Begin and maintain your own garden. Whether big or small, it is important that you save seeds. Though most seeds can be planted at the same time the vegetable is harvested, it is great to store them in a dry, dark place or the refrigerator for use at a later time.
Here are some good tips for saving specific seeds:
Tomato – Pepper – Cucumber – Eggplant – Squash – Pumpkin
Let these and plants like these get fully ripe or just a little more than ripe. Tomatoes should be bright red; with cucumber wait until the vine is dead.
Open the vegetable and remove the seeds. The remainder of the vegetable can be eaten if still good. Do this immediately after harvesting; do not store the vegetables in the refrigerator.
Put the seeds in a cup with some water.
Leave the seeds in the water for a few days and lightly swirl occasionally. This will remove any vegetable gunk inside from the seed.
Drain the water and let the seeds dry on a rag or paper before storing, otherwise mold or fungus can grow.
Lettuce
Leave some plants in the ground after the have ripened.
A stalk will grow up that will produce the seed.
A flower will form and then a white fluff.
Wait until a large white fluff is produced. Carefully pinch the fluff and pull up. The seed will be attached. You can also open the seed sac and remove any additional seeds
Cabbage
Cabbage produces seeds in a similar way to lettuce. However, it is a biennial, so it only produces after two growing seasons.
Only harvest from the outside of the cabbage.
When is becomes bitter leave it until it begins the next growing cycle.
After the next growing cycle a stalk will emerge from the center of the cabbage.
When the stalk heads turn brown they can be removed and seed can be taken from them.
Bean – Peas – Okra
Leave some vegetables on the plant until they begin to become dry.
Most pods will start to turn brown. Mung beans will turn black.
Remove the pods and leave them to dry completely.
Seeds can be removed from the pods or saved with the pods.
Herbs
Herb seeds are small. Also, many herbs change quality in the next generations. For this reason it is easier to propagate herbs through cuttings.
Cut the end of a fresh stem a few inches long. Do not cut any that are beginning to form seeds or that you have cut from before.
Plant the cutting in a bag with fresh soil.
The herb may wilt and appear dead a few days after it is planted. This is normal because it the plant is directing nutrients to the bottom to grow new roots.
Radish – Carrots
Carrots are biennials; they produce seed only after two years.
Radish and carrots are easy to save seeds from once they produce seed. Radish will be ready to save after the first harvest, carrots after the second.
Leave some vegetables in the ground after harvesting the ripe ones.
Flowers and then seed pods will grow from the stalks.
Wait until the pods are completely dry and then pick them off. Crack them open with your fingers and take the seeds from the inside.
If needed, seed pods can be removed when the plant first begins to get dry, however they should not be opened until the pod is completely dry.
Spinach
Spinach grows like a weed. Small, young plants will naturally grow below the larger ones.
You can allow them to grow, weed them out, or replant them in other locations.
Change begins with each and every one of us and when we know better, we should do better. Happy Planting!
Here are some good tips for saving specific seeds:
Tomato – Pepper – Cucumber – Eggplant – Squash – Pumpkin
Let these and plants like these get fully ripe or just a little more than ripe. Tomatoes should be bright red; with cucumber wait until the vine is dead.
Open the vegetable and remove the seeds. The remainder of the vegetable can be eaten if still good. Do this immediately after harvesting; do not store the vegetables in the refrigerator.
Put the seeds in a cup with some water.
Leave the seeds in the water for a few days and lightly swirl occasionally. This will remove any vegetable gunk inside from the seed.
Drain the water and let the seeds dry on a rag or paper before storing, otherwise mold or fungus can grow.
Lettuce
Leave some plants in the ground after the have ripened.
A stalk will grow up that will produce the seed.
A flower will form and then a white fluff.
Wait until a large white fluff is produced. Carefully pinch the fluff and pull up. The seed will be attached. You can also open the seed sac and remove any additional seeds
Cabbage
Cabbage produces seeds in a similar way to lettuce. However, it is a biennial, so it only produces after two growing seasons.
Only harvest from the outside of the cabbage.
When is becomes bitter leave it until it begins the next growing cycle.
After the next growing cycle a stalk will emerge from the center of the cabbage.
When the stalk heads turn brown they can be removed and seed can be taken from them.
Bean – Peas – Okra
Leave some vegetables on the plant until they begin to become dry.
Most pods will start to turn brown. Mung beans will turn black.
Remove the pods and leave them to dry completely.
Seeds can be removed from the pods or saved with the pods.
Herbs
Herb seeds are small. Also, many herbs change quality in the next generations. For this reason it is easier to propagate herbs through cuttings.
Cut the end of a fresh stem a few inches long. Do not cut any that are beginning to form seeds or that you have cut from before.
Plant the cutting in a bag with fresh soil.
The herb may wilt and appear dead a few days after it is planted. This is normal because it the plant is directing nutrients to the bottom to grow new roots.
Radish – Carrots
Carrots are biennials; they produce seed only after two years.
Radish and carrots are easy to save seeds from once they produce seed. Radish will be ready to save after the first harvest, carrots after the second.
Leave some vegetables in the ground after harvesting the ripe ones.
Flowers and then seed pods will grow from the stalks.
Wait until the pods are completely dry and then pick them off. Crack them open with your fingers and take the seeds from the inside.
If needed, seed pods can be removed when the plant first begins to get dry, however they should not be opened until the pod is completely dry.
Spinach
Spinach grows like a weed. Small, young plants will naturally grow below the larger ones.
You can allow them to grow, weed them out, or replant them in other locations.
Change begins with each and every one of us and when we know better, we should do better. Happy Planting!
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