Saving Broom Corn Seed — Artemis Flower Farm (2024)

FAQs

How do you save broom corn seeds? ›

Dry the seeds for several weeks out of direct sunlight. A good test to determine whether the seeds have completely dried is to hit one with a hammer. If it shatters, it is ready to store; if it just looks flattened, continue drying. Store in a cool, dark place for up to four years.

Broomcorn is harvested for broom-use prior to seed maturity when the peduncles (the stem that supports the flowers and seeds) turn completely from yellow to pale green. Four to five days after this stage, the brush will become brittle and no longer be suitable for brooms.

Just choose a few heads whose color or form you love, tag them, and let them sit in the field a bit longer than the rest. Then dry upside down for a couple weeks in a mouse-proof place (!) and rub vigorously on a screen or in your hands to separate the seeds from the stalks.

Allow the ears to develop and dry out on the stalk for as long as possible. When ready to dry, pull back the husks and place in a rodent-proof area. Once fully dried, carefully break off the seeds and store in a cool, dry place.

Store seeds in tightly sealed glass containers. You can store different kinds of seeds in individual paper packets in one large container. Keep seeds dry and cool. A temperature between 32° and 41°F is ideal, so your refrigerator can be a good place to store seeds.

Legality. While saving seed and even exchanging seed with other farmers for biodiversity purposes has been a traditional practice, these practices have become illegal for the plant varieties that are patented or otherwise owned by some entity (often a corporation).

If left unharvested, the seeds can be used as a winter food source for wildlife – birds love them. Benjamin Franklin is credited with introducing broom corn to the United States in the early 1700s.

Store your broom by hanging it up indoors for the best possible care. Hanging your broom keeps the ends nice and straight, rather than storing it leaning on its fibres. If you have nowhere to hang it you could also just flip the broom upside down and lean it in a corner on its handle.

The seeds are edible and can be sprouted, cooked, popped, or ground into flour.

Can you transplant broom corn? ›

Broomcorn can be transplanted, but it's so easily direct sown that it's not not really worth it to me to start broomcorn - especially when there are so many other plants that I'm starting at the time.

When it is time to harvest the broom corn, the plants are tabled. Tabling is when the stalks of the broom corn are bent over, about 30″ from the ground, towards the next row in a diagonal direction.

To save seeds from open-pollinated varieties, allow perfect cobs to dry on the plants until the husks turn tan then continue to dry them indoors until a few kernels fall away when you twist the ear between your hands. Store the seeds in a cool, dry place for up to two years.

Eliminating the male rows lowers the chance of volunteer corn — the result of stray seeds sprouting in the spring. And it also avoids a sorting nightmare come harvest season. The entire ear from the female stalks are removed at harvest. Imagine if there were male ears in the mix, too.

Seeds from flesh fruit, such as peppers and pumpkins, should be collected when the fruit is completely ripe and even over ripe and starting to shrivel on the plant. Scoop the seeds out and separate from the gel or pulp, rinse them off and lay them out on paper towels to thoroughly dry.

Over 10,000 seeds per plant can be produced, last- ing 60 to 80 years in the soil.

This annual makes an interesting temporary hedge plant or back border topped by earth tone seed heads of edible seeds. Can be left as wild bird food or eaten. Seed heads themselves are used to make brooms, hence the name.

One of the more practical methods for storing small quantities is to place leftover seed in sealable jars or other airtight containers and store in a cool, dark area such as the refrigerator (not the freezer). A layer of powdered milk or uncooked rice at the bottom of the container will absorb excess moisture.