Seed saving: the missing step in your garden harvest
Garden season here in New England is coming to a close soon. Growers in the hills will be on the lookout for nighttime frosts and, in the valleys, the last, slightly green veggies will make their way into the kitchen.
Most gardeners and homeowners will have “garden cleanup” on their to-do list by the end of October, but if they skip this step, they’ll be spending more next spring.
Taking the time to save seeds and store them properly ensures you save money, get healthier plants, and you have full transparency on how the seeds were produced.
Read on to get started creating your own seed library and learning this important skill.
Why you should save seeds
Save money
Congratulations, you just grew your own seeds for next year! Saving seeds from your most successful plants saves money, keeping your garden expenses down.
Grow healthier plants
Preserving and then sowing seeds from your top-growers also means you’re growing plants that are successfully adapting to your local conditions. As the climate crisis accelerates, we need to give plants an assist in adapting to wildly swinging seasonal weather.
Know what you’re getting
You can feel better knowing exactly how the seeds were grown - you won’t have to wonder about synthetic chemicals or other contaminants, because you oversaw their cultivation.
Seed saving is a key practice in homesteading and climate preparedness, no matter where you live– if you garden on many acres or just a few deck planters.
Additionally, seed saving is a traditional practice all around the world– many of our ancestors traveled long distances, carrying seeds they saved from the homeland, so they could maintain ties to the comforting memories of past meals with friends and loved ones. Saving your seeds in the modern world gives you the same sense of continuity, as well as a lovely gift you can share.
How to save seeds
No matter what seeds you’re saving, or how you’re storing them, there are two rules that are non-negotiable. First, label your storage container with the variety of plant (including any details such as size or color) and the year. Second, store seeds in paper or other dry, breathable material that won’t trap moisture; keep them out of the sun, preferably in a cool, dark spot.
For ornamentals and other flowering plants, let the flowers fully bloom and dry out on the stem - usually the seeds are contained in the flower. Gently snip or break the seed heads off and gather them in a paper bag or envelope, or put the bag over the seed head and gently tap or shake the stem so the seeds fall off right into the bag. Label the bag before you collect the seeds!
Back inside, clean each crop of seeds by removing any remaining leaves or stems, and gently breaking the seeds out of their larger, outer seedpod. All those bits can be composted, and your clean, dry seeds can be sealed into a labeled paper bag or envelope, to be stored till seed-starting time in the early spring.
For fruit and vegetables with seeds inside - even seeds we usually eat, like tomatoes and cucumbers, label a sheet of paper towel or uncoated butcher paper with the variety and year. Scoop the seeds out, and carefully rinse off the [[gooey bits]] in a fine sieve. Spread the cleaned seeds on the paper so they’re not touching. Let them dry completely, and then carefully pick them off and store them in a labeled envelope or bag.
Don’t forget to save nuts and seeds from your favorite trees and shrubs! Often they’re edible, but can also bring you a fun side income if you grow out saplings and starter shrubs.
If you have unusual varieties, or are unclear what your plant’s seeds look like, it’s worth taking the time to do a little research on special handling. Your nearest agricultural university program is also a great source of advice and hands-on workshops.
Seed storage techniques for best results
There’s a reason most commercially grown seeds are packaged in little paper envelopes. Paper blocks light, but allows moisture to pass through. These are ideal conditions for seeds waiting their turn to grow.
Dark, moist conditions will create mold. Light, moist conditions will signal the seeds to sprout.
Brown paper lunch bags are a great option. As are regular business envelopes. Either way you can trim them to size and use masking tape to seal them.
You can store all your labeled seed packages in a sealed glass container - include a few silica packets to keep them dry.
A dry, cool basement or other storage space, or a kitchen cabinet away from heat and water are ideal locations. Just be sure to protect your seed stash from pests and pets.
Don’t put all your garden supplies in one basket
You might be asking: What about the professionals? What about the global seed vaults?
Maybe you have a healthy garden budget, and you don’t want to take the extra steps to gather this bonus harvest from your garden. You could just buy commercially grown seeds at almost any retailer between March and July in the Northeast.
But commercial growers are subject to the same extreme weather, natural and manmade disasters, and pest risks as we are in our domestic gardens.
As for-profit businesses, they’re also vulnerable to pressures from private equity or corporate mergers.
In short, commercially available seed supplies are not guaranteed from one year to the next. And even carefully planned and fortified global seed vaults are at risk - witness the water infiltration at Svalbard in 2017.
As geologist and author Marcia Bjornerud writes, “even a remote place near the top of the globe is connected to the rest of the world through the atmosphere.”
The more of us who compile our own seed libraries, replanting seeds year after year to help them adapt, sharing our robust and tastiest favorites with other gardeners, the better. We’re putting aside a little insurance policy for our own pantry, as well as adding diversity to a collective seed vault made up of lots of individual gardeners throughout our communities.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket - and don’t rely on one-click shopping to supply your garden. Seed saving is easy, fun, and a smart way to save the planet while saving money.
If you found this helpful, please share it with your likeminded friends on social media or send the link in an email. Thank you!
For more ideas and inspiration for regenerative lawn care in the suburbs, I invite you to download my e-book on transforming your front lawn. You can find it here!
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