Saving seeds

Back in the 1960’s and earlier, it was a common thing to save seed from year to year. Gardeners were very frugal. Since those years people have realized the importance of saving seeds, not just for being frugal, but for preserving heirloom varieties. Today there are organizations that strive to save as many seeds as possible. They have formed seed banks to preserve these seeds. Many of the older gardeners save and share some heirloom varieties of seeds and keep passing them along.

Seed is usually saved from the open-pollinated, non-hybrid plants. To really maintain true seeds sometimes you must do some hand pollinating and isolation of the plant. At times the plant must grow to be much bigger than if you were to eat it in order to get some good seeds. If you want to save seed from your vegetables or plants in your garden try to grow only one variety. This will prevent cross pollination. If two or more varieties grow and bloom near each other, then the result is cross pollination and not a true seed.

Seeds must be out of their seed pods or any other type of covering they may have. If there is any chaff on the seeds, it must be cleaned off. Sifting sometimes aids in this process. You can also use screens, but then you need different sizes for different size seeds.

All seeds must be kept dry at all times. Do not store seeds until they are completely dry or mold will form inside the container, on the seeds, and will cause rot. Find a warm, dry place to set your seeds out to dry. Spread the seeds out and let them have plenty of ventilation and air around them. Remember that larger seeds take longer to dry. Large bean seeds will break if they are thoroughly dried.

After you are sure the seeds are dry, they are ready for storage. Save containers with air-tight lids for your seeds. For small seeds you can use baby food jars. If you have lots of large seeds you wish to save, then you can use gallon jars. Glass jars are good because you can see through them and they come in all sizes. Sometimes envelopes are used to store seeds in. The main thing to remember is that the container has to be air-tight. Whatever container you choose, be sure to label and date it.

Keep the jars of seeds in a cool, dry place. If you use envelopes to put your seeds in, place some of them inside a gallon, glass jar for storing ease. Many seed banks store their seeds for long periods of time. If you wish to do the same, use your freezer for storing your seeds. Otherwise store them in the refrigerator or some other cool, dry place.

Some seeds take special care in order to save them properly. If you are a beginning seed saver then there are some vegetables that are easier than others to save. Self pollinating annuals are about the easiest to save. Others include beans, peas, and tomato seeds. Tomato seeds have a gel around them. Cucumbers have this gel around them too. In order to remove this gel you can let them sit for a few days. Add a little water and let them ferment. After about three days put the seeds in a pan of water and pour off the water and fill again and do this until all the gel is strained off. The seeds will go to the bottom and the debris will float, allowing you to pour it off easily. Then just be sure the seeds are dried before putting in an air-tight container for storage.

Saving a hybrid will not result in a plant that is like the parent. Saving seed from cross-pollinated plants is not recommended for someone new to seed saving. There can be many problems.

Herb seeds, in general, should be left on the plant to dry. Most people are familiar with the dill seed. Try to harvest the seeds before they start to fall off. Cut off the seed heads with some of the stem attached. Hang upside down and cover the seed head with a paper bag. The bag will catch the falling seeds as they dry. Remove any seed that didn’t fall off and store all in an air-tight container. These herb seeds are ready for use in cooking as soon as they are dry.

Different seeds can be saved for different lengths of time. Find a Viability Chart for seeds and it will give you the average number of years certain seeds can be stored. Sweet corn seed can only be saved for one year. Watermelon seed can be stored for 5 years. Others even longer. So save your seeds.