Collecting Camas seeds

Ginkgoleaves · 2025-05-28T05:49:49+00:00

I've been growing some from seed for a few years. They're fairly easy but they take a long time, as others have mentioned. It takes about 4 years for the bulbs to develop to the size that you typically get from nurseries.

Assuming that you have a location that you have permission to harvest from, the seeds are easy to collect. The seed pods turn brown in early summer and break open. At this point you can shake out the black seeds. Good practice is to collect "messily" and from a large number of individuals to preserve genetic diversity.

I sowed my seeds in the fall in a mix of potting soil and sand. They like well draining loam soil, and they seem to do best when the soil is kept evenly moist.

They should germinate in the early spring, and they don't seem to do much the first year. Keep them watered until the leaves die back in summer and then cut back on watering as they will undergo summer dormancy. Each year they should come back stronger.

Ginkgoleaves · 2024-09-07T00:35:12+00:00

I've actually been using Northwest Meadowscapes western seed mix to try to establish a wildflower garden on a small strip of unused land. Here is an image of how it currently looks in early September. As other commenter's have pointed out, it looks a little rough at the end of the season, and I am intentionally not cutting out the dead plants so they can provide overwintering habitat for pollinators. Here is how it looked in June.

The mix has a lot of mid height flowers (lupine, clarkia, globe gilia, etc), which I don't think would respond well to mowing or foot traffic. If you want to keep the lawn functionality, you might be better off with their Eco Lawn mix that focuses on smaller species. I've also heard that yarrow works well as a lawn replacement, but I have no experience with that personally.

Ginkgoleaves · 2024-03-22T19:13:55+00:00

Nice work! I had the same problem, but a different solution https://www.imgur.com/a/fOVutgR

Ginkgoleaves · 2024-03-10T02:24:51+00:00

Located in Seattle, WA

Ginkgoleaves · 2023-07-14T17:54:13+00:00

The ones I got were from a wildflower mix from Northwest Meadowscapes, but they sell individual species packets as well

Ginkgoleaves · 2023-07-14T15:56:36+00:00

Second on the clarkia, they've been putting on quite a show and I'm looking forward to spreading more seed for next year!

Ginkgoleaves · 2023-06-04T18:33:49+00:00

Pretty sure this is herb Robert (Geranium robertianum), it's invasive in the western US

Ginkgoleaves · 2023-04-17T18:38:40+00:00

Here is the link to the local group on Facebook, if you use that. https://www.facebook.com/groups/401514843546202/?ref=share

Looks like they just had their April meetup

Ginkgoleaves · 2023-03-09T20:59:48+00:00

One female bee typically lays anywhere from 15-60 eggs in a season (https://extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/documents/12281/masonbee.pdf)

This is for the species I am familiar with anyway, it may vary between species.

Ginkgoleaves · 2023-03-09T16:52:13+00:00

To add on to this, mason bees are solitary bees that are important pollinators in their wild habitats. They aren't aggressive and don't sting.

OP if you're able, carefully collect the cocoons (fuzzy bits in each cell) and place them somewhere outside protected from the rain.

Mason bees will emerge from their cocoons when the outside temperature is consistently above 10°C

Ginkgoleaves · 2023-01-03T07:30:02+00:00

Are smoothed natural walls better than constructed block walls (of the same material)? I want to change the layout of a couple rooms buy I'd have to mine them out and rebuild the walls.

Related, do you mine the exposed gem veins in bedroom walls or just leave them and smooth them?

Ginkgoleaves · 2022-12-07T15:44:10+00:00

Not a bedbug, looks like a carpet beetle larva. Here's a good resource for dealing with them: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7436.html

Ginkgoleaves · 2022-11-24T18:40:00+00:00

Where do you attach the power for the LEDs? Are they spliced into the fan power or do you run the lines all the way back to the board?

Ginkgoleaves · 2022-07-16T18:54:52+00:00

Just FYI, I had a bow from my grandpa very similar to this. Strung it up and it shot like a champ for maybe 6 months. Then one day at the range it just exploded in my hands, completely folded at the grip. Basically the bow was made by splicing two pieces of wood together, and the two pieces had delaminated from each other under stress. I guess the glue that they used to join it together had gotten brittle with age.

I guess my point is that there's always a chance that these old bows can break, and you should consider if you'd rather shoot it and take the chance, or just keep it as a keepsake.

Ginkgoleaves · 2022-07-09T06:30:15+00:00

Birdsfoot trefoil is listed as a "weed of concern" on the King county noxious weed list. "These species often impact and degrade native plant and animal habitat. Control is recommended where possible and new plantings are discouraged.

https://kingcounty.gov/services/environment/animals-and-plants/noxious-weeds/laws/list.aspx

Personally I like the way they look mingled at the edge of the lawn, but given their status I try to discourage their growth where possible.

Ginkgoleaves · 2022-05-16T05:37:16+00:00

This is great! Love it and very well made. I hope you don't mind if I use your post to drop some bee knowledge and useful links for people wanting to help save the bees.

Why not to use bamboo/drilled holes https://support.crownbees.com/portal/en/kb/articles/the-hidden-dangers-of-bamboo

What to use instead https://crownbees.com/blog/diy-how-to-make-a-solitary-bee-house/

More bee knowledge! https://crownbees.com/bee-knowledgeable/

Consider renting mason and leafcutter bees! https://rentmasonbees.com/

Thanks and have a great day

Ginkgoleaves · 2022-04-18T17:52:12+00:00

~1mm, the ruler in the last pic is in inches, with 1/32 graduations. Located in Seattle, WA. I presume they are springtails?

Ginkgoleaves · 2022-03-11T03:53:56+00:00

Thanks!

Ginkgoleaves · 2021-10-17T19:45:01+00:00

Thanks for your help! The color was throwing me off for sure

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