Successful Sesame Seed Harvest: From Tiny Seeds to Abundant Crops! Zone 7 VA

In this fun gardening video, I share my yearly tradition of trying out a new crop, and this year, I decided to grow sesame seeds! I’m thrilled to say that it’s been quite a successful journey so far. I started back in April by sprouting some tiny seeds in little containers, and now here we are in mid-September, ready to harvest!

I can tell it’s time to pick them because the plants are dropping their leaves and a few pods are starting to turn brown. I want to get to them before they pop open and let moisture in, which could lead to mold. Let me tell you, the plants are absolutely stunning! Some of them are taller than me—almost six feet! Just picture it: from about 15 stalks, I’m guessing I’ll get a quarter cup of seeds from each. That’s an incredible return on investment from just one tiny seed!

I’ve got a bit of a squirrel problem, so I’m going to cut the stalks into two-foot sections and put them under my porch to dry out. I love using sesame seeds in my cooking, especially sprinkled on rice or infused into oils for Asian dishes. While I can’t make pure sesame oil myself, I’m excited about the flavor I can create!

As I clean up the plants, I’m being careful to remove any brown or split pods to prevent mold from spreading. I plan to take the good seeds into my basement and use a dehumidifier to keep them nice and dry. Check out these tiny seeds! They’re so cool, and I can’t wait to see how many I’ll get from just these few pods.

I also wanted to share a little bit about how they harvest sesame in El Salvador. They plant them at the end of the rainy season and chop them down, making little tipis to dry. After a few weeks, they whack the plants with branches to get the seeds out. It’s such a neat process!

Since it’s starting to rain here in Northern Virginia, I really need to get these harvested before they spoil. I’ll be keeping them in my basement instead of the garage because I’ve got some pesky mice in there that I’m trying to catch.

If you’ve ever grown sesame seeds, I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments! Or if you’re thinking about giving it a try next year, let me know! Thanks for joining me on this gardening adventure, and I can’t wait to share more with you soon!