Saving seeds from a home flower or vegetable garden requires harvesting, drying, and storing seeds correctly to maintain viability for future planting (courtesy: farmersalmanac.com).
By John Green, Texas Certified Expert Gardener, Orange County, TX
Saving seeds from vegetable and ornamental plants allows gardeners the ability to preserve ‘desirable’ traits, ensure availability of favorite plant (vegetable or ornamental) varieties, and save money too! Gardeners can save seeds from plants by either allowing them to mature and dry on the plant or by harvesting seeds and drying them thoroughly once the plant has been harvested. Proper drying, cleaning, and storage techniques are vital for maintaining seed viability. Seeds need to be stored in a cool, dry, and dark place, preferably in airtight containers like glass jars or sealed plastic containers.
Extravagant tools are not needed to capture and save seeds, in fact, most everything needed is readily available since seed-saving supplies are typical household items which are easily gathered. It is a good idea to have a small seed-saving kit ready (highly recommended) so that gardeners can harvest seeds quickly, as soon as seeds are determined to be mature.
Tools Needed
Scissors, marker, small paper envelopes, bucket or bowl (plastic or metal), desiccant, and jars.
Most ornamental plants grown for flowers are ‘dry’ seeded, but vegetable plants can be either ‘dry’ or ‘wet’ seeded with differing techniques used to collect and save seeds.
Wet seeded vegetables have seeds embedded in the flesh of fruits. There are two vegetable plant families with wet-seeded fruits: Solanaceae family (tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants) and Cucurbitaceae family (melons, squashes, and cucumbers).
Dry seeded vegetables have seeds enclosed in pods or husks. There are several ‘dry’ seeded vegetable plant families: Poaceae family (corn, rice, and wheat), Fabaceae family (beans, peas, and lentils), Brassicaceae family (cabbage, mustard, and kale).
Saving vegetable seeds from dry-seeded crops is relatively easy, while the process for wet-seeded crops is more complicated, requiring an increased amount of time.
Seed Saving Techniques
Saving seeds from the garden is a rewarding way to preserve treasured varieties, increase self-sufficiency, and save money. Follow these steps for success:
- Choose open-pollinated varieties– including heirlooms which produce seeds that grow into plants nearly identical to the parent plant. Avoid hybrid varieties (typically labeled as “F1”) since seeds from hybrids produce plants with undesirable traits and are often infertile.
- Select healthy, mature plants– select plants that are strong, vigorous, and have the characteristics to replicate, such as exceptional-tasting tomatoes, largest blooms, or vibrant bloom color. Allow seeds to mature fully on the plant before harvesting.
- Dry-seeded crops (beans, peas, lettuce, peppers)- allow pods/ fruit to dry on the plant until they turn brown and are easily removed.
- Wet-seeded crops (tomatoes, cucumbers, melons)- select fruit that is overripe but not rotten.
- Preventing cross-pollination– which can occur when pollen is transferred between different varieties of the same species and results in unexpected plant characteristics.
- Isolation by distance is the most reliable method by planting varieties far enough apart to prevent pollen transfer.
- Isolation by containment- uses a physical barrier such as a blossom bag (mesh- knit bag) to cover individual flowers/ branches of self-pollinating plants before the flowers open to ensure the pollen comes from the parent plant.
- Hand pollination- transferring pollen from a male flower to a female flower (i.e. squash) using a small paintbrush, before covering the pollinated female flower to prevent further pollination.
- Harvest and clean seeds– two techniques
- Dry method- harvest dried seed pods/ fruits, then thresh and winnow (sift) and the seeds to separate them from the chaff.
- Wet method- remove the pulp/ seed mixture from tomatoes, cucumbers, or melons and ferment the seeds in a jar for a few days to remove the gelatinous coating, which can inhibit germination. Clean thoroughly by rinsing seeds under running water to remove any remaining pulp debris.
- Dry seeds properly– spread cleaned seeds in a single layer on a drying surface such as a paper towel or coffee filter and dry seeds in a warm, dry, and well-ventilated area out of direct sunlight. Ensure seeds are thoroughly dry before storage.
- Store seeds for longevity- ideal storage conditions are cool, dry, and dark. Airtight containers like glass jars are recommended to prevent moisture from affecting the seeds. Add a desiccant (silica gel packet, instant mashed potato flakes, or powdered milk wrapped in a porous material) to absorb remaining moisture. Refrigeration or freezing for longer-term storage is preferred, ensuring seeds are completely dry beforehand.
- Label and Date– mark plant variety information and collection date on seed packets of containers.
Use saved seeds within a year or two for best germination rates. Some seed types, like onions and carrots, have shorter viability than others, such as tomatoes and beans, according to most of the available literature. Following these techniques, gardeners can successfully save seeds from favorite garden plants by ensuring a self-sufficient garden for many years!
For more seed saving information visit https://seedsaver.org to view instructional videos which provide details of processing seed from harvest to storage. The site hosts a seed exchange where gardeners can swap seeds for a nominal cost.
So long for now fellow gardeners! Let’s go out and grow ourselves a greener, more sustainable world, one ‘seed’ at a time! Gardening questions answered: jongreene57@gmail.com.
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