Hi please excuse my ignorance as a total amature gardner but my ornamental cabbages are blooming like crazy little yellow flowers (that the bumble bees love) and I would like to harvest the seeds but I don't know what ARE the seeds. Are they the little spindly thread like things that are leftover after the bloom falls off? Also, when should I plant them? Do they need a rest? I'd love to have some for this fall. Thanks for any help.
The "little spindly thread like things that are leftover" are the young seed pods. In a couple of months they will thicken up to about 8cm long and 4 or 5mm broad. Harvest them when they start to turn from green to brown but before they split open to release the seeds (mid to late summer, most likely). The seeds look just like mustard seeds, brown, spherical, about 2mm diameter. You can sow the seeds immediately after harvesting, or store them cold and dry for next spring if you prefer. If you end up with more than you want for sowing, you can use the rest the same as mustard (a close relative).
Thank you so much! If I have a bunch I'll definitely try your suggestion to use them like mustard seeds.
I'm no expert, but I've tried planting the seeds, with not much success...they got long and lanky and didn't look like ornamental cabbages in the end. I had a little better success waiting till the mother plant grows tall and produces "baby" cabbages and then cutting and planting the babies. However, I should have been more consistent about keeping them moist till roots were established. If someone else out there has some more tips for success, I'd appreciate it too. I'd love to have tons of them out in my front yard to add color through fall-winter-spring...without paying a fortune to buy each one fully developed. Courtyard Gardener
