if you grow your own and to prevent the spread of possible diseases among vegetables. There is nothing to stop you though from saving seeds from vegetables and sowing them later. Pumpkin seeds are one of the easiest to do this with. Although pumpkins do need a lot of growing room they are a relatively easy vegetable to grow and a great starter if you want to encourage your children to learn to grow their own food.
Any garden seeds will come in a variety of sizes. If you are buying your seeds in a packet there will be instructions on how to plant the seeds. As a general rule just remember that the smaller the seeds are the closer to the surface you need to sow them. Most seeds will benefit from being planted in a seed raising mix, but if you have good soil or are using hydroponics this is not an absolute necessity. Some of the larger flower and vegetable seeds may also benefit from a short soak in water before sowing.
While we all know that fruits and vegetables are generally good for us, some further health benefits are being found in using seeds. Grape seed extract is being used effectively for heart health with its ability to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Flax seed oil (linseed) is full of Omega 3 and is being heralded as a useful medicine for breast and prostate cancers, although there is some cautionary evidence against this. Sunflower seeds not only look beautiful when growing but can also lower your cholesterol levels as well as tasting great!
The bottom line is, most seeds are good for us, but if you don’t know what it is or what it will grow into – don’t eat it! Learn to know and appreciate your seeds and how you can and should use them, then enjoy their natural life enhancing benefits.
