How to Save Your Garden Seeds7980271
Most severe gardeners save seeds. It is 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. Simply fold the leading or use a small 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 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 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 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 can't save the seeds from hybrids. (Well, you can save from hybrids, but they will not create the exact same hybrid plant from which they came... you'll generally get one of the parent varieties utilized to make the hybrid.)
These 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 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. Those from beans and most flowers do not require much unique treatment before 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 large 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, home packaged ought to 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 looking at it. There are two methods for home gardeners to verify the germination. (Germination indicates that they'll sprout and grow the germination percentage is merely 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 numerous germinate. Or, two. Place ten to 20 seeds between two or much more moist paper towels, and see how many germinate. The paper towel method is used by practically all laboratories but, care must be taken to keep 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 will require to start so that you can replace any cultivars that have extremely low or zero germination.
