How to Save Your Garden Seeds1221132
Most severe gardeners save seeds. It's easy, it is practical, and it will save you some money. Right here are a few saving suggestions:
Packaged Packaged seeds should be saved in their original packages. Merely fold the top 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 ought to, too.
The very best place to store your packets is in a big jar or coffee can in the refrigerator. Keep them cool and dry, and most will final many seasons. Remember that seeds are meals, 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 can't save the seeds from hybrids. (Well, you can save from hybrids, but they will not produce the same hybrid plant from which they came... you'll usually get 1 of the parent varieties used 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 totally 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 don't need a lot unique therapy before packaging them.
Package in paper envelopes, being careful to label the envelopes to identify 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. Merely shake the dried flower heads in a big envelope or can and you will gather 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 place that is totally free from insects or rodents. A coffee can in the refrigerator is ideal.
Checking Germination You can't figure out if a seed will germinate by searching at it. There are two ways for home gardeners to verify the germination. (Germination indicates that they will sprout and grow the germination percentage is simply the percentage that are viable.)
1. Merely place 1 or two seeds in every cell of a six pack starter cell pack, and see how numerous germinate. Or, 2. Location 10 to 20 seeds between two or more moist paper towels, and see how many germinate. The paper towel method is used by virtually all laboratories but, care must 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 a number of weeks prior to the time that you'll require to begin so that you can replace any cultivars that have extremely low or zero germination.
