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Did your tomato plant produce two-pound fruit this year? Was your basil bionic? Were your sunflowers so tall you needed a ladder to harvest the seeds?
If you enjoyed a garden victory like this, you may want to keep the seed from your peak-performing plants and see if you can duplicate the results in next year’s garden. Harvesting and keeping seed is a simple, economical and productive way to enjoy your favorite annual plants year after year.
Some plants, like alyssum, make it difficult for you to save their seed while others like impatiens are difficult to germinate. Those varieties are best left to the master gardener and his colleagues in the nursery. But others are so hardy and easy to germinate that they may become weeds if left in your garden to ripen and self-seed.
Harvesting: Your flowers, herbs and vegetables need to be completely mature to harvest the best seeds. Blooms must be allowed to fade on the stalk while fruits and vegetables need to ripen fully. Choose only your best examples for saving seed. The biggest, most beautiful flower and the plumpest, best-colored bean will give you the best seed for next year. Once the petals have dried on the flower and the seed is fully ripened, you can cut the flower heads and allow them to finish drying in a garage or shed. Once a vegetable is fully ripe and ready to eat on the vine, you can cut it open, harvest the seed and allow it to dry in a well-ventilated spot. Be sure to save more seed than you think you will need. You can always share it with other gardeners.
Storage: When your seed is completely dry you can store it in an airtight container for next year. Moisture is the biggest enemy of seed and, if you allow your seed to get wet or store it in a container that is not completely dry, it will rot. You don’t need to freeze your seeds, although short periods of freezing or being stored in an unheated garage or shed will not harm it.
Germination: It’s best to test your seed for germination before going to the trouble of planting it. Take 10 seeds and place them in a damp paper towel or napkin. Put the seeds inside a plastic bag and leave them in a warm place for about a week. When you unroll the towel, count the number of seeds that are sprouting and this will give you a good idea of what percentage will sprout in the garden.
Some of the best: Excellent varieties for the beginning seed saver are marigolds, snapdragons, sunflowers, hollyhocks, tomatoes, beans, basil, pumpkins and squash.
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