August 10, 2015 - As more families grow their own food, there has been an increase in the number of people collecting their own seeds. Home gardeners who save their own seeds know exactly what plants they will be growing next year. Saving seeds also gives people a chance to swap seeds with other gardeners.
The general concept of seed saving is allowing specific annual vegetable plants to grow to full maturity — until the fruit is over ripe — and then harvesting and saving the seeds from the fruit.
Keep in mind with seed saving, you need to only collect seeds from healthy plants. If a plant appears diseased in any way, it will not be a good choice since some diseases are seed born and could cause problems in the future.
Heirloom tomatoes, peppers, beans and pea plants are great for beginning seed savers because they self-pollinate and typically don’t collect genetic traits from nearby plants.
Additionally, by collecting the seeds from plants that performed the best this summer, you can breed your own selection of vegetable plants and save many of the genetic characteristics that make those plants well suited for your particular garden.
For instance, if you grow a tomato plant that is resistant to a certain disease, allow that plant to reach maturity and save seeds from it so that this disease-resistant trait is passed along to future generations.
If you are not familiar with the idea of allowing a vegetable plant to reach maturity, this is when the fruits are allowed to fully ripen on the plant. This will allow the plant to produce viable seed, which can be saved for planting in future years.
For peas and beans, maturity is when the pods have dried and turned brown on the plant, but before they split open and release the seeds. The pods can then be shelled or broken open to remove the seeds.
To save seed from fruited crops (tomato, melons, cucumbers, squash, and pumpkins), begin by selecting clean, disease-free, fully ripe (or over-ripe) fruits as seed sources. Cut the fruit open using a clean knife and scoop or squeeze the seeds into a clean container. Add water to the container and keep the container at room temperature, allowing the mixture to ferment for several days. Stir daily to help separate seed from the pulp.
After several days the mixture should be good and frothy. You will notice many seeds floating to the top of the container: these ‘floaters’ are nonviable, or at best will produce weak seedlings.
Strong, viable seeds will sink to the bottom of the container. Pour off the pulp and floaters, leaving the good seeds in the bottom of the container. Repeat this process several times, adding fresh water each time and allowing the seeds to settle before pouring off the water.
Tomato seed can be difficult to remove from paper or cloth towels, as well as paper plates or non-rigid plastic: you may want to test a few drying surfaces. Many tomato seed savers have good success with coffee filters.
Store the seeds in a cool, dry and dark place until they will be used. I often store my seeds in mason jars with a good air-tight lid and then place these in the refrigerator. If you place the seeds in paper envelopes for each type, many seeds can fit in the jars. The good news is that many vegetable seeds can last three to four years or more with proper storage.
Peppers are also easy to save. Allow the fruits to reach a wrinkled state on the plant. Then cut the fruit open and remove the seeds. They will need to dry before storing for the winter.
Next spring, when you start your seedlings, you’ll have one less trip to make to the garden store thanks to your saved seeds. You’ll also have the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your garden will be full of plants well suited to your area.
Lane Dunn is the County Extension Agent for agriculture and natural resources for Shelby County. His email address is jldunn@ag.tamu.edu.
Educational programs of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin.
