Saving Seeds

Want to save money on your garden next year?  Saving your own seeds can make a big dent in your seed order.  I've been growing only open-pollinated varieties of produce for about five years now and each year I learn a bit more about saving seeds from these plants.

First are the annuals-seeds from tomatoes, cukes, peppers, lettuce, radishes, corn, squash, pumpkins, melons, broccoli, peas, beans are pretty easy to save.  You do have to watch for cross pollinating with squash and pumpkins.  I've had some pretty crazy creations in the squash bed.  Broccoli is a problem for me as far as saving seeds from it.  It never seems to develop seed heads after it has gone to flower.  There are some good books out there that tell you how to process the seeds before you package them up.  If you have a copy of Carla Emery's "Country Living", she has instructions on how to save most seeds.

Then there are the biennials-cabbage, beets, carrots,parsnips, parsley, rutabagas, kale.  I think that's all of them that I grow. These vegetables make seeds the second year of their growth.  I live in a zone 4 climate and most vegetables won't overwinter here.  I have mulched beets and carrots in an attempt to grow them the second year. The carrots came back up and I was able to get some seeds this year, but the beets never showed up.  Parsnips, parsley, rutabagas and kale will all come back for the second year as long as I mulch them in the fall.

This is radish seed and a seed pod.

Tomato seeds-red tomatoes on the top and yellow on the bottom.  Tomato seeds need to be fermented in water for a few days, poured into a strainer, rinsed thoroughly with water and then spread out to dry on a plate.

When saving bean seeds, I try to let the pods stay out on the plants until they are completely dried out. 

Here I'm attempting to harvest the carrot seeds

Remember to save seeds from mature, unblemished, and good looking vegetables.  These are the products you want your seeds to produce.

I'm definitely not an expert on saving seeds, but I am able to save not only seeds, but a chunk of money each year when I order my seeds.  And...because I can save all of this money, I can now buy more fruit trees and experimental plants!!

Happy fall gardening!!