How to Save Your Garden Seeds4227453
Most serious gardeners save seeds. It's simple, it's sensible, and it will save you some cash. Here are a few saving tips:
Packaged Packaged seeds should be saved in their original packages. Merely fold the top or use a little bit of tape to safe 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 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 location to store your packets is in a big jar or coffee can in the refrigerator. Maintain 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 cannot save the seeds from hybrids. (Nicely, you can save from hybrids, but they won't create the same hybrid plant from which they came... you'll generally 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 relatively dry and free from as a lot 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 need much special treatment before packaging them.
Package in paper envelopes, being cautious to label the envelopes to determine the contents as well 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 large envelope or can and you'll gather hundreds, if not thousands, that can be used in your gardens or shared with buddies.
As with commercially packaged seeds, house packaged should 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 cannot determine if a seed will germinate by looking at it. There are two ways 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. Merely place one or two seeds in each cell of a six pack starter cell pack, and see how many germinate. Or, 2. Place 10 to 20 seeds between two or 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 keep the towels moist and warm. You can use a large plastic bag or cellophane to assist maintain the towels moist.
Verify germination several 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.
