Saving Seeds (5018)

When you plant vegetable and flower seeds in your garden, you may end up with more seeds in the packet than you can use. What should you do with these extra seeds? Well, you can sow seeds more thickly now and thin out the seedlings later. Alternatively, you could share the seeds with friends. You can also save the extra seeds for next year.

Most vegetable and flower seeds remain vigorous for three to five years when stored properly. To save leftover seed, keep it in its original seed packet, if possible. This way you still have the planting and care instructions. Place seed packets in a tightly closed glass jar and place the jar in a cool location. A refrigerator is ideal, but a cool closet or the freezer also works well.

Seeds from some plants quickly lose their vigor, or ability to germinate, quickly. For these plants, use fresh seeds each year. Vegetable seeds to purchase new every year include sweet corn, parsnips, parsley, onions, and okra. Flower seeds to avoid saving include delphinium, gerbera, viola, and the regal Easter lily.

You can check your seeds' vigor by placing a few seeds between two layers of moist paper towels. Put the towels in a plastic bag and punch a few small holes in the bag so air can circulate. If only half the seeds germinate, you should throw out the seeds or sow them thickly to get a good stand.

Some gardeners collect seeds from their garden plants to use the next year. However, you should avoid saving seeds from plants. Seed saved from this year's hybrid plants produce plants next year that are of variable and lower quality. You may also transmit diseases and insects into next year's garden through the seeds.

In addition, biennial vegetables such as beets, cabbage, carrots, rutabaga, and seeded onions don't even produce seeds until their second year, after they over-winter in the garden.

Despite these problems, there are times when saving seeds is worthwhile. Saving certain seeds allows you to grow old heirloom plant cultivars or unusual, hard-to-find plants. You can also harvest seed from rare wildflowers and propagate these plants without disturbing the mother plant in the wild.

You'll have more success with saving seeds if you save them from plants that pollinate themselves, rather than those that are pollinated by bees or other insects. Self-pollinating vegetables include beans, peas, lettuce, tomatoes, and many herbs.

To save beans and pea seeds, let the seed pods fully mature and turn brown. Harvest the pods, let them dry for one to two weeks, and shell the pods. Store the seeds in a paper or cloth bag. To save lettuce and most herb seeds, harvest the seed stalks before the seeds completely dry out and fall to the ground. Dry the seed stalks in a paper bag for two weeks in a warm, dry place. Shake the seeds off the stalks and store seeds under cool, dry conditions.

For tomatoes, pick the fruits when fully ripe. Cut out the pulp and store it in a sealed plastic bag to ferment at room temperature. After three to four days, you can easily remove the seeds from the pulp. Use a strainer and rinse the seeds. Set the seeds on a paper towel to dry for two days and then store them in a cool, dry place.

Plants whose pollen spreads from plant to plant, either by insects or wind, need special care to pollinate. Avoid trying to save seed from these plants. If you've ever grown pumpkins or squash from seeds you’ve saved, you know the great variety of plant types that emerge if Mother Nature pollinates the flowers from those seeds you saved.

Commercial seed companies, with their specialized technology, produce high-quality seeds at a low cost. Don't try to skimp by using low quality seeds; this only creates a year's worth of disappointments. Use quality seeds and look for cultivars that are disease- and insect-resistant. Look at drought tolerance and yield. When choosing flowers, look for prolific bloomers.

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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