Save Seeds; Save a Headache

Every spring you head out to the garden store to buy seeds. Why? Don’t plants make their own? Isn’t that, from a vegetable’s point of view, the entire point? But instead of using what the plants provide, you go through the hassle and expense of buying little envelopes that may only have six seeds in them. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be this way. Many seeds can be saved from the plants in your garden and used the following spring.

Of course, not every plant’s seed can be saved, so growers need to keep a few things in mind. First, hybrid plants won’t produce viable seeds. Similarly, plants that are pollinated openly are subject to mixing with other plant varieties and producing, again, worthless seeds. The latter scenario can be avoided by planting different varieties long distances apart, but this is impossible in the average suburban garden. For more advice about which plants to harvest seeds from, talk to your local garden expert. Beans, carrots, corn, onions, and heirloom or native varieties of peppers, tomatoes, and melons are all excellent candidates for saving. The seeds of most herbs or ornamental flowers also work well.

In addition to finding the right plants, growers must guard against harvesting diseased seeds. Many pathogens can be transmitted to seeds, and plants grown from them will have short, unproductive lives. Also, avoid picking produce that is under or over ripe. Usually, fruit that is ripe for eating will not have mature seeds, but waiting too long can cause seeds to spoil. Again, garden shop experts can help you determine when a certain fruit is healthy and ripe.

Harvest seeds at the very end of the growing season. Most plants cease producing fruit once a few seeds have reached maturity, so pick produce for eating first and for saving last.

Now that you have a few plants to harvest seeds from, you’re probably wondering how to keep them viable all winter long. It isn’t enough to stick a tomato in the refrigerator and hope- seeds must be prepared and stored properly. Fortunately, the processes for doing this are simple.

The easiest way to prepare a seed for storage is to dry it. Simply place the harvested seeds on a screen and allow them to dry out, blowing of the chaff as it separates from the seeds. This is the method of choice for bean, pea, and flower seeds, all of which are fairly dry to begin with.

Seeds from tomatoes, melons, and other fleshy pods are too difficult to separate from their pulp for the dry method to be effective. Instead, use a wet process. Crush the fruit lightly and put it in a jar or bucket with a little bit of warm water. Stir the mash occasionally and allow it to ferment for a few days- four should be enough. By this time, all of the good seeds should sink to the bottom of the jar while the bad seeds, pulp, and other undesirables float to the top. Simply pour off the gunk and dry whatever is left. Since fermentation actually kills viruses and separates good seeds from bad ones, you will be left with nothing but strong, viable starters for next years plants.

Once the seeds are dry, put them in a container that will keep them that way all winter. Glass jars, envelopes, and plastic baggies are all perfectly good options, but unless you like surprises, be sure to write the type of seed on each container. Put the seeds in the freezer for two days to kill off anything that might damage them, and then move the seeds to some place dry and cool. Refrigerators are great, as is a shelf in a cool pantry.

Although you will not be able to grow your entire garden from saved seeds, it can be a good way to keep heirloom and native plants going from year to year. Just a little work at the end of the season can save your wallet and your nerves from a trip to the seed store.