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Saving Garden Seeds
Barbara Taylor
Back in my grandmother’s time, most gardeners saved theirown seed from their favorite plants. Neighbors traded seedswith neighbors. Gardeners bragged about their own varietyof lettuce (or cabbage or squash).Seeds are relatively inexpensive and there’s a good varietyat garden centers, so why save seed? Because:There’s a feeling of joyful pride when you see yourtreasured plants grow once again in your garden from seedsyou have saved.If the plants do well in your garden, they are acclimated toyour climate and soil, and the plants will do well or evenbetter in the same conditions next year.They will naturally become more disease and insectresistant over the years with average care.You also save money. And it’s fun to do.Sometime in the fall, usually before the first freeze, I havemy garden seed stored and ready for planting next year.The basic requirements for saving seeds:Save only non-hybrid seeds. Hybrid seeds will usuallyrevert to the parent plant with characteristics you won’twant. A good heirloom plant has been through countlessgenerations and has developed good disease and insectresistance.Know which varieties of plants do well in your climate.
 
Select your best plants and allow them to go to seed – just set them aside for seed saving. I have done this withokra and I’ve developed my own type which is extremelyprolific and grows well here. The original seeds came frommy garden thirty years ago and the plants get better everyyear.Do not plant two varieties of the same family or they willcross polinate (such as two different varieties of watermelons). If you wish to do this, there is a technique toprevent cross polination, depending on the type of plant,which is basically to cage the plant from polination frominsects and to hand polinate using a q-tip. Another method,if you just have to have two varieties of a family, is to plantthem a month apart so the flowering times are different.To save the seeds pick them on a dry day without a lot of wind.The seeds need to be clean and dry before you store them.The key to storage is lack of moisture. I use small coinenvelopes – so many seeds to an envelope labeled anddated – and then place the envelopes in a quart jar with agood lid – I use mayonaise jars. If you have any silica gelsprinkle a bit in the bottom of the jar to absorb moisture,but if you don’t have this you’ll still be okay. You can alsofreeze the jars, but I’ve never tried this. I place mine in acool, dark place in the house.Equipment you’ll need: a good mesh strainer with a handle,coin envelopes or small envelopes, glass jars, and papersacks (I use the white lunch sacks so I can see the seeds inthe bottom).There is a different technique for each family of seed.
 
I have planted Porter tomatoes for the last four yearsbecause they do so well in this southwestern climate (theypractically grow wild because they come up on their own if Ididn’t keep them picked well). It’s a small sauce tomatowhich I use for a base for my salsa, as well as in salads, andit’s okay, but not super, for eating fresh. I plant these at theother end of the property from my hybrids.Tomato seeds need to ferment to germinate well next year. Iget two clean small butter tubs and squeeze out seeds fromabout ten tomatoes in them and add water to cover theseeds well. In a few days a mold will form on top. Stir thisdown. Repeat for three days. (This can get pretty smelly, sochoose a place in your house where it won’t bother you.)Then pour out the seeds into a strainer and spray washthem well. Once they’re clean, dry them on a paper plate fora couple of weeks (they need to be bone dry) and thenthey’re ready to store. This method will also eliminate anytomato disease.Cucumber seeds are fermented the same as tomatoes.On the Okra plant which I’ve saved for seed (because it’s thevery best) I let the pods dry on the plant. I clip them off when they’ve browned and store them in a paper sack andstore the sack in a cool place. The pods themselves willprotect the seed from moisture. In the spring I open thepods and collect the seeds when I’m ready to plant.My favorite lettuce is Black Seeded Simpson. The seeds areabundant and super easy to save. Collect them when theyfuzz up and the seeds turn black. An easy way is to bend thestalk over a paper sack and shake. The seeds will fall to thebottom. Then remove the chaff.Muskmelon, watermelon, and squash seeds are easy tosave. The seeds are best saved from fully mature plants(past eating stage). Just wash them well in a strainer and let
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