In this edition of Practical Skills for a Changing Climate, we share how-tos on saving seeds from your garden. This practice supports an independent and local food system and allows one to enjoy delicious, home-grown fruits and vegetables.

Butternut squash cross section with seeds visible

Saving seeds is easy peasy!

Cross section of a summer squash with seeds
Hands cutting a tomato

Why to Save Seeds

In the April Practical Skills newsletter, we discussed the consolidation in the seed industry, which has led to a reduced variety of seeds available in the market. This loss of genetic material puts heirloom varieties of various crops at risk of being endangered or lost over time.

The decline in plant genetics puts our future food system at risk and gives more power to the multinational companies that control a large part of our food supply. As individuals and communities, we have lost control over our food sources and much of the knowledge and skills needed to save our seeds.

Fortunately, saving seeds from one’s garden is a simple process, especially with seed varieties that are easy to save and grow again the following year. To decentralize multinational control, non-profit groups and cooperatives are working to share information about seed saving and empower local communities.

Dry Seeds

Self-pollinating fruits have large, easy-to-find seeds. Think of pumpkins, peppers, tomatoes, and squash. The process includes:

  1. Selecting a healthy plant that produces good fruit, has matured fully, and can be harvested.
  2. Opening the fruit, removing the seeds, patting them dry, and leaving them in a cool, dry area in a single layer to continue drying.
  3. Waiting for the seeds to be dehydrated and then storing them in an airtight container until next Spring.

Label Your Seeds!

This step is easy to forget but among the most important! You might think you’ll remember every detail about the seeds you collect, but when saving seeds in a few months, you’ll thank yourself for whatever notes you can take now.

Be sure to include:

  • Seed harvest date/year

  • Crop type & variety type – with notes on any qualities you may have been saving for

  • Relevant notes about the growing conditions in the past year. For example, where the variety grew well.

Wet Seeds

Wet seeds are large and are covered in a gelatinous coating. Think of melons, cucumbers, and tomatoes. This process includes:

  1. Placing the seeds in a half-full glass of water and leaving them for 2-3 days, gently stirring the water 2-3 times daily.
  2. Allowing the seeds to ferment and break down the gelatinous coating while observing the viable seeds sink to the bottom while everything floats.
  3. Skimming the material left floating on top of the water, draining the seeds, patting them dry, and then allowing them to dry on a flat surface. Once dry, label them and store them for the season.

Lettuce, Herbs, and Other Greens

Lettuce: Allow a few plants to bolt (go to seed). The flowers will turn into seed heads. Once the heads are dry and fluffy, cut them off and gently rub to release the seeds.

Herbs (e.g., Basil, Cilantro): Let the plants flower and form seed heads. Once seeds dry on the plant, harvest by gently shaking or clipping the seed heads into a bag.

Other Greens: Like lettuce, let the plants bolt and dry out. Harvest seeds when they’re fully dry.

Brassicas

Cross-pollinating plants can make saving seeds more complicated because one may end up with a second generation of plants that lack some of the characteristics from the first generation. But it can still be done! This process includes:

  1. Growing one variety in your area. This is viable if you have a large yard, but if you’re growing in a community garden or have neighbors nearby growing the same crop, you could still end up with cross-pollinated seed.
  2. Allowing the seed pods to mature and dry on the plant (which can take several weeks to a few months), then cutting the pods and threshing them to release the seeds.

Beans

Beans are one of the easiest seeds to save. Leave the pods on the plant until they are fully dry and rattling. Harvest the pods, shell the beans, and store them in a labeled container.

Saving your seeds can be empowering – it will help you feel confident in your ability to feed yourself and your community. Saving and passing along heirloom seeds in your community is essential in the face of climate change – preserving those varieties that grow well in your area for future generations to enjoy.

Start small, have fun, and good luck!

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