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Saving Seeds

Saving seeds allows us to preserve seeds of plants that grow well in our area and to preserve heirloom strains. It can save us money, can satisfy our curiosity, or can be just plain fun to do. Before we choose to save seeds, it is important to have a little understanding about how pollination affects the plants whose seeds we want to save.

Types of Pollination

Self-pollination
Self-pollination occurs when a flower accepts its own pollen with or without insect intervention. Its seeds will grow into plants like the parent plant, (e.g. lettuce, beans, peas, tomatoes, and wheat).

Cross-pollination
Cross-pollination occurs in a flower that accepts pollen from a plant of the same species but with a different genetic makeup. Its seeds can produce plants that have different characteristics than the parent plant. This is where we can get weird looking vegetables! (e.g., squash, carrots, radishes, sunflowers, melons, and cucumbers).

Means of Pollination

Wind Pollination
Wind distributes pollen from flower to flower. Pollen is very fine, dust-like, and in large quantity. Pollination or cross-pollination can occur up to a mile away.

Insect Pollination
Insects are needed to collect and distribute pollen from flower to flower. Bees generally collect pollen from only one species of plant at a time; however cross-pollination can occur if different varieties of the same vegetable are planted in the flight path of bees.

To Prevent Cross-pollination
Isolation is the key factor. You can plant different varieties of a species at different time intervals so that they are not blooming at the same time; isolate plants by distance (1/4 mile); or cage seed-bearing plants with fine wire or cheesecloth. Hand pollination may be necessary in this instance. The flowers must be covered until fruit has begun to form. However, if you want to save seeds from more than one variety of the same plant, especially if cross-pollination easily occurs, the best solution is to plant different varieties in different years.

Choosing Which Seeds to Save

Choosing parent plants
Save seeds from the strongest, truest, healthiest plants, according to qualities such as color, disease resistance, insect resistance, early bearing, flavor, cold hardiness, lateness in bolting, size, yield, storage life, etc. Though it is a bit late this year, it's good to take note all season long which plants have the characteristics that you want to save. Observe the entire plant, not just the fruit (or flower), and consider its overall health. You should save seeds from more than one cross-pollinating plant to avoid having progressively inbred plants. Most vegetables and flowers must mature on the plant in order to produce viable seeds. Tag your parent plant so you don't mistakenly harvest and eat the fruit whose seeds you're planning to save. As the chosen fruit ripens, you might need to protect it from birds or animals.

Hybrids
Do not save seeds from plants labeled as "hybrid". Hybrid seeds are a product of the crossing of two genetically different parent plants, both highly inbred to concentrate on desired characteristics. The first generation will be superior to either parent, but seeds taken from the offspring will revert back to the highly inbred generations. Some hybrid seeds are sterile.

Seeds from annuals (e.g., cucumbers, dill, lettuce, beans, tomatoes, most flowers) and perennials (e.g., asparagus, chives, rhubarb) are the easiest to save since seeds are produced each season. Saving seeds from biennials (root crops, cabbage family except broccoli) involves a lot of work. The plant does not produce flowers and seeds the first year so must be wintered over to the second year.

Collecting

Timing in collecting seeds is vitally important. If collected too early, seeds will not be fully developed and will probably deteriorate in storage. If they do germinate, they probably will produce inferior seedlings. Seeds are best collected on a dry, sunny day when the seeds are moisture-free. Be sure to label seed batches as they are collected.

Ways Seeds are Presented

• Plants that release their seeds as soon as they are ripe are said to "shatter" (e.g., most flowers, lettuce, dill, and cabbage). The seeds are released over a period of time and the plant must be checked often in order to collect the ripe seeds just before they are released.
• Fleshy fruits should be a bit overripe before being picked, (e.g., cucumbers=yellow and tomatoes=soft), but not to the point of beginning to rot which can damage the seeds.
• Edible seeds can be left on the plant for several weeks, (e.g., corn and wheat). Legume pods should be left on plant until they are rattle dry, (e.g., beans, peas).

Cleaning

When you have collected dry (except in the case of fleshy fruit), fully ripe seeds from a healthy plant, it's time to clean them in preparation for storage. There are three ways of doing this depending on the type of seed you have harvested.

• Winnowing (pouring seeds from container to container in the midst of a breeze) gets rid of light debris and screening (passing seeds through holes in mesh) will separate heavier, larger debris.
• Threshing removes seeds from pods, (e.g., peas and beans). It generally involves beating handfuls of the plants against something hard.
• Scrape out seeds from fleshy fruit, soak for a day or more in water until they start to ferment. Make sure that the seeds don't sprout. Once the pulp has fermented a little, rub it in your hands to loosen the seeds. The seeds then can be lifted out and dried, (e.g., tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and eggplant).

Seed-borne Diseases

Though seed-borne diseases generally are not a serious problem for the home gardener (due to the diversity of plantings used), the following are a few ways to control diseases:

• Wash seeds in plain water.
• Steep seeds in hot water (122 degrees F for 15 min) being careful not to overheat.
• Steam seeds being careful not to overheat.
• Ferment seedy pulp (e.g., tomatoes) for a few days. The fungi developed will produce antibiotics that control bacteria.
• Place legume seeds in freezer for 24 to 30 hours to prevent weevil infestation.

Drying

Drying the seeds before they are stored is a must! Spread seeds out on newspapers in a warm room with good ventilation for at least a week. Change the papers several times. In a moist climate, the use of a light bulb helps prevent the seeds from absorbing moisture from the air; however care must be taken so that the seeds don't dry too quickly. Another way to dry seeds is to place seeds (that have been placed in a small cloth or paper bag) into a jar that contains silica gel that is of the same weight as the seed packet. Tightly seal. Small seeds need 8-12 days to dry (e.g., lettuce or peppers), and larger seeds (e.g., peas or squash) need 12-16 days. After they are dried, place seeds immediately into storage containers so that the seeds don't reabsorb moisture from the air. Several resources mentioned using dry powdered milk (from a recently opened package) instead of silica gel.

Storing

To store seeds, keep them in dry, cool, and dark conditions (the opposite of what makes them sprout). Store seeds at a temperature between 32 and 41 degrees F (not freezing but cold enough to slow enzyme activity) and ensure that moisture is low. Silica gel at the bottom of a sealed quart jar, with enclosed packets of seeds is one means of keeping moisture low. Check periodically to see if the silica needs to be replaced. The gel can be reused if dried for 8 hours at 200 degrees F. Protect stored seeds from bacteria and fungi, (control by low temperatures), insect pests, (control by low moisture), and animal pests (e.g., mice, birds - control by using sealed glass or metal containers. If using glass containers, store them away from light).

To Test Seeds for Germination

Most seeds stored under ideal conditions will remain capable of germinating for several years, but few seeds will germinate as soon as they have ripened and need at least a month's rest period before being able to do. Some seeds need up to a year's rest period. Before actually planting a crop, a germination test can help determine whether saved seeds are viable and can be depended upon. Duplicate as closely as possible the conditions of warmth and moisture that the seeds and plants need when growing in the garden:

1. Count out at least 20–50 seeds and note the number.
2. Place seeds on a layer of 2–3 moistened paper towels or cotton.
3. Place a second layer of material on top of the seeds and sprinkle with water.
4. Roll up and place in a partially closed plastic bag and store in temperatures from 70–80 degrees F. The seed may germinate anywhere from 24 hours to several weeks. Keep checking. Once a seed has put forth a sprout, it is considered germinated.
5. When a week has passed since any germination has occurred, calculate the rate of germination, (how many seeds actually germinated vs. the total number of seeds you counted out to begin with). Then make a determination whether the germination rate is high enough for the remainder of your seeds to be used for planting a crop or if you will need to use the store-bought variety.

For the home gardener, saving seeds can be an interesting and fun activity. Keeping careful records of when, what, and how seeds were collected, as well as the conditions and length of time in which they were stored will help create future successes.

References

• The New Seed-Starters Handbook by Nancy Bubel
• Rodale's The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening
• FS 220, Collecting and Storing Seeds from Your Garden by D. Hatch

Seed Resources

For more information, seed-saving resources can be found on the internet. Two seed-saving resources worth contacting are:

Seed Savers Exchange
Route 3, Box 239
Decorah, IA 52101
(319)-382-5990
About SSE: http://nj5.injersey.com/~jceres/garden/sse.html

They are a network of mostly small-scale growers and gardeners dedicated to preserving our heritage of open-pollinated heirloom vegetables, fruits, and nuts. The underlying purpose is to protect the genetic diversity of our food crops. They have published a number of reference materials.

Abundant Life Seed Foundation
PO Box 772
Port Townsend, WA 98368
(360) 385-5660
email: abundant@olypen.com
About the ALS Foundation: http://www.ngws.org/service/groups/als.htm

This is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is: (1) to acquire, propagate, and preserve the plants and seeds of the native and naturalized flora of the North Pacific Rim, with emphasis on those species not commercially available, including rare and endangered species; (2) to provide information on plant and seed propagation; (3) to aid in the preservation of native and naturalized plants through cultivation. Publications are available for a fee.