Saving Oregano Seeds (Cross-posted in the Seed Saving Forum)

We have some pods from Lippia graveoleus, or Mexican Oregano, and are trying to figure out how to save the seeds from them rather than continuing to buy plants. Suggestions?

Dear greenhouse_gal, the way I save seeds may be different as it is damp here. I put them in brown paper bags, not plastic.
For things like thyme and dill I cut he top of the plant down, when it is ready to seed. Then I cover the top with a paper bag and turn the plant upside down. Simply tie a long piece of garden twine around the bag and the stem, then I hang it upside down in my shed. The seeds then fall into the bag. They will stay quite happily in my shed until the spring and it is not heated at all.
I have never had any trouble with this method for herbs are tougher than people think.
Even Canna seeds last in the shed.
As for my wife's herbaceous perennials, depending on what they are, I use the same method but once the seeds have fallen, I transfer them to labelled envelopes. Then I keep them in an airtight container in the fridge, this works well for Delphiniums.
Regards from England.
Neil.

Neil, my question with oregano was that I'm not sure which are the seeds and how to get them separate from the pods. Most other herbs are a bit more obvious.
Regards from the US!

Leslie

Dear Leslie, there are so many different oregano types, it is hard to tell. Our common ones have very fine seeds that seed everywhere, where as others have large seed. However according to the R.H.S. Mexican oregano (you will know this), is not a true oregano but a member of the mint family. It unfortunately has nothing on seeds about it, but does say it can be easily grown from cuttings. Unfortunately that is all it says.
Sorry I did try.
Regards from England.
Neil.

Thanks, Neil. I guess I'll have to try to plant one of those pods and see if anything comes up. I'll bet the seeds in there are very small!

Leslie you could always sacrifice one seed! Put it in a bag and give it a tap with a rolling pin or other such device, if it splits and you get lots of fine seeds, then there is your answer!
Of course if it does nothing, there too is your answer!
Regards from England.
Neil.

Leslie I have been trying to figure out if Mexican Oregano is something I need to be growing. I know this is a dumb question, but can you give me some idea of how the taste differs from the normal Oregano? How do you use it? I've googled and never found a seed source so you might really have a job to get seeds. If it doesn't have seeds, I'd think it multiplies by runners or something.

Dorothy, the Lippia graveoleus, or Mexican Oregano, is closer to the herb used on pizza and other Italian dishes around here. It's tangy-er, it has more of a bite, and it has more intense flavor than anything we found in the oreganum genus. We have bought the plants from Papa Geno's Herb Farm; they carry two herbs called Mexican Oregano. One is Poliomintha and the other is the Lippia, and it's the latter which seems to work well for us. My husband's of Italian descent, so he may take the subtleties of oregano flavor a little more seriously. Last year they were out of the plants but we had one we had overwintered. This year we don't want to take any chances.

It flowers and makes pods, I guess you could call them, but we just weren't sure where the seeds were, what they looked like, or how to extract them. I suppose we'll just try planting the whole pod-like things and see what we get.

We use it in our tomato sauce, white clam sauce, pizza, and anywhere else that oregano is called for.

Leslie

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2587/

Finally!!! I'm apparently too ignorant to find some things in plant files. Had to google lippia graveoeus and voila.

One of those commenting said it roots easily and in the photos of the pods, they look like they'd be hiding lots of seeds. Leslie, please save me some seeds. I'll give you anything I've got in exchange.

Dorothy, I'll save you some seeds, except that I'm not sure where the seeds are. I can send you some of the dried pods, though.

Gee, ANYthing you've got? :-D

Maybe I should try some of those peppers again - Marconi and Aconagua or whatever that was. Did I send you some basil seeds? I guess I should have let them go to seed; I thought there was plenty of time for that and suddenly it got chilly so I don't have any saved. I finally got one or two Marconis but I want to try those again next year.

Of course, and in a few weeks I should have some others you might want to try. You were generous with those basil seeds and I can send half back to you. I already had the large Italian planted and didn't grow any of the new this year. Did you find it to be a superior strain? Just hold on awhile because I'm chasing my tail right now. I'm hoping to organize my list so I can make some sense of it. The Marconis and the Aconcaguas have put on a big production this year. I saved seed but didn't bag them. I can't complain of the peppers and tomatoes but everything else has been lousy.

The easiest way is just leave the plant in the ground (or pot) & let it reseed on it's on. Next spring you have little plants coming up & you can leave them be or replant them ever you want.

There's not much room in the pot, and we have to take it in because it would freeze outdoors in a NJ winter. I think I'll try sowing some of the pods and just see what happens.