How to Thresh and Winnow
Choose a good day., Lay a clean tarpaulin down on the ground., Cut down the plants that have seed pods or seed cases on them in your garden. , Lay the plants across the tarpaulin., Have some stomping fun., Select the container that you want the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Choose a good day.
Choose a day when there isn't much wind and when it is dry.
Don't try to do this when it's raining, windy, or muddy. -
Step 2: Lay a clean tarpaulin down on the ground.
Do this near where you plan to cut down the relevant plants.
It should also be somewhere fairly clean and not too dusty as you don't want dust, dirt, and other things getting into the threshed seeds. ,, Fold the tarpaulin over to cover the plants and to stop the seeds from jumping out or flying away. , Jump up and down on the folded tarpaulin.
Get a friend to help or get the kids into it.
The stomping and jumping will release the seeds and separate them from the chaff.
If kids are helping, remind them that the tarpaulin needs to stay over the plants while they're jumping up and down. , Place a sieve or screen over the container that will enable you to sift the seeds.
You will need to check the screen size against the seed size to ensure the seed can fall through but not much else, and especially not the chaff. , This refers to the act of blowing the chaff off the seeds.
You can do this in various ways:
Blow across the sieve or screen as you are sifting the seeds; rotate the container at the same time.
Pour the seeds from one container to another, using a fan or similar object to blow off the seeds. , Light seed that blows away with the wind and winnowing should not be kept as it won't have good genetic material.
Instead, look for the top 10 percent of seeds, which are the heaviest ones. , Place in a cool, dry place for storage.
Plant the next season. -
Step 3: Cut down the plants that have seed pods or seed cases on them in your garden.
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Step 4: Lay the plants across the tarpaulin.
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Step 5: Have some stomping fun.
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Step 6: Select the container that you want the seeds to fall into.
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Step 7: Winnow.
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Step 8: Be ruthless with the seed chosen for storage.
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Step 9: Store.
Detailed Guide
Choose a day when there isn't much wind and when it is dry.
Don't try to do this when it's raining, windy, or muddy.
Do this near where you plan to cut down the relevant plants.
It should also be somewhere fairly clean and not too dusty as you don't want dust, dirt, and other things getting into the threshed seeds. ,, Fold the tarpaulin over to cover the plants and to stop the seeds from jumping out or flying away. , Jump up and down on the folded tarpaulin.
Get a friend to help or get the kids into it.
The stomping and jumping will release the seeds and separate them from the chaff.
If kids are helping, remind them that the tarpaulin needs to stay over the plants while they're jumping up and down. , Place a sieve or screen over the container that will enable you to sift the seeds.
You will need to check the screen size against the seed size to ensure the seed can fall through but not much else, and especially not the chaff. , This refers to the act of blowing the chaff off the seeds.
You can do this in various ways:
Blow across the sieve or screen as you are sifting the seeds; rotate the container at the same time.
Pour the seeds from one container to another, using a fan or similar object to blow off the seeds. , Light seed that blows away with the wind and winnowing should not be kept as it won't have good genetic material.
Instead, look for the top 10 percent of seeds, which are the heaviest ones. , Place in a cool, dry place for storage.
Plant the next season.
About the Author
Samuel Flores
Committed to making lifestyle accessible and understandable for everyone.
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