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Meeting Recaps + Information>
Seed Saving Instructions From Alison
August 19, 2008
Intro
Gardening over 30 years
Saving seeds over 20 years
Seeds I save:
Tomato (7 varieties)
Sweet pepper
Bush beans (five varieties)
Pole beans (one variety)
Lettuces (multiple varieties)
Pumpkin (one variety)
Basil
Cilantro
Dill
Zinnia
African daisy
Marigold
Cleome
Cosmos
Leeks
potatoes
Why
Self reliance / guaranteed supply
Guaranteed untreated with fungicides
Best seeds from best plants will develop plants best suited to your environment
It’s easy
Most important thing you’ll need is space and acceptance of those sharing that space, of the science projects going on in that space throughout the year.
Problems
Mold
No labels or partial info on labels
Loose seeds / spills from containers
A cat who loves dried beans
STEP 1.
Choosing your first seeds or plants: non hybrid / heirloom, open pollinated, annuals
Seeds will be true to parent
Seeds will set in first year
(not F1, the Hybrid produced by crossing two plants to get the best qualities of both…it’s seeds will not hold all those qualities)
Easiest: self pollinators (least likely to have problems: cross pollinate and have seeds not true to parents)
Snap beans
Lettuce
Peas
Tomatoes
Others will cross pollinate, given the chance (varieties planted too close to others within the same specie.)
Step 2.
Layout the garden to avoid cross pollination. Only plants within the same specie will cross pollinate.
Cucumbers will not cross with squash, cantaloupe or watermelon.
Watermelon will not cross with pumpkin
Pumpkin WILL cross with summer squashes, acorn squash and spaghetti squash.
Three kinds of pollination:
a) self pollinators (heaviest pollen, tends to fall down straight)
b) insect pollinated (travels as far as the insect will)
c) wind pollinated (light wide spreading, long traveling pollen)
Self Pollinators – plant varieties within the same specie can be planted as close to each other as 10 feet, for absolute security, 100 feet apart:
Bush beans
Lettuce
Peas
Tomatoes
Insect pollinated – plant varieties within the same specie 200 feet apart, for absolute security, ¼ mile
Asparagus
Pole beans
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Melons
Parsley
Sweet peppers
Hot peppers
Pumpkins
Squash
Wind pollinated – plant varieties within the same specie 1000 feet apart, for absolute security 1 mile apart (or just don’t plan on saving these seeds!)
Beets
Corn
Spinach
Swiss chard
For absolute guarantee of pure seeds:
grow only one variety at a time
time planting of varieties so no two flower at the same time
space varieties apart, with other species in between as a barrier
create artificial barriers (bags, row covers, etc)
3. Select the Plants to save seeds from
earliest fruit bearing
slowest to bolt
most resistant to disease
overall performance
MARK THE PLANTS so you don’t eat the best seeds.
For cross pollinating species, Select from multiple plants for genetic variety
4. Care of the seed plants
Don’t baby those plants! Unless you want to ALWAYS baby those plants…
Wait
5. Harvesting the seeds
the fruit for seeds must mature on the vine
peppers must have turned red
tomatoes and cucumbers must be at least slightly past prime
pumpkins and squash must be ready to eat
The shatterers: lettuce, onions, okra, leeks, most flowers – tie paper or plastic bags loosely over the developing seed branch. When mature, cut off branch, let dry, shake into the attached bag.
Fleshy fruit: tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant: fruit should be just past edibility, but not rotten
Edible seeds: beans, peas, corn – let mature and dry on the plant, gather before they rot or open up and fall to the ground. Beans: pull entire plant, let dry 1 week.
Weather: dry, before the first hard frost
6. LABEL those seeds IMMEDIATELY. Include the variety, description if needed, and date. DO NOT RELY ON MEMORY.
7. Clean and prepare the seeds
the shatterers: screen the seeds gently to get rid of the largest debris. Then either winnow, using the wind or a fan, pour seeds and fluff back and forth between two large pans – the fluff should blow away OR sort the heavier seeds by tipping a large flat pan and dropping the fluff and seeds onto the pan; the heavier seeds should slide to the bottom of the pan.
The edible seeds: hand shell. Choose a nice dry sunny day and enjoy the rest!
The fruits: remove the seeds from the flesh, rinse the seeds in cool water, strain off the water, dry on a flat surface (I use tin plates) in an open airy place.
Tomatoes & cucumbers
Put in a jar
Cover with water
Let sit for a few days, occasionally stirring
Good seeds will sink
Pour off gunk on top, strain good seeds that fell to the bottom
Dry
8. dry, dry, dry
at least a week
not over 110 degrees
must be totally dry before stored - mold is the enemy
9. store
in closed containers - they will absorb moisture
containers can be:
baggies - securely closed
envelopes – securely closed – not recommended…
tin or glass jars (watchmaker cases from Lee Valley Tools)
- room temperature
- dry place
- LABEL YOUR SEEDS – plant, variety, year
Check them…
10. Recommended reading: The New Seed Starters Handbook, Nancy Bubel, Rodale Press
Seed Viability
Seed Years
Beans 3
Corn 2
Cucumbers 5
Eggplant 5
Lettuce 5
Onions 1
Parsley 1
Peas 3
Peppers 2
Pumpkin 4
Spinach 5
Squash 4
Tomato 4
Watermelon 4
Seed Savers Planting Guide
Minimal Recommended Planting Distances between Varieties
Self-Pollinating Plants – 100 feet for absolute security
Bush beans 100 feet
Lettuce 10 feet
Peas 10 feet
Tomatoes (old varieties with long styled blossoms) 25 feet
Tomatoes 10 feet
Insect Pollinated Plants – ¼ mile for absolute security
Pole Beans ¼ mile
Cucumbers 200 feet
Eggplant ¼ mile
Melons ¼ mile
Parsley ¼ mile
Sweet pepper 150 feet
Hot pepper 50 feet
(600 for absolute purity)
Between sweet and hot pepper 600 feet
Pumpkin 200
Squash ¼ mile
Watermelon 200 feet
Wind Pollinated Plants – 1 mile for absolute security
Beets 1 mile
Corn 1000 feet
Spinach 1 mile
Swiss chard 1 mile
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