Collecting Seeds
Updated: Feb 26
There is much joy and satisfaction in having your own seed collection from the plants you grew throughout the season. Your very own herb, vegetable, or fruit seeds not only create a personal seed bank but by just having them saves you time in searching out varieties and it saves you money.
So, what do you look for in a seed in order to deem it worthy to save?
Here are a few tips to keep in mind.
Choose seeds that are not damaged, misshapen, or small.
Diversify your seeds. Have different varieties saved of one kind of plant.
Listen for how a dried seed sound.... a truly dry large seed (i.e., pumpkin seed) usually makes a snapping sound when twisted whereas a small seed crackles.
Seeds in pods, like beans or peas, are ready when the pod is dry, brown, and beginning to split open.
Corn seed is left to dry while it's still on the cob and still on the stalk.
Vegetables like cucumbers and eggplants are let go until they are overripe, rotting, and shriveling up
Tomato seeds are collected by scooping the seeds and gel out of the tomato and letting it soak in water. The seeds that float are empty shells and won’t grow. The seeds that sink will be great for the next season. Dry these seeds on a paper towel for a few days.
Collect lettuce seeds once the fluffy seed heads have formed.
Collect onion seeds by cutting off the flower bloom, placing in a paper bag, and letting the seeds air dry in the bag.
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