| Annual |
any plant that completes its life cycle in one growing season. |
| Biennial |
any plant that completes its life cycle over two growing seasons, with initial growth in the first season and reproduction in the second season. |
| Bolt |
the upward growth of flowers from a plant that has basal vegetation, e.g., lettuce. To go to seed. |
| Chaff |
the dry seed coverings, flowers, or other particles found with seeds after threshing. |
Coat (seed coat)
|
the protective layer on the outside of a seed. |
| Debris |
any unwanted particles in a collection of harvested seeds. See also: “chaff ”. |
| Flailing |
the process of beating dry plants against a hard surface to loosen seeds for gathering. |
| Germinate |
the sprouting of a seed. |
| Heirloom |
any variety of open-pollinated crop that had bred true-to-type for generations, usually predating 1945. |
| Hybrid |
a crop variety created by crossing two different varieties. These plants will not breed true-to-type. |
| Mulching |
covering the ground with certain types of organic matter (hay, leaves, compost) to enrich and insulate soil. |
Open-pollinated
|
any variety of plant which breeds true even when randomly mated within its own variety. |
| Overwinter |
to keep a biennial plant alive through the cold season. |
| Perennial |
any plant that returns each growing season, usually producing flowers and seeds from the same roots year after year. |
| Pod (seed pod) |
the shell that covers and contains seeds on certain varieties of plants, e.g., peas or beans. |
| Root cellar |
an underground storage room or rooms used to keep plants for overwintering due to its characteristically cool, damp environment. |
| Screening |
to separate seeds from chaff and other debris by using particularly gauged screens that allow either seeds or chaff to fall through while holding the other back. |
| Seed coat |
see “coat” |
| Seed pod |
see “pod" |
| Thresh |
any process used to separate seeds from their parent plants. |
| Treading |
a process of threshing by putting seed pods in or under cloth and stomping or treading on them. |
| True-to-type |
any plant that displays characteristics and qualities that are expected of its variety. |
| Variety |
a group of plants that are genetically related and have uniform traits and characteristics. |
| Winnow |
separating seeds from chaff, usually by pouring them into another container in such a way that the wind or a fan can blow the lightweight chaff away, leaving seeds behind. |
