Growing A Garden: Seed Saving

Open-Pollinated vs. Hybridized Seeds

Above, I briefly mentioned open-pollinated plants, which differ from hybridized seeds. Both seeds are useful and provide delicious fruits and vegetables. Still, it would be best to collect only from open-pollinated varieties when it comes to saving seeds. Open-pollinated seed plants are the ones that are going to be pollinated by bees, butterflies, or even the wind. These plants are going to produce seeds that are hereditarily consistent with their parents, meaning you could expect an offspring similar in shape and flavor. Plants in nature function this way and optimally provide the best seeds for their climate to ensure their longterm survival. 

Seed companies breed hybridized plants to possess favorable traits specific to modern agriculture, and not general resilience. By choosing particular characteristics from the parents (like fruit size, uniformity, storage length, etc.), growers spend years breeding the plants to pass the traits along to the offspring. Growing seeds collected from a hybridized plant may not produce fruits or vegetables similar to the parents. Instead, that genetic lottery may yield features closer to that of the grandparent varieties. And these plants often don't have many favorable characteristics, meaning you run the risk of your collected seeds resulting in weak or ill-producing crops.

Ultimately, both seeds work for your garden, but it's best to only collect from non-hybridized plants for the next year.

Dry Seed Storing

Peppers need to remain on the vine to ripen fully. Once it begins to wrinkle, you know you can harvest the pepper for seeds. No fermentation required. Simply cut the pepper and remove the seeds. Finally, spread them out flat and leave them until dry.

Peas and beans also need to be left to ripen on the plant until the very end. Wait until the pods have begun to brown, and the seeds rattle. Remove the pods from the plant, but let the seeds continue to dry indoors for an additional two weeks before shelling.

Now not all pods will remain in perfect form for you to harvest. If you have a plant with seed pods that are prone to bursting before you can gather the seed, consider tying a paper bag around the plant. When it is time, the pods will break into your container, making it easier for harvest.

Check For Seed Maturity Often

Once you start harvesting seeds, be sure to check back every couple of days to ensure you are catching plants at peak maturity. Every day you wait, the better chance an insect or animal will get to it before you. Collect from your healthiest plants with only the ripest fruits and vegetables. Avoid any cracked seed hulls because these will not last.

How Do I Know When a Seed Is Ready?

Not every plant produces seeds yearly. Before looking at when to harvest your seeds, begin by asking yourself whether your plant will go to seed this season. 

Biennials

Some plants, like biennials, can take two years to produce flowers and seeds. Biennial plants include carrots and onions which need to remain in the garden over winter for seed production. Be sure to cross-check your plant's growing conditions and your plant hardiness zone if you want to collect seeds from these plants. You want to make sure the varieties you choose can survive your winters and sprout a second year.

Annuals

Luckily, most of our typical garden plants are annuals. These plants germinate, grow, and produce fruit full of seeds before dying off over a single year. In nature, animals would eat these fruit eagerly at peak ripeness. The seeds would then eventually drop from them elsewhere, repeating the process over the next year. These typical backyard annuals are going to include tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce, just to name a few.

Perennials

Finally, perennials are plants that will remain in the ground for multiple years and producing numerous crops. These plants are going to include your berries and fruit trees. Most perennials I have come across prefer to grow for a year or two before harvesting. Waiting allows the plant to focus on the development of its structure to produce better results in the following years. Be so be sure to check on growing information for your perennials before harvesting.  

Vegetable Maturity Cues

It would be best to learn each fruit and vegetable's cues for maturity. Examine the plant for color changes, like fading flowers or browning plant heads. These could be the plant signaling the beginning of its end. By researching and anticipating these signs, you can better prepare for the seed harvest. When the time's right, instead of stressing to gather your supplies at the last minute, you can make quick work of the crop.

Collecting Seeds from "Wet Fruits"

If you like to collect seeds as you eat your produce, understand that you can harvest several "wet fruits" and vegetables before the seeds are mature. Plants like eggplants, cucumbers, and tomatoes are just a few examples of crops you may need to leave on the vine longer to produce mature seeds. 

Dry vegetables, like beans, are also left on the vine only to be harvested when they are thoroughly dry and hard. This process could take up to a month after a typical harvest.

How Do I Harvest the Seeds?

Every plant is going to have a different harvesting method. Understanding beforehand where the seeds are on the plant helps make the process easier. Will you be collecting the fruit or vegetable or the seedpods that replaces your favorite annual flowers?

Prepare For Seed Harvesting

To begin, gather your essential tools:

• Knife or Scissors
• Spoon
• Paper envelopes or reusable container
• Pen