"All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.” Indian Proverb

MONTHLY THEME: The Art of Seed Saving

The practice of saving seeds dates back approximately 12,000 years. We will discuss how to collect and save seeds from your favorite open-pollinated and heirloom plants. Let’s commit to continuing this ancient practice of growing and gathering seeds for the next growing season.

You probably already have several self-seeding plants in your garden. These are the plants that bloom, die-back, and the seeds drop to the grown. Without any human intervention, those seeds will germinant and a flowering plant will grow again the following year. Some self-seeders include: Borage, Calendula, Cornflowers, Coreopsis, Cosmos, Forget-me-nots, Four o’clocks, Poppies, *Sunflowers, and Sweet Peas.

On the other hand, many flowering plants need our assistance in saving the best seeds and replanting them the next year. Some flowering plants you can save seeds from include: Cleome, Columbine, Foxglove, Globe amaranth, *Marigolds, Morning Glories, Nasturtiums, Snapdragons, and Zinnias.

* These are the plants I personally save seeds from my garden.

Regarding vegetables, beans and peas are two of easiest seeds to save. So, those would be a good starting point for beginner seed-savers. Other easy-to-save vegetable seeds include: eggplants, lettuce, peppers, and tomatoes.

You may be asking yourself, “Why save seeds?” One good reason to save seeds is if you have a specific variety of a flower or an heirloom vegetable that you don’t want to lose. Another reason is it is exciting to stretch your gardening skills and watch a seed you over-wintered grow again next spring. Or to experiment with breeding new varieties. Not to mention, it saves you money! And who amongst us couldn’t use a little extra money in their pockets?

Truthfully, seed-saving can become rather complicated especially when it comes to cross-pollinated plants (these plants transfer pollen between plants). Instead, let’s start with some of the easier seeds to save (open-pollinated not hybrid varieties) to get your feet wet in the practice of seed-saving. Open-pollinated and heirloom seeds will produce offspring that strongly resembles the parent plant.

Hybrids varieties are created by crossing two different varieties of plants. Hybrids do not usually produce offspring with the same characteristics as the parent plant. It might be fun to experiment, but don’t expect to grow a duplicate of the original plant. Think of those ‘miscellaneous” plants that pop up in the compost bin. I call them volunteers and let them grow, but you never know what they will produce.

For beans and peas, leave them on the plant until they look dried up (dry and brittle). The seeds will actually feel hard. Open the pods, remove the seeds, spread them out on some newspaper or paper towels, and let them totally dry out for about 1-2 weeks. After they are dry, store them in paper envelopes, write the plant name and variety on the package as well as the date. If you have multiple packages of saved seeds, store them in a tin or glass container – never plastic.

Tomatoes are self-pollinated plants too. For tomatoes, select an overly ripe tomato, take out the seeds, put the seeds in a jar of water, let it ferment for 4-7 days, strain off the fermented water, and spread the seeds out so they can thoroughly dry before storing them. This wet method is also good for squash and cucumbers.

Peppers cross-pollinate so don’t plant different pepper varieties next to each other if you intend on saving the seeds. Pepper seeds are ready when the fruit has fully matured to its final color. Remember peppers are typically red, yellow or orange when they are mature.

Squashes and pumpkins also cross-pollinate. If you want to save those seeds, you will need to protect the flower from getting cross-pollinated. There are several methods to do this, but the easiest is covering the female flower with a tiny mesh or muslin bag (see photo below). These mesh bags will reduce cross-pollination by insects. Next, you will have to manually pollinate the protected bud with a male flower. If you decide to try to save your squash seeds, harvest a squash and wait 3-weeks before opening it up and removing the seeds.

Carrots, lettuce, kale, and onions are some biennial plants, which only flower (or go to seed) during the second growing season. When lettuce does go to seed (also called bolting), it produces a large flowerhead, which can be easily dried and the seeds shaken into a bag right off the dried flowerhead.

Smarty Plants Fun Facts

Squash is an insect-pollinated plant.
Corn is a wind-pollinated plant and can travel a quarter mile or more by the wind.
Seeds must be completely dry before storage or any moisture in or around the seeds can cause mold and germination issues.
Onion and carrot seeds are short-lived.
Separating the seeds from the chaff is called winnowing.
Some gardeners use silica gel packets to keep their stored seeds dry.
I’ve seen on social media people who used old Tic Tac mint containers or plastic pill organizers to save their seeds in, but I’d steer away from plastics.
Hybrid plants (seeds) are marked either as “hybrid” or “F1.”
GMO seeds are the result of scientists who used laboratory techniques to splice genes with specific attributes directly into crop DNA. These seeds are used by industrial farmers. Do not save these seeds.
For flowers, allow the seeds to fully ripen on the flower head before separating them.

The More You Grow

Know your plants. The specific name (genus and species) so you know if they are open or cross-pollinated plants.
Save seeds from open-pollinated varieties. Remember seeds from hybrid varieties may not breed an exact duplicate plant. It might produce a plant quite different from the parent plant.
Identify self-pollinating and cross-pollinating plants. Seeds from cross-pollinating plants may give unexpected or undesirable results.
Save seeds from your healthiest plants. A healthy plant produces a healthy seed, which results in another healthy plant.
Save mature seeds. With vegetables, you often have to leave the produce on the plants until it is almost rotting and inedible.
Clean and dry seeds thoroughly before storing them in a cool, dry place. Some gardeners store their seeds in the refrigerator or freezer while other gardeners store their seeds in the coolest, driest spot in their homes.
Carefully label and date seed packages. When stored properly, seeds will last 1-6 years (depending on the type of seed).

Community gardeners often exchange seeds at seed swaps. Also, most of the local libraries has a seed library. Through locally donated seed exchanges, you can get seeds that are known to grow favorably in our local weather and soil conditions. This is an excellent way for new gardeners to get started into the world of seed-saving.

Here are some resources in the Kent/Akron area.

Akron Public Libraries have a Seed Sharing Library. https://www.akronlibrary.org/

Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library has a Seed Library. https://www.smfpl.org/seedlibrary?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw3624BhBAEiwAkxgTOg5NslH4QtDR7nJ5UHLo8kHm1TChSfgu-hrpoGrUYof17NmfIx_CPBoC8ysQAvD_BwE

Kent Free Library has “The Seed Library.” https://kentfreelibrary.org/2018/03/seed-library-opens/https://kentfreelibrary.org/2018/03/seed-library-opens/

Summit Metro Parks has seed sharing educational programs. https://www.summitmetroparks.org/program-events/good-garden-talks-seed-saving-swap/

Happy seed-saving and if you’re in my neighborhood, I have tons of Zinnia seeds to share with you!