Collecting Seeds for Next Year

When I first started collecting and saving seeds, I thought it was a complicated process. Even though some parts of the process are hard or time consuming, it is really quite easy.

First you should decide the reason that you want to collect and preserve seed. I do it because of the challenge that is out there to do it like my forefathers. Other people want to do it so they can be self sufficient or save money. Some people do it so that they will have and start with good quality seed that they are responsible for and not relying on seed companies.

If you want to collect seeds for the following year, make sure that the plant that you are collecting from is a heirloom variety (open pollinated) and not a hybrid (a plant with two different parentage with characteristics of both parents). Starting seed from a heirloom variety you will get the same plant with the same flower with the same fruit that the seed came from. From a hybrid that might not be the case and you might not get the same results, or worse case the seeds might not germinate. If you are just starting, I would recommend starting by saving self-pollinating heirloom plants. That way you are definitely sure you know what you have. For instance, if you collect a heirloom carrot that hasn’t been grown and protected from other pollen blown in by the wind. You run the chance of that carrot seed being pollinated by a wild carrot and the seed being collected is now a hybrid with characteristics of both plants and you might not like the results and by then the season is over and you can’t redo. This happened to me and instead of getting carrots like I hoped for I got a crop a crop of puny short carrots. Now I have to wait for next year!! By the way if you are trying to figure out how to get carrot seeds, carrots are biennials and you would collect the seeds the second year of growing them. That is when they flower and set seed. When collecting seeds pick a plant that is a great producer and pick the biggest fruit, flower or seed pod.

Let the fruit or seed pods dry on the plant. Let Mother Nature take care of it for you. Don’t make it harder than it has to be. Pick from a plant that is free from diseases and mildews. This can be transmitted from this year’s crop to next. Picking a healthy plant will generate success. Once ripened, collect the ripe seed on a dry day. Seeds with seed pods like beans and peas are easy. Shell the seed and place them on a plate on a window sill until they have hardened up then store them in a paper envelope in a dry area out of the sun.

Most flower seeds can be picked right off the plant after the flower has dried up, turned brown and the seeds have developed. Pick the flower head off and pull the dried part of the petals apart and the seed will come with it. Dry them on a plate on a window sill for a couple of days and then store in a paper envelope marked to what flower it is. We think we have great memory but marking them will help. We usually dead head our flowers so that the plant can not set seed and the plant will continue to flower, however later in the season you might pick the plants you want to collect the seed from and let them set seed. The same with some of your cold crops like lettuce. When the plants bolt let them flower and set seed and when the seed pods turn brown harvest them, let them set on a sunny window sill to dry and store them in an envelope.

When saving peppers and other fruit, make sure that the fruit you are using is ripe or the seeds will not be viable. When working with peppers a reminder to wear gloves so you won’t get burned. Peppers will be green but when ripe will dramatically turn a different color like red, yellow or purple. After removing the seeds, they should be a off white in color. A bright white will indicate that the seeds have not fully developed and won’t germinate. Place them on a plate on a window sill for a week or two and store the seeds in an envelope out of the sun.

Tomatoes are also easy but a little bit more time consuming. You can squeeze out the pulp from a tomato onto a plate, set the plate on a window sill and let them dry. Or you can use the fermentation method which is a better method but takes a little longer. Again, like the rest of your seeds you want to select the best fruit from the most producing plant that is ripe. Slice the fruit in half and scoop out the pulp with the seeds and put them into a glass container. For every one-part pulp you want to add 4 parts water. Stir the glass twice a day and set the jar on a sunny window sill for a couple of days. In the end you will want to scoop out any floating seeds and pulp leaving the seeds on that have sunk to the bottom. These are going to be your viable seeds you will want to keep. After a couple of days run the seeds through a sieve washing off the seeds of existing pulp. Spread them on a plate on a sunny window sill for about a week then store them in paper envelopes.

When I dry seeds, I never use a paper towel like some people do because for me the seeds stick to the towel. It is easier for me to use ceramic plates or saucers. When storing seeds use paper envelopes and never plastic bags because of the unnoticed moisture that could accumulate and cause loss of seed.

Once you know that they are dry you can store them in an airtight baggie with food grade silica bag to keep the moisture and oxygen away from the seed and store them in a fridge. I usually just store them in an envelope which is good enough for me because I will use all of the seeds within a couple of years.

Varieties that I have in my garden now that are self-pollinating and easy for beginners are:

Veggies:

• Beans

• Tomatoes

• Lettuce

• Peppers

• Peas

Flowers:

• Rudbeckia

• Obedient Plant

• Blackberry

• Lilly

• Hyssop

• Heliopsis

• Coneflower

• Gas Plant

• Salvia

• Veronica

• Corydalis

• Jupiter’s Beard

• Cosmos

• Marigolds

• Bachelor Buttons

• Brunnera