the Basics of Seedsaving

Coriander Seeds

© 2013 Elizabeth Johnsonphotographs & text

elizabethljoh@gmail.comInspired by the San Luis Obispo

Seed Exchange since 2007

Saving seeds maintains heirloom plant varieties and brings urgently needed basic

farming practices back into widespread use, promoting food security.

In the past, farmers saved seed from their crops for future planting, but modern industrial farming has dramatically changed this practice. Organic seed crop farmers, small farming col-lectives and individual gardeners concerned about crop diversity have stepped up efforts to learn basic seed saving techniques and grow out many heirloom varieties in danger of ex-tinction.

Honeybees and native pollinators fertilize so much of our fruit and vegetable crops that they are also of great concern to seed savers. Many organic growers now include plants and hedge-rows that provide habitat for our pollinators.

SEEDS AND THEIR MANY USES*

A partial list of uses below makes our need for good quality, non-treated seed crystal clear. DO NOT eat seeds from commercial garden pack-ets; they may be chemically treated. Organic and untreated seed can be found in health food stores and on-line sources.

CROPS MEDICINE GRAINS COSMETICS DYES TEA

EDIBLE SPROUTS

SNACKS OILS NUT BUTTERS

+—grow it—+

+—let it flower—++—flowers become seeds—+

+—let the seeds dry before harvest—++—harvest seed & clean—+

+—store seed in dark dry containers—+

over 100 seed companies have taken the non-gmo pledge

lentils radish mustard alfalfa fenugreek ryegarbanzo sunflowers broccli wheat millet barley quinoa

peanut almond walnut sesame

hazelnut pistachio sunflower

wasabi peasedamamepop cornsunflower

sesameolivegrapeseedpeanutl

RESOURCES*Susan Ashworth Seed to Seed 2002*Carol Deppe Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties 1993 & 2000 *Rachel Newburn at Richmond Grows Seed Library*Organic Seed Alliance A Seed Saving Guide 2010*Jaleah Brynn provided research for the section SEEDS AND THEIR MANY USES 2011

Humans

Seeds are the containers for survival of plant varieties; they carry genetic infor-mation for future generations that in-cludes the stories of soil & water qual-ity, climate, and human culture from many generations past.

Seeds result from pollinated flowers that vary in their reproductive require-ments . This makes some seeds easier to save than others. Heirloom plants grow from open-pollinated seeds; they have disease resistance and are true to type. Hybrids have unstable genetics that result in fruit that may vary con-siderably from the parent plant; hy-brids are not recommended for saving seeds.

Easy seeds to save self-pollinate and are

have been saving their best seeds from food and med-icine plants for at least 10,000 years.

Advancedseedsaving involves plants called out-breeders; they require pollinators to fertilize their flower parts from other plants, not just flower to flower on the same plant. They easily cross-pollinate with other varieties in their family. Grasses like corn and grains, gourds like cucumbers, pumpkins, and squash, and mustards like broccoli, cabbage, and kale all fall in the advanced group for more experienced seed savers. Most of these varieties require many plants for successful seed production. Keep an eye on what your neighbors are grow-ing so you don’t accidently cross-polli-

nate. We learn by doing!

There are two main types of seed saving: wet and dry. The wet process harvests seeds directly from fruits like eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, and tomatillos; all grow from pollinated flowers. The dry process harvests seeds from plants that flower and dry completely after pollina-tion like lettuce, beets, onions, parsley, and sunflowers. Wet or dry, each plant needs to produce flowers that will be pollinated by insects, self, or wind.

You will need to separate varieties with-in families or learn to hand pollinate to keep traits true. There are many printed and on-line guides available to help you fill in gaps for best practices; several are

listed below. Enjoy!

EASYarugulaparsleylettucebeanspeas

boragepeppers

calendulasunflowers

A standard process for saving tomato seeds is a water bath where they ferment and cre-ate a surface mold; the good seed drops to the bottom. Some people wipe the seeds straight from the tomato onto an envelope that they close and put away. If you are get-ting good results with your method, go with it and share your secrets with others!

drying black krim

tomato seed on a dinner

plate

squashmelons

cabbagebroccoli

corn

Wet & Dry Harvest

known as inbreeders. Dill, basil, toma-toes and others are great for beginning seed savers. Seeds saved from just one plant will usually remain genetically true but over time will become weakened from lack of diversity. Pooling seeds of the same variety grown by others is one way to create more diversity and long-

term viability.

ADVANCED