Saving Seeds

Keeping your own seed bank of flowers, vegetables and herbs is really a wonderful asset for your garden. You can always be sure the plants are what you expect, and you can start things at the perfect time for your own space.

Heirloom plants generally grow true to type, and I've found quite a few other plants produce viable and true seeds as well. You'll need to experiment a bit with what you have. For example, some tomato varieties are bred to be resistant to diseases, but that means they may be crossed varieties. If you save these seeds, you may not get the same tomato as you had the previous year. Sometimes it's not immediate. I at one time grew a cherry variety that was pale yellow and very mild. After about five or six years, I started getting standard yellow pear tomatoes instead of the pale yellow one.

Seeds are also a great thing to trade with friends. You can quickly build your bank by doing this. It's also possible to get viable seeds from the products you purchase at farmer's markets. So, start thinking about saving seeds, even when you're doing food prep.

Vegetables

The easiest vegetable seeds to save are Tomato seeds. Technically a fruit, but since we grow them as 'vegetables', I think they fit well here. When you slice or cut a tomato, scrape some of the seeds onto a paper towel. Write on the towel the variety or if you don't know, write a brief description along with the year you're saving the seeds. For example, "Red Beefsteak, 2015" or "Red and Green Striped, 2015". Leave the towel with seeds to dry flat. Once dry, fold over and place in a dry, dark spot until you're ready to start seeds in the next spring. They will also need hardening off.

Some plants will do well from seed only if the seeds are completely mature. Things like chard require allowing the seed stalks to become completely brown and dried on the plant before they will easily germinate. That means you need to let the plant go to seed and leave the seed stalk in place in the garden before harvesting the seeds. Once the seed stalks are mature, cut the entire stalk off and let them rest for a day inside on a cloth. Pick the seeds off the stalk and place in an envelope that you have labeled with the variety and the year of seed harvest.

Kale and collards and other brassicas like mustard will develop flower stalks with numerous seed pods. Leave the stalks on the plant and allow to remain until the seed pods dry, but harvest before they break open. Seed pods can be harvested in groups as they dry, rather than waiting and cutting the entire stalk. Or leave it, and some of the pods will burst, depositing some seeds onto the surrounding soil. You can then either place the pods/stalks into a paper bag, wait until they burst and remove the pod and stalk residue from the seeds. Or, break the individual pods open over a sheet of white paper and pour into a labeled envelope; variety and year of harvest.

Chili Peppers and Sweet Peppers all need to be harvested from fully ripened fruit. That means the fruit must be fully red, even if you normally use it when it's still green. If you don't wait until the fruit is fully ripe, your seeds will not sprout. I always mark one or two fruit with a produce tie so I remember not to pick that one. I also try to pick a couple from different plants. If I have four Padrone pepper plants, I mark one of the first fruits on two of the plants. That ensures they will fully ripen by the end of the season.

Eggplant, like peppers, also needs to be fully ripened. Eggplant seeds work best for me if they are started in a dark spot. When you start the seeds, place the humid container in a spot where it won't get much light. It will also likely require less additional misting.

Squash and Cucumbers should be large and fully ripened as well for best results.

Herbs

Harvesting herb seeds is done from the seed stalks or heads when fully ripened, just like chard, fennel or mustard. Basil will develop flower stalks and should be harvested as described for chard. Mustard seeds should be harvested as directed for Kale and collards above.

Fennel, parsley, cilantro and anise are among a plant species known as Umbelliferae. The species is also inclusive of carrots and parsnips. The flower head is formed in the shape of an umbrella with many small flowers. Each of the flowers will form an individual seed. These should be harvested once the seeds have formed and are mature. Cut the stalk and place the entire seed (flower) head into a paper bag. The seeds will ultimately drop off the stems, but you can hurry them along by hand.

Flowers

Many flowers develop seeds which are viable for starting new plants. When the flower buds have faded, the seeds are ready to be harvested, labeled and stored.