Off the Urban Grid

How to Save Your Own Vegetable Seeds

Sure, you can go buy seeds to plant in your garden, but it’s really not necessary after you have planted your first garden. If you want to save money and also plant vegetables that have the same genes of the ones that did so well last season, you definitely need to learn how to preserve your seeds from previous harvests. It’s a fairly simple process than can make gardening less of an expense and less of a hassle too.

Collecting and Labeling Seeds

First of all you want to pick hardy, healthy vegetables (tomatoes, melons, squash, etc.) that are ripe. Now some plants such as parsley and cabbage don’t produce seeds until the second year of growth so you will have to be more patient with these varieties. However, once you have the vegetable with seeds intact, simply scoop them out or pick them off of the plant and dry them in a well-ventilated area.

Of course, there will be some exceptions or special instructions with certain crops. For example, with corn you need to let if dry on the stalk and remove the kernels when they dent. Also, with beans and peas, you can leave them on the vine until their pods dry out.

Once the seeds are dry, you can store them in a tightly sealed container or glass jar. The most important part of seed storage is that they have to be cool and dry. Some gardeners add a small amount of powdered milk to the seeds to prevent mold from growing.

Last but not least is labeling. Marking the seeds so you know the type of vegetable and also the variety will come in handy when you’re ready to plant next year. It’s also wise to add the date you bought the original seeds and the month and year that this current seed was harvested.

Depending on the vegetable, you could have ample seeds for two to five to seven years. There are many sources out there that tell you the longevity of certain seeds.

Tags: collecting plant seeds, saving vegetable seeds, vegetable seeds