Saving Seeds and Growing Heirloom Varieties

'm not the Earth Mother, but I do like to save seeds. It gives me a lot of satisfaction when I plant my miniature Indian corn and pumpkins to know that these have successfully reproduced for me for five and six years now, down across the seasons. You can start raising open pollinating plants and saving seeds too, and now's a good time to begin planning to add them to next year's garden.

Saving your own seeds from year to year requires saving from open pollinating varieties, as hybrids do not fruit true to type on the following generation.

Heirloom varieties are old favorites that have been preserved by seed saving, such as the Brandywine tomato. While they are generally not as disease-resistant as modern hybrids, and the fruits are sometimes more irregularly shaped, they have a flavor that is very tasty; they keep people returning to the Farmer's Market both for seedling plants in spring, and mature fruits in summer. Raising heirloom plants goes well with saving your own seeds, as they are all open pollinated varieties. It is also a specialty growing niche if you are interested in growing for market.

If you need to switch from hybrid to open pollinated seeds so that you have some you can save next year, now is a good time to order, and Johnny's Seeds offers both good quality and good selection of open pollinated seeds.

To save seeds, first allow seed heads to form on some of the plants or flowers. (If growing ornamentals, it is possible to let flower heads stay on the rear side of the plant to go to seed, while still removing spent blooms from the front for landscaping/ visual quality.)

Allow seed heads to become fully mature and to dry on the plant until the pod browns and splits open, or in the case of marigolds, zinnias etc., until the petals shrivel and detach. Choose a dry sunny day, after any morning dew has evaporated, for harvest. When saving seeds, getting them dry is a must, otherwise they'll mildew and not remain viable.

Pick seeds into a paper, not plastic container. Even very young children can help harvest the seed with a little guidance from Mom and Dad. This can be a nice family project for sharing time together.

Envelopes or paper bags work okay for containers, or a cardboard flat with paper towels lining it. Generally, drying on plain light colored paper is useful--you can see the seeds better. Paper plates can be used as well. Be sure to note on each batch of seeds what type and color of plant or flower they are. (Without this you'll know you have, say, marigold, but not whether it's orange, yellow, rust, or bicolor.)

Seeds may not be fully dry yet. Bring indoors, remove pods or husks and place in a dry location; I personally prefer to leave seeds spread thin and drying for at least 2 weeks before storing for next year.

It is important that the seeds be fully dried before placing in a container that does not allow air passage, like glass or plastic or a metal tin. Partially damp seeds will mildew in a tightly sealed container. If you do not have a mouse problem, it's possible to pick a moderate temperatured dry place, like a high kitchen cabinet that's not in daily use, and simply store in the bags or envelopes. Sealed containers are mainly needed to prevent rodents from eating your harvest.

If you do have mice, as can be a problem in more rural areas or with older houses, try to find the top of a book case or something tall that stands away from the wall a bit that they can't climb. Or, harvest in the morning on a very sunny day and let seeds dry outside until late afternoon.

If you are new at seed saving, certain varieties are easier to save than others. Large seeded flowers such as nasturtiums and 4 o'clocks are easy to begin with. Marigolds are also simple to dry and offer a high success rate for beginners. Large seeded vegetables like pumpkins and edible seeds like sunflowers also work well. Do spread the seeds out separately, as sunflower seeds left in the seed head are more at risk of mildew also.

Saving seeds from a squishy fruit or vegetable - scoop seeds out onto a layer of paper towels and press off extra moisture before setting to dry. Tomato and cantalope seeds benefit from this, for example.

If you have favorite varieties, you are assured you'll have them again next year. This saves startup costs the following year.

If you save extra seeds, several gardening magazines have seed swapping exchanges. (Be aware that some locations, like California and Hawaii, have restrictions on live seeds, and you may not be able to exchange with people there, unless you also live in that region.) By trading with others, you can expand the varieties you grow.

Accidental cross pollination can produce strange variants, which is why you plant things like cantalopes and pumpkins well apart from each other, so as not to get a pumpkiny tasting cantalope. (If something glitches and you get a fruit like this, do not save those seeds.)

Other things that can cross pollinate are spaghetti and zucchini squash, and sweet and Indian corn. If you're growing Indian corn for its ornamental colors, plant well apart from sweet corn, or the crossing will make the sweet corn starchy. It's also good to plant things you do not want to cross pollinate at times staggered at least 2 weeks apart, so the blooms are maturing and being pollinated at different times. (Granted, this works better with corn than with vines that continue to bloom throughout the summer. With vining plants, maximum physical separation is more useful.) Use the winter hours to plan how you'll lay out your garden, and save yourself time in the spring.

So as you make your plans this winter for next year's garden, consider growing open pollinating plants; their seeds are a gift that keeps on giving, down across the seasons.

Seed Sowing and Saving: Step-by-Step Techniques for Collecting and Growing More Than 100 Vegetables, Amazon price: $13.57

Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners Amazon price: $16.47

Seed Saving Kit Amazon price: $21.95

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