How to Save Your Garden Seeds2427115
Most serious gardeners save seeds. It's easy, it's 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 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 significantly much more sensitive to moisture in the air... so, if the seed company took the time to wrap them in foil packets, you ought to, as well.
The very best place to shop your packets is in a large jar or coffee can in the refrigerator. Keep them cool and dry, and most will final many seasons. Remember that seeds are food, and improper storage will invite all kinds of pests to your basement or pantry.
House Harvested You can harvest and save from open-pollinated cultivars but, you can't save the seeds from hybrids. (Nicely, you can save from hybrids, but they won't produce the same hybrid plant from which they came... you will generally get one 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 ought to be relatively dry and totally free from as a lot plant "litter" as possible. You can rinse tomato and pepper seeds in a colander and dry them for a day or two on paper towels or cookie sheets. These from beans and most flowers don't need much special 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 perfect candidates for saving. Merely shake the dried flower heads in a big envelope or can and you'll collect hundreds, if not thousands, that can be used in your gardens or shared with friends.
As with commercially packaged seeds, home packaged should be stored in a cool, dry location that is free from insects or rodents. A coffee can in the refrigerator is perfect.
Checking Germination You can't figure out if a seed will germinate by searching at it. There are two methods for home gardeners to check the germination. (Germination indicates that they'll sprout and develop the germination percentage is simply the percentage that are viable.)
1. Simply place 1 or two seeds in every cell of a six pack starter cell pack, and see how many germinate. Or, 2. Location ten to 20 seeds in between two or much more moist paper towels, and see how many germinate. The paper towel technique is used by practically all laboratories but, care should be taken to keep the towels moist and warm. You can use a big plastic bag or cellophane to assist maintain the towels moist.
Verify germination a number of weeks prior to the time that you'll need to begin so that you can replace any cultivars that have extremely low or zero germination.
