If you consider yourself a gardener, chances are you have a collection of partially used packets of vegetable and herb seeds. It’s easy to fall into the habit of buying new seeds every growing season because you forget what you already have or aren’t sure if the old ones are still viable. But it’s possible to break this pattern and now is the perfect time to do so.
Collecting your own seeds offers numerous benefits. You save money and avoid the environmental impact associated with store-bought seeds such as transportation and packaging waste. Additionally, if you properly dry your seeds, they will have better germination rates since they are fresh. Plus, saving seeds gives you something to trade with other gardeners. For example, if you have an abundance of lettuce seeds but struggled with saving chili seeds, you can find a gardener who is willing to trade. Keep an eye out for local seed swap events like Seedy Sunday, where seed savers come together to exchange seeds in late winter or spring.
Beyond the practical advantages, saving your own seeds allows you to select for plants that thrive in your specific garden conditions. Focus on collecting seeds from plants that performed exceptionally well, as this helps create varieties that are better suited to your soil, climate, and gardening style. If a particular tomato thrives despite inconsistent watering or a bean flourishes in poor soil, celebrate and preserve those traits. This process is known as “landrace gardening” and encourages seeds to adapt to their environment over time.
In saving seeds, you are not only investing in your garden’s future but also in the future of gardeners to come. Just as your ancestors saved seeds for you, it is now your turn to pass down this tradition.
When collecting seeds, choose a dry day and have a container ready to prevent any loss. If seedheads are brittle, it’s important to gather the seeds over a surface to catch any that may fall. Dry the seeds further indoors if needed, ensuring they are completely dry before labeling and storing them in a dry, cool place. Avoid damp areas like windowsills or near the kettle, as moisture can damage the seeds.
Not all seeds will give you usable results, especially when you are just starting out. Properly collected and stored seeds will germinate, but be cautious of “F1 hybrid” varieties marked on the original seed packets. These plants are the result of controlled cross-breeding between two different parent varieties, meaning their offspring won’t have the same characteristics as the original plant you grew. It’s not worth saving seeds from F1 hybrids since you won’t know what you’ll get.
Instead, focus on saving seeds from “open-pollinated” varieties, where pollination occurs naturally through insects or wind. It’s best to collect seeds from several plants of the same variety to benefit from the slight variations in appearance, harvest time, hardiness, slug resistance, and other traits. This variation increases the plants’ ability to adapt to different conditions.
Certain vegetables are prone to cross-pollination, such as courgettes, if other varieties are nearby. This can result in undesirable traits in the offspring. To maintain variety purity, you may need to learn techniques to isolate plants from pollinators, potentially through distance or hand-pollination. Alternatively, you can embrace the unpredictability and allow cross-pollination to create new varieties, but be aware that it may take several attempts before achieving the desired mix.
Fortunately, there are plants that don’t readily cross-pollinate, making them ideal starting points for saving seeds and breeding your own vegetables and herbs. Here are a few examples:
Tomatoes: Harvest fully ripe tomatoes, cut them in half, and scoop out the seeds along with the gel. Place the seeds and gel in a glass or jar, adding a little water if necessary. Cover the container and let it sit on a warm windowsill until it starts to ferment. After a few days, when white mold appears, the gel has broken down enough. Strain the mixture, wash off any debris, and spread the seeds on a plate to dry before storing.
French Beans: Wait until the pods turn yellow, then dry them further if needed. Once they rattle, remove the seeds. The seeds are dry enough when you can’t leave an indentation on the skin with your thumbnail.
Runner Beans: These are more prone to cross-pollination, so separate varieties by at least 100 meters to prevent hybridization. Alternatively, grow only one variety and save seeds from that. French and runner beans are different species and won’t cross-pollinate naturally.
Peas: Simply leave mature pods on the plant until they turn brown and parchment-like. If the weather is wet, bring the pods indoors to dry further. Shelling the peas is straightforward, and any damaged or discolored seeds should be discarded to ensure good germination.
Lettuce: One or two lettuce plants can provide an abundance of seeds for several years. Lettuce self-pollinates, so you don’t need to worry as much about hybridization. However, wet weather can cause seedheads to become moldy, so a good summer is ideal for seed saving.
Saving seeds is a rewarding and sustainable practice that allows you to create a unique assortment of plants specifically adapted to your garden. By preserving and sharing seeds, you contribute to the future of gardening and ensure that this tradition continues for generations to come.
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