by Renee Rotto

Created on: October 25, 2009

With all the varieties of seeds that available for gardeners you might wonder why would anyone want to save seeds. Actually, there are many reasons to save seeds. You many have noticed a beautiful wild flower that you would love to plant. Maybe you want start an organic garden. Or maybe you just want to save money on seed next year and for years to come. Although seed saving has become somewhat of lost skill lately, it isn't that hard to do.

Seed collection should be done at midday or in the afternoon. The best day would be a nice sunny, dry, day. With seed collection, moisture is the enemy.

Annual plants are the easiest to gather seeds. The annual plant flowers and goes to seed the same year. Not all plants produce their seeds at the end of the growing season.

Biennials on the other hand, flower and go to seed the second year after you plant them. With biennials, which include most of the root group, the vegetables come the first year and the seeds the next. You need to dig up the roots at the end of the season and store at 32 45 degrees. Then you can replant the root and collect seeds that second season.

Choosing seeds is important. Pick the seeds of the very best plants. When saving seeds from leafy plants like lettuce, you should collect seeds from plants that take the longest to seed. With root plants, choose seeds from the earliest flowering plants. Plants that have seed stalks should be left to form their stalks then cut off at the stalk.

Whether you are collecting seeds from flowers or vegetables all seeds must dry completely before being saved. Seedpods get left on the plant until they start turning brown. Cut off seed heads and place in a small paper bag. Collecting flower seeds from seed heads are similar in that the flower must start wilting and fading in color before collection time. That's when you know it's time to collect the seeds. Most seed should be mature so they are viable and able to germinate when planted.

Seeds that have pulp or other material on them should be washed, and then dry them completely. For drying, use newspaper or paper towels. Store in small envelopes, placed inside of baby food jars, film containers or spice jars. Be sure to label each seed container with type of seed and date you collected it. Most seed last two or three years so keeping a record of when you collected the seeds is important. Store seeds in a cool, dry place, like the refrigerator.

If you're planning to save seeds, it's best to save heritage seeds not hybrid seeds. That way you will always be assured that your plants will be that of the parent seed. If you plant and save heritage seeds, you can truly experience gardening the way your ancestors did.

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