Open Sesame

Every year I like to grow at least one or two weird things.

Usually it’s under the guise that they might be suitable for use as cut flowers, but the reality is, I’m just endlessly fascinated with growing.

While not all experiments produce something viable, or even anything at all, I’ve found it’s always worthwhile.

I mean, when your job is to grow beautiful stuff, why not add a few oddballs in there, too?!

This year was no different. On the docket were 3 things, and I’m going to tell you about the one that I loved most:

SESAME!

You know … that seed that invariably gets stuck in your teeth. And if you’re married to a guy like mine, he’ll let you roll around all day with it on display!

I sowed 12 cells of sesame in one of my 72 flats on March 20, 2022.

For whatever reason (neglect, most likely), only one single plant is alive in the garden at the time of this writing.

According to the seed packet, it is easy to grow — hahahaha!

A quick google search tells me that Tanzania is the biggest producer of the seed.

It’s a striking plant. And the seed packet says its flower is remniscent of foxglove - and that’s accurate!

I planted it next to some cosmos.

I have to admit & the cosmos shot up so quickly, that I don’t even remember noticing the plant enough to comment on what it was like as it was maturing.

I will say that I came out one day and was like — “What the heck is this?”

And that’s because its identification tag was no where to be found (probably never existed in the first place).

I almost plucked it assuming it was a weed. But then I noticed the leaves.

The bottom third of the plant had very wide, compound shaped leaves, that gradually become simple, narrow shaped leaves along the very tall spike-like stalk.

I’ve never seen a plant with multiple leaf types — or at least I’ve never noticed one until growing sesame.

That alone made it an incredible thing to grow!

The blooms are a faint lavender color and really only last a day or so before fading into a papery-like petal before dropping.

The seed pods plump out from there and again have some variation.

There are fewer seed pods at the bottom

…and clusters of pods towards the top.

I plucked one from the bottom just to see what the inside of the pod looked like. And to make a guess about when a full on harvest might be necessary.

I was half expecting they might be all jumbled up loosely, similar to a poppy. What a pleasant surprise to see just how perfectly lined up the seeds are.

The seeds are fully formed and look & feel just like the sesame seeds that I’m used to.

But because the seed pods are still so green and fresh, it was a bit of a chore to crack them open. It really took some fiddling.

I watched a YouTube on how they hand harvest in Africa, and it looks like the cut the stalk and store it upright.

After allowing it to dry out, it seems the pods fall off the stalk easily. Then it’s a matter of threshing — or crushing — the pods onto a tarp, and then collecting them up.

While I’m not planning to get a huge crop, I’m looking forward to harvesting it and then telling anyone who will listen — I grew my own sesame seeds!

And you betcha, I’ll be growing this again next year just ‘cause I know I can!

And you should, too!