How to Save Your Garden Seeds6540029
Most severe gardeners save seeds. It is simple, it is sensible, and it will save you some cash. Here are a couple of saving tips:
Packaged Packaged seeds should be saved in their original packages. Simply fold the leading or use a little bit of tape to safe the seeds in the packet. If the outer packet included an inner foil packet, shop any leftovers in the foil packet.
Some seeds are considerably much more sensitive to moisture in the air... so, if the seed business 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 big jar or coffee can in the refrigerator. Keep them cool and dry, and most will last numerous 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 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 much 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 do not require much special therapy before packaging them.
Package in paper envelopes, being careful to label the envelopes to identify the contents as well as the year of harvest.
Flowers that readily self-seed as annuals, such as plume celosia, are perfect candidates for saving. Simply shake the dried flower heads in a large 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, house packaged ought to be stored in a cool, dry location that is totally free from insects or rodents. A coffee can in the refrigerator is perfect.
Checking Germination You can't determine if a seed will germinate by looking at it. There are two methods for house gardeners to check the germination. (Germination means that they'll sprout and develop the germination percentage is merely the percentage that are viable.)
1. Simply location one or two seeds in each cell of a six pack starter cell pack, and see how numerous germinate. Or, two. Place 10 to 20 seeds 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 must be taken to maintain the towels moist and warm. You can use a big plastic bag or cellophane to help keep the towels moist.
Verify 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.
