Seed Saving and Propagation

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Close-up of small rosemary plants in individual tray cells, with thin stems and narrow leaves in a garden setting.

Propagating Plants in Spring: What Works (and What Fails) in Dry Climates

Spring has a way of making propagation feel easy. Everything is waking up. Growth is everywhere. You take a cutting, stick it in soil, give it a bit of water… and expect it to just work. Sometimes it does. Other times, that same cutting dries out in two days, collapses, and disappears like it was never there. We’ve seen both. Just recently, we came across an Aristaloe aristata growing in an overfilled pot. One light touch and pups were literally falling off with roots alread

Apr 17

Close view of thriving Paulownia plants with large leaves covering most of the planter surface.

How to Grow Paulownia from Seed: What Actually Works (and What Fails) in Mediterranean Climates

Paulownia is often described as a miracle tree. Fast-growing, resilient, and easy to start from seed. And to be fair— germinating Paulownia from seed is not difficult. But growing strong, surviving trees? That’s where things get interesting. On our Quinta in Central Portugal, I’ve tested Paulownia seeds across different locations, soil types, and planting times. Some grew fast. Some failed early. A few surprised me. Fast growth looks impressive—but without the right condition

Apr 3

Bundle of Elaeagnus × ebbingei cuttings held in hand with pruning tools visible in a garden container.

How to Propagate Ebbinge’s Silverberry From Cuttings

On a homestead, pruning often leaves a small pile of branches on the ground. Most of the time those branches head straight for the compost pile. But sometimes they are actually the start of something new. Yesterday MuDan lightly pruned a few shrubs and trees around our land, including our Ebbinge’s silverberry ( Elaeagnus × ebbingei ) growing near the entrance roundabout. When I walked past the pruning pile later, I noticed several healthy shoots lying there. Fresh prunings

Mar 11

Hardwood mulberry cuttings arranged on soil before potting.

Mulberry Cuttings Propagation: Turn One Tree into a Future Harvest Forest

You plant one tree. You wait years. It grows, it spreads, it finally gives shade and fruit. Then one day you prune a few inward-growing branches… and instead of tossing them on the brush pile, you see opportunity. That is where mulberry cuttings propagation begins. Our Morus nigra went into the ground in October 2022 on the upper north–south garden bed. Today it stands about 2 meters tall with a crown spreading roughly 2 meters wide. Strong. Balanced. Established. Our black

Mar 2

Pampas grass crown trimmed back with short cut stems visible at the base.

How to Propagate Pampas Grass (And Why It Feels Like Digging Concrete)

Last week, I stood over a 2–3 year old clump of pampas grass with a sharp pointed spade, wet winter soil under my boots, and confidence in my arms. Five minutes later, I realized something. This was not a soft ornamental plant. This was a structural mass. The spade would not move. My leg would not push it through. It felt like driving steel into concrete. And that is exactly why pampas grass earns its place on a resilient homestead. If you want to know how to propagate pampas

Feb 26

Olive tree heel cutting showing attached bark and new growth along the stem.

How to Propagate Olive Tree Heel Cuttings (Step-by-Step)

Pruning season is when most gardeners think about shaping trees. I think about multiplying them. This year, while pruning our seven olive trees here in Central Portugal, I pulled a small heel cutting from the base of one trunk. The piece of bark and older wood was about 5 cm (2 inches) long. It even came up with a bit of soil attached and exposed an earthworm in the process. A good sign. Living soil means living roots. I potted that cutting into a tall pot and placed it insid

Feb 23

Garden spade splitting dense Chrysopogon zizanioides base for propagation.

Propagating Vetiver Grass: Turn One Clump Into a Living Erosion Shield

Ever watched rainwater carve small channels through your soil and thought, “There has to be a better way”? I’ve been there. On our slightly sloped walkways and garden bed corners, water doesn’t politely soak in. It runs. It takes soil with it. It steals nutrients you worked hard to build. Then our neighbors gifted us a few vetiver slips. One root clump. A sharp spade. A bit of rain. And suddenly we had more than 20 new plants ready to anchor the land. This post is about propa

Feb 21

Close-up of pepper seed varieties and a black nursery pot, arranged on a wooden surface.

Early Spring Seed Starting Indoors for Vegetables and Flowers

February is the month when patience starts to wear thin. The garden outside still looks half-asleep, but inside, seed trays begin to multiply, windowsills fill up, and the question shifts from “Should I start seeds?” to “How many is too many?” In a Mediterranean climate, early spring seed starting indoors is where the real momentum begins. Tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, brassicas, and the first cut flowers all benefit from a head start now. Done right, February seed starting

Feb 7

Fig cutting with a newly forming bud at the tip, captured against a blurred background with a window.

Propagating Fig Tree Cuttings in Late Winter: The Simple “Stick-It-in-the-Ground” Method (Plus 3 Alternatives)

Late winter is fig season for free trees. Late winter is one of those quiet, underrated moments on a homestead. Trees are dormant. The sap has slowed. And suddenly, what looks like pruning waste turns into potential. This week, I took dormant cuttings from our mature Ficus carica. Some went straight into the ground below the mother tree. Others went into pots and then along our southern fence line. No greenhouse. No humidity domes. No rooting hormones. Just wood, soil, and

Jan 19

Close-up of multiple bare plant cuttings held upright, with an open field and blue sky in the distance.

Hardwood Cuttings in Winter: The Lazy Permaculturist’s Way to Clone Your Orchard

Winter looks like nothing is happening. Beds are empty. Leaves are gone. Growth has slowed to a standstill. Most gardeners pack up, wait, and scroll seed catalogs. That’s the illusion. Winter pruning in action. Fresh fig hardwood cuttings go straight from the tree into pots, low effort, no special setup. Because while the garden sleeps, the orchard is ready to multiply . Every winter pruning hides an opportunity. Those bare sticks in your hand are not waste. They are dormant

Dec 26, 2025

Close-up of sliced tomatoes on a rustic wood surface featuring two darker, almost black cherry tomato halves with greenish edges alongside two orange-red elongated tomato halves revealing their seed-filled cores.

Heirloom vs. Open-Pollinated: The Best Vegetables to Save Seeds From

Ever bitten into a tomato so good you wished you could grow it forever? That’s the magic of seed saving—but only if you choose the right...

Aug 8, 2025

A vigorous Malabar spinach vine wrapping a metal post, its succulent leaves framing curved seed stalks covered in dense black berries and immature pale-green buds.

Seed Saving for the Urban Homesteader: Why It Matters for Resilience

In a world of grocery store price hikes and fragile supply chains, resilience starts in the soil, even if it’s in a container on your...

Jul 22, 2025

Guides, tips, stories or recipes directly from our off-grid homestead. From newbie tips to pro hacks, our posts help you grow smarter, not harder.