How to Save Your Garden Seeds8226192
Most serious gardeners save seeds. It's easy, it's sensible, and it will save you some money. Here are a few saving suggestions:
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 significantly much more sensitive to moisture in the air... so, if the seed business took the time to wrap them in foil packets, you should, too.
The 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 last many seasons. Keep in mind that seeds are food, and improper storage will invite all sorts 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'll usually get 1 of the parent varieties utilized 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 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 don't require a lot unique treatment prior to packaging them.
Package in paper envelopes, becoming cautious 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. Simply 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 friends.
As with commercially packaged seeds, house packaged ought to be stored in a cool, dry place 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 ways for home gardeners to check the germination. (Germination indicates that they will 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. 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 maintain the towels moist and warm. You can use a large plastic bag or cellophane to assist keep the towels moist.
Check germination a number of 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.
