Linseed "Blaues Wunder"

Here´s what´s ahead:

• Getting Started

• Sowing

• Location

• Care

• Harvest & Storage

• Enjoy

Getting Started

You can experience the "blue miracle" that linseed has in store for you in the summer months. From May to August it blooms in a delicate blue. Linseed often reproduces by self-seeding. If you leave the plants standing, you may find linseed growing in your bed again next year.

The most important information at a glance:

• Seed depth: 1 cm

• Temperature: 15 - 20 °C

• Germination period: 12 - 20 days

• Sowing indoors: February - April

• Relocate outdoors: from May

• Direct sowing outdoors: March - August

• Harvest flower/seed: May - August/after flowering

• Plant spacing: 5 cm

• Root depth: 40 cm

• Location: sunny - semi-shady

• Nutrient requirements: low

Sowing

Sowing indoors:

• From February to April.

• Fill pots with all-purpose soil. Make sure to choose pots that are as deep as possible, as the roots can grow up to 40 cm into the ground.

• Remove the seed paper from your calendar and tear it into small pieces.

• Spread the pieces in the pots at a distance of 5 cm.

• Cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil (about 1 cm).

• Moisten the substrate regularly. until the seeds begin to germinate.

• From May you can put the pots outside.

Direct sowing outdoors:

• From March to August.

• Make grooves in your bed at a distance of 5 cm.

• Take the seed paper from your calendar and tear it into small pieces.

• Spread the pieces in the grooves at a distance of 5 cm.

• Fill the grooves with a 1 cm layer of soil.

• Alternatively, you can sow broadcasted.

• Water everything well and moisten the bed regularly until germination.

• If the plants sprout too close together, you must separate them.

Location

• Sunny to semi-shady

• Soil: well-drained and loose

• Good neighbours: daisy, cinquefoil, bellflower, iris, potato, pasque flower, sunflower

• Bad neighbours: None

Care

• Avoid waterlogging

• Fertilising is not necessary

• Cut back after flowering to encourage the linseed to flower again.

• Linseed is perfect as a green manure. Just leave the plants for a few weeks and work them into the soil before flowering.

Pests

• Slugs and snails: As a preventive measure, install a slug fence and water only in the morning (moisture in the evening attracts slugs and snails). If the slugs make it to your plants anyway, collect them and place them far away.

Harvest & Storage

• After flowering, capsule fruits form which contain the linseed.

• Start harvesting when the capsules are brown and dry. Cut the plants carefully to prevent the seeds from falling out. Remove the seeds from the capsules and leave them to dry on a cloth.

• Storage: airtight and dry container.

• Feel free to leave the flowers - they serve as food for bees and other insects.

Enjoy

• Linseeds can be used as an egg substitute in vegan dishes or as a topping in muesli.

• Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, fibre and antioxidants.