Seed Saving for the Beginner Gardener
Ready to take your gardening game to the next level? Seed saving is a must try for beginner gardeners. It’s simple, saves you money, and keeps your garden thriving.
You’re probably asking if it’s worth it to save seeds? My answer is always yes. I’m a seed hoarder. I can’t deny that. I do both. I buy new seeds each year and I save seeds also. The key is to pick the right plants. Imagine growing a beautiful Tomato, extremely sweet, orange…just gorgeous, the perfect Tomato and you decide to save the seeds because it was just phenomenal. Then you decide to grow the seeds the next season and it turns out to be a plain old red Tomato..how mad would you be??
The Tomato you grew in the first year was from a Hybrid seed which is the result of two plants with specific characteristics being deliberately crossed to create another variety. Hybrid seeds require you to purchase them each year to get the original plant. I like hybrids because they can produce plants with specific disease resistance and growth habits that are beneficial in the garden or specific to your region.
However, my favourite types of seeds to save are Open-Pollenated. These plants are pollenated by insects, birds, wind or humans. Open-pollenated plants can adapt to the growing conditions around it resulting in better, stronger, seeds produced for your unique environment. Open-Pollenated seeds can also be from Heirloom plants that are passed down within a family or community over many generations. Not all Open-Pollenated plants are heirlooms.
How do you know which variety you’re getting?? I usually find this information either on the seed packet or on the Website that I’m ordering from.
Now let’s fast forward to your growing season. How do you identify the seed?? The seed of a plant can present itself in different ways. Through a flower (eg. Onions, Radishes, Broccoli, carrots) or within the fruit itself (eg. Tomatoes, Peppers, Beans, Squash). In order to save viable seeds for future use, It’s important to harvest them at the right time. This is usually when the fruit, vegetable or flower is overripe and the seeds are fully formed. I always leave this activity close to the end of my growing season.
Once you have harvested your plant, cleaning and processing your seeds is important to improve storage and prevent issues like mold. If I am preserving a flowering plant, I let the flower dry out, place the seed head in a paper bag and separate the seed from any debris. For seeds that are stored within a fruit, once separated, I rinse the seeds off from any debris and leave them to dry in a ventilated space. The key for both is ensuring the seeds are completely dry.
Once the seeds have dried, I store them in small paper envelopes or mason jars and place them in a dark storage space.
When it’s time to start seeds for the next season, I test the viability of my seeds by performing a germination test. This can be done by placing a few seeds on a damp paper towel in a sealed ziplock bag. If a high percentage of the seeds sprout then your seeds are viable.
Start small and gradually expand. Consider exchanging seeds with friends, family and fellow gardeners or participate in seed swaps to diversify your garden and promote biodiversity.
Happy Gardening!
