How to Save Your Garden Seeds4475583
Most severe gardeners save seeds. It is easy, it is practical, and it will save you some cash. Here are a couple of saving tips:
Packaged Packaged seeds should be saved in their original packages. Merely fold the leading or use a small bit of tape to secure the seeds in the packet. If the outer packet integrated an inner foil packet, shop any leftovers in the foil packet.
Some seeds are considerably more sensitive to moisture in the air... so, if the seed company took the time to wrap them in foil packets, you should, as well.
The very best place to store your packets is in a big jar or coffee can in the refrigerator. Maintain them cool and dry, and most will last many seasons. Remember that seeds are food, and improper storage will invite all kinds of pests to your basement or pantry.
Home Harvested You can harvest and save from open-pollinated cultivars but, you cannot save the seeds from hybrids. (Nicely, you can save from hybrids, but they will not produce the same hybrid plant from which they came... you will generally get 1 of the parent varieties utilized to make the hybrid.)
Those harvested from open-pollinated varieties of flowers and vegetables can be harvested when the fruits or flowers are mature, or even beyond maturity. They should be fairly dry and free from as much plant "litter" as feasible. You can rinse tomato and pepper seeds in a colander and dry them for a day or two on paper towels or cookie sheets. Those from beans and most flowers do not require a lot unique therapy prior to packaging them.
Package in paper envelopes, becoming cautious to label the envelopes to determine the contents as nicely as the year of harvest.
Flowers that readily self-seed as annuals, such as plume celosia, are ideal candidates for saving. Simply shake the dried flower heads in a big envelope or can and you'll collect hundreds, if not thousands, that can be utilized in your gardens or shared with buddies.
As with commercially packaged seeds, house packaged ought to be stored in a cool, dry location that is free from insects or rodents. A coffee can in the refrigerator is ideal.
Checking Germination You cannot determine if a seed will germinate by searching at it. There are two methods for home gardeners to check the germination. (Germination means that they'll sprout and grow the germination percentage is simply the percentage that are viable.)
1. Simply place one or two seeds in every cell of a six pack starter cell pack, and see how numerous germinate. Or, two. Location 10 to 20 seeds in between two or much more moist paper towels, and see how numerous germinate. The paper towel technique is used by practically all laboratories but, care should be taken to maintain the towels moist and warm. You can use a big plastic bag or cellophane to assist maintain the towels moist.
Check germination several weeks prior to the time that you will require to begin so that you can replace any cultivars that have very low or zero germination.
