I’ve been working on knowing how to store seeds. But I have not seen anything about fermenting or nicking them. Can you recommend a book or a link, please? Thank you.
Rule number one is to make sure that you are dealing with "heirloom" seeds, as opposed to hybrid seeds that will not reproduce. That is not to say that something you buy in the store will not provide productive seeds - you just need to make sure that you have the right ones. Tomato seeds are a prime example of ones that you would want to ferment... Just think of this as a process that duplicates a tomato that fell from the vine and rotted on the ground. I store the seeds from a fresh tomato in a small jar, complete with some of the tomato pulp, until they are fermented - about 3 weeks. I then rinse them well, removing all pulp, and place them on a paper towel to dry. Once dry, they go back into a clean jar until time for planting. Start tomato plants in late February or early March in a seed starter cup placed in a warm place, keeping them watered. If you don't have a "green house" make a little framework out of wood or PVC and cover it with plastic drop cloth. Put the starter cups in there with a 100 watt bulb (beware of creating a fire hazard - keep the bulb away from the sides and top.) You can even do this in your garage. Heck, some folks even use their kitchen window sill. Watermelon and several other seeds are done the same way.
I always "nick" the hard seeds (usually the vine plants, but also okra and a few others) with a razor knife or fingernail file, taking off just enough of the hard outer coat to allow moisture entry into the seed and start the growth process.
On potatoes, all you have to do is to take an existing potato and cut it in such a way as to make sure there is an "eye" in each section(I don't know if different areas of the country have different names for this, but it is were the little tube like growths extend from the potato itself). I dig a hole 24-36 inches in diameter and about 10-12 inches deep, just breaking up the soil until it is nice and loose, leaving the soil in place. I then put the piece of potato with the eye pointed upward directly in the middle of the loose soil. The plant will grow, and the loose soil allows for the growth of new potatoes. Just pick your favorite potato and plant away.
Something a lot of folks forget is to make sure your rows in your garden run north to south, so that the plants on either end of the row don't cast a shadow on the plants in the middle as the sun arcs across the sky throughout the day. This way all plants get and equal amount of sun. Plant the tallest growing plants on the outside rows (preferably on just one side of the garden only) if you can only have one garden spot - otherwise put the tall stuff in a garden of its own so that short plants can get all the sunlight possible in their own garden.
Just a tad of information that might be helpful... But there are some very good resources on the net, the best usually being the agricultural extension office of your local state university. The information is usually free... You can even call and talk to a real person about issues you either currently are having to deal with in your garden, or issues that might arise. My local extension even does soil testing so that you can know what you might need to add to your garden for best production.
Regards,
Raven6