🍂 Fall at Henchy Family Farms 🍂
Seed Saving 101: Why and how
Welcome back garden friends! Where every season brings fresh
blooms, good food, and plenty of joy to share. I’m so happy you’re here —
so pull up a chair. Let’s grow, learn, and celebrate the garden together.
- Raquel Henchy
New Season Ahead- Hello Autumn
As the leaves start to turn and the days grow cooler, my heart always leans toward the
garden. Fall is one of my favorite seasons to grow in—there’s something special about the crisp air, the golden sunlight, and the way the soil feels refreshed after summer’s heat.
This time of the year, I plant cool-weather crops: leafy greens, root vegetables, and maybe even trying out some fall flowers to keep the beds cheerful as the season winds down.
Let me formally introduce myself, I am Raquel.
I’m so glad you’ve stopped by, I will be your host on this garden trip.
The Henchy family Gardens is a collection of my projects and my love of gardening .
Welcome back to Garden, we hope to hear from you!
Seasonal Spotlight
Seed Saving 101: Why it’s Worth It
(Examples: Tomatoes, Peppers, & Pumpkins
Saving seeds is one of the easiest, most rewarding garden habits.
Here’s the why and the how—in plain, friendly steps.
Save money: one packet becomes many seasons of plants.
Keep what you love: preserve your favorite flavors, colors, and shapes.
Adapted plants: seeds from your garden gradually suit your soil and climate.
Resilience: a little seed stash means fewer last-minute store runs.
Less waste: use what your garden already gives you.
Heritage: pass varieties down like recipes.
💡 Henchy note💡 Open-pollinated/heirloom :best results save seeds from plants.
Hybrid (F1) seeds may not “come true” next year.
Before you start (the basics)
🌍 Pick your best plants! Healthy, tasty, productive, and disease-free.
🌍 Let fruits fully ripen! Red/ripe peppers and tomatoes,and pumpkins with hard rinds.
🌍 Keep varieties separate! Especially peppers and pumpkins.
🌍 Label immediately! Crop/variety & date (Tomato-Cherokee Purple-Sept 2025).
🌍 Dry completely! Seeds must be crisp-dry before storage.
📦How to save seeds and examples:📦
Tomatoes are mostly self-pollinating—great for beginners.
A little white film on fermenting tomato seeds is normal—that’s just mold breaking
down the seed’s protective gel. If it gets too thick or smells very foul, rinse and dry
the seeds right away to keep them healthy.
- Choose fruit: Healthy plant, fully ripe.
- Scoop & soak: Seeds, Gel and water in a jar. Cover, Ferment 2–3 days.
- Rinse: Rinse, stir, good seeds sink. Pour off excess. Repeat until clean.
- Dry: Spread thin on a paper towel until brittle.
- Label then store.
- Lifespan: ~4–6 years when stored well.
💡 Henchy note💡 If it smells foul or grows fuzzy, rinse and dry. Don't over-ferment.
Pepper seeds (sweet or hot)
Peppers can cross with other peppers if bees move pollen around. If you grow only
one type, you’re fine. If you grow many close together, expect some surprises next
year—or bag a few flowers before they open and hand-pollinate.
Fully ripe peppers: Red, orange, yellow (not green).
Cut & scrape: Open, remove the seed cluster; flick seeds onto a plate.
Clean: Pick out membrane. Wear gloves and wash hands well after.
Dry: 1–2 weeks until seeds snap, not bend.
Label then store.
Lifespan: ~2–4 years.
💡 Henchy note💡: Handle hot/sweet pepper seeds on different dayskeep labeled .
Pumpkin seeds (also squash)
Pumpkins and squash cross within the same species (but not across species).
If you grew several types together, next year’s plants might be mixed.
Harvest mature fruit: rind hard, stem corky. Cure 1-2 weeks indoors.
Scoop & separate: Stir seeds in a bowl of water. Good seeds sink.
Rinse well: in a colander.
Dry thoroughly: spread in one layer; air-dry 2–3 weeks, stirring occasionally.
Label then store.
- Lifespan:~4–6 years.
- C. maxima — hubbard, buttercup, some giant pumpkins
- C. moschata — butternut, some long-neck pumpkins
- C. pepo — many pumpkins, zucchini, acorn
Seed storage ideas and reminders:
Containers: Envelopes, baggies, jars, or small screw-top vials.
Environment: cool, dark, dry (closet, shelf, and fridge (dry seeds).
Labeling template: Crop – Variety – Year
Note taste, days to ripe, disease resistance
- Place 10 seeds on a damp paper towel, fold, slip into a zip bag with a little air.
- Keep warm (70–80°F).
- Check in 5–10 days. # sprouted = % germination (e.g., 8/10 = 80%).
- If germination % is low, sow heavier next season.
❌ Common mistakes ❌ (and easy fixes🛠)
❌ Under-ripe fruit → poor germination. 🛠 always save from fully mature fruit.
❌ No labels → mystery mix. 🛠 label timmediatley fruit.
❌Over-fermenting seeds → ruined. 🛠 stop at 2–3 days, rinse. dry.
❌Cross-pollination → unexpected traits. 🛠 keep plants seperate, bag blossoms
💡 Henchy note💡 The garden teaches patience and rest. Seed saving is slow magic—take your time, enjoy the process, and in the future you will thank the present you.
What to Plant This Fall?
Fall gardening in the Jersey Shore (Zone 7)
Cooler nights, fewer bugs, your crops can thrive!
Here’s what we’re planting this season:
Leafy Greens: spinach, kale, lettuce, arugula
Root Crops: carrots, beets, radishes, turnips
Herbs: cilantro, parsley, chives
Overwintering Staples: garlic & onions
Fall Flowers: pansies, violas, chrysanthemums
Each season feels like a new chapter in our family’s story, and fall is one of my
favorites. The air turns crisp, the sunlight gets golden, and the garden ask to slow
down and prepare for what’s next.
Beyond the plants, fall in the garden is also about preparation. It’s the season of adding
to the beds in with compost and mulch, pulling out the weeds that snuck in over
summer, and making plans for what’s next. It’s a reminder that rest is part of the
cycle too—both for the soil and for us.
Practical Garden Tips
3 quick jobs to get your fall beds ready!
1. Clear Out Summer Beds –
- Pull all spent plants
- I add clean plants to my compost pile.
- Fix all beds that need tightening or replacing
2. Refresh the Soil –
- Add seasoned compost to feed your crops
- My town offers free soil to any locals.
- I like to add the current seasons mulched leaves
3. Protect Your Garden –
- Mulch beds, Regulates soil temperature and moisture.
- Tighten all trellises
- Fix all fencing
Plant spotlight: 🌿Spinach 🌿
Spinach : is one of the easiest and most rewarding greens to grow in
your fall garden. With just a little care, you’ll have
tender leaves for salads, soups, and sautés in just a few weeks.
1. Picking the spot .
Pick a sunny to partly shaded areaRaised beds or loose, well-drained soil work perfectly.
At least 4–6 hours of sunlight with rich, fertile soil.
2. Preparing the Soil
Add compost or aged manure before planting.
Keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy.
Ideal soil pH: 6.5–7.0 (slightly neutral).
3. Planting those beautiful seeds
Sow seeds directly into the soil,
about ½ inch deep and 2 inches apart.
Rows should be 12–18 inches apart.
4. Caring for Spinach
Water regularly, especially during dry spells.
Thin seedlings to about 4–6 inches apart once they sprout
Mulch around the plants to keep the soil cool and moist.
Spinach is ready in about 35–45 days.
Pick the outer leaves first so the plant keeps producing.
Harvest often to encourage fresh new growth.
Garden & Kitchen
Celebrate the fall with this Henchy Garden favorite:
🍏 Rustic Apple Tart 🍏
Ingredients:
4–5 medium apples (peeled & sliced)
1 sheet of puff pastry (thawed)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp butter (cut into small pieces)
1 egg (beaten, for brushing)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Roll out puff pastry on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Arrange apple slices in the center, leaving a 2-inch border.
- Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, dot with butter.
- Fold pastry edges over the apples and brush with beaten egg.
- Bake 25–30 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve warm, maybe with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
First Frost Date (Jersey Shore): around October 15–20
Personal Story of Encouragement & Reflection
Our family garden, tucked in the heart of Jersey Shore suburbia, has been a place of family, love, growth, and learning since 2012. Over the years, my family and I have poured our love into this garden—planting, harvesting, laughing, and even learning the hard way that not every seed behaves the way we plan. And honestly? The memories, the memories always bring a smile to my face. It’s been quite a journey. To me, that’s the beauty of gardening .
I have been very fortunate to watch my children grow and leave the nest. They are my inspiration and the stars for my children's book series. Hence my 4 muses.
Here on this blog, I’ll be sharing not just gardening tips and seasonal advice, but also stories from our family farm—because gardening, to me, is about more than plants. It’s about community, about family, and about finding joy in simple, everyday moments.
Don’t forget, the garden teaches us patience and rest. Take care of yourself as you take care of your plants. Just as the soil needs time to recharge, so do we. Fall reminds us that slowing down is part of growth.
So whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just dipping your hands into the soil for the first time, I hope you’ll find a little encouragement, a few helpful ideas, and a warm place to return to here at Henchy Family Farms.
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