Last year as an experiment I planted some flax seeds that I had. Just normal flax seed used for baking.
I figured after 3 years of not using it in smoothies like I had planned to, it might as well make my garden look pretty.
The plants grew to about 80cm tall and made the most beautiful blue flowers.
When they died I harvested about half of them, but left some in a flower bed for interest. The dried seed pods look quite pretty amongst the butterfly bush flowers and this soft pink poppy.
Apparently you harvest the stalks younger if you plan to make linen. I had aspirations to try process the flax but never got around to it. I hear putting it in a bag and repeatedly driving over it is the best way to break the fibers if you don't have the right tools.
To harvest the remaining dried out seeds, I placed the stalks into a paper bag and stepped on it to break the seed pods.
Which leaves you with seeds and chaff.
Next, I let the wind help me winnow out the chaff by letting handfuls of seed fall into the paper bag. I had to fight a bit with the bag in the wind so I wrapped it over a flower pot.
My little harvest. I ended up sowing them back into the flower beds again. It is a delightful addition to any garden and they keep adding interest long after they die.
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