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SAVING SEEDS

Saving seeds from your garden is fun and easy! By carefully selecting individual plants each year and saving their seed, you can develop strains that are uniquely suited to your growing conditions.

SELECT: Seed saving is also an important way to perpetuate heirloom plants that are in danger of becoming extinct.

Only save seeds from plants grown from open-pollinated seed. Select plants which are vigorous, disease-free and outstanding in whatever qualities you wish to encourage. Mark chosen plants with a stake or colored string.

Some veggies such as tomatoes, peas, and lettuce are self-pollinated. Others, such as corn, pumpkin, squash, and cabbage families, are cross-pollinated and can cross with other cultivator of the same plant. To keep a strain pure, keep these plants by separated them by at least 200’. Or use bags to cover the blooms you plant to harvest seed from before they open and pollinate them by hand.

HARVEST: Pick seed pods when they have turned dry and brittle but before they break open and scatter.

Allow fleshy fruits like tomatoes, squash and cucumbers to get a little overripe on the plant before harvesting. Separate the seeds from the flesh and wash them clean in water. Tomato seeds are covered with a thick, jellylike coating. Clean the seeds by removing as much flesh as possible by letting them sit in water in a jar for a few days. The seeds will then sink to the bottom of the jar and the pulp will float. Pour off the pulp and dry seeds.

DRYING AND STORING: After gathering seeds allow to air dry for about a week. Label and then pack seeds away in airtight jars and keep them in a cool, dry place. Heat and dampness will shorten the seed’s period of viability.

This is just a brief overview, see books that cover saving seeds from different types of plants.

HOW TO SAVE SEEDS

STEP ONE:

A. Harvest seed heads. We place them in shallow rubbermaids, boxes, or paper bags to dry.

B. Allow seed heads to completely dry. This make take a couple of days to a week. Keep the seed heads in a cool, dry place. We sometimes bring our seed heads out to dry in the sun during the day.

STEP TWO:

A. When seed heads are completely dry, some seeds may have already fallen out into the containers. For others that are still inside, we remove them by placing them in a metal sifter.

B. Crushing the heads helps bring the seeds out. Then the seeds fall through the wire mesh and into the container below. This is a quick and easy method for getting rid of much of the shaft.

STEP THREE: Store your seed in air tight glass or plastic container and in a cool, dark place. Seed should be viable for about 2 years.

Recommended References

[live links on site]

· The Seed Savers Network - Promotes and organizes the preservation, free distribution and exchange of open-pollinated seeds

· Seed Saving - A basic guide for home gardeners

· GardenWeb Seed Saving - A forum for the discussion of tips, techniques

· Seed Saving & Resources - Links and resources