How to save seeds for growing

You can save seed from most of the vegetables that you grow, as well as a few fruits. So how do you select the best seeds to save?

In our garden, we grow more than a handful of vegetables. We have tomatoes, corn, squash… and some plants that we just couldn’t figure out how to save seeds from. Fortunately for us, there’s a whole lot of information online about seeds and farmer’s markets that offer seed swap events where you can directly exchange your overripe seeds with other backyard gardeners to make space for the good ones.

Here are the best plants to try this spring:

Tomatoes: You get most of the good tomatoes from your own plants. Wait until they start to ripen on their own (usually July or August) and let them sit on the vine for 2-3 weeks before picking them. As long as they’re not rotting, you can eat them anytime after picking them! If they’ve started flowering, leave them alone and harvest shortly thereafter (they’ll continue to ripen inside).

Corn: The difference between sweet corn and popcorn is that sweet corn has kernels within each ear (hence the name), while popcorn only has kernels in large ears of corn at the very top of each plant. To harvest sweet corn, wait until it turns a dark purple color at its tip—you want fresh kernels within an ear rather than a bunch of small pieces or unripe outer husks wrapped together in husks by nature’s handiwork. Popcorn doesn’t need to be picked when it starts getting dark green; if you leave it in the field too long without harvesting it will turn brown and then rot—so get in there right away!

Squash: Most varieties of squash need pollination during certain times of year. One variety I like is “Lemon Boy” which is yellow with red stripes down its sides… but like any type of squash, use whichever variety you’re comfortable with! I also recommend “Halloween Cat,” which features black-and-orange striped fruit instead of yellow… but again, pick whatever you like best! Save

Find out what varieties are best adapted to your growing conditions

You can get varieties from seed companies, other gardeners, or your local branch of the Cooperative Extension Service. If you buy seeds from a catalog, do a bit of research before choosing varieties. It’s best to choose plants that have been bred to thrive in your hardiness zone and soil conditions. Resist the urge to grow something because it’s “neat” or “unusual”–will it be ready to harvest before frost? Will it thrive in your climate?

One of the best ways to figure out what grows well for you is by rotating several different varieties and then selecting the very best performers from each species for seed saving. If you don’t grow heirlooms already, consider buying seeds from an open-pollinated variety–that way you can save both seed and money in future years.

Choose vegetables you enjoy eating now

The obvious connection between saving seeds and food is to choose vegetable varieties which you love to eat. If you’re not a fan of the flavor now, it’s unlikely that will change once they are growing in your garden or on your plate. You may be tempted to save seed from an expensive heirloom variety but if you’re not keen on eating it – maybe because of texture, taste or appearance – then why bother?

On the other hand, if you do love a particular variety and want to save seed for many years ahead, then take pleasure in choosing vegetables for annual enjoyment too.

Choose vegetables that have a history of disease resistance

If you are new to seed saving, start with vegetables that have a history of disease resistance. This is one of the benefits of heirloom varieties since they have been bred for generations without being exposed to chemicals or pesticides. Save seeds from any vegetable varieties that have been healthy and productive in your garden.

Choose vegetables with qualities you particularly like

Choose vegetables with qualities you particularly like.
You should select the ones that look the best to you, even if they don’t necessarily fit the criteria for top-notch produce. Some people prefer very dark green leaves, whereas others may prefer a lighter green color. Some people like curly leaves, while others might prefer flat leaves. Some people like big, round tomatoes, while others may prefer smaller, pointy ones. There are many different varieties of vegetables and choosing one that meets your goals and preferences is best when saving seeds for growing.
Select healthy plants with good traits to gather seeds from. The plants you choose need to be healthy and free of disease or infestations so they will produce healthy offspring when replanted next year (or whenever). When selecting plants for seed saving purposes it’s important to consider traits such as pest resistance or tolerance to environmental stressors like drought or temperature extremes.

Consider collecting more than one type of seed for each vegetable you grow

When you’re collecting seeds from your garden, consider collecting more than one type of seed for each vegetable you grow. You can collect seeds from different plants of the same variety, or save and store multiple batches of seed from the same plant.

Collect seeds from several plants in the same variety: You’ll have a better chance to get a good representation of the genetic variation if you collect seeds from several plants in the same variety. If you only save seed from one plant, and there isn’t much variation in that plant, then your next generation will be pretty much identical to the first generation. But if you harvest seed from multiple plants within that variety, they’ll be more likely to retain their diversity and produce varying qualities.
Save seed only after your crop has matured: Seeds come to maturity at different rates within a single plant depending on their location on the plant—for example, it takes longer for seeds near the top of a tomato fruit to mature than those toward the base. If you attempt to collect tomatoes before they’ve fully ripened on the vine, some of them won’t produce viable seed. So wait until all parts of your crop have reached full maturity before harvesting any seed for long-term storage or replanting next season. This is especially important for vegetables like tomatoes and peppers because these crops require an extra step—fermentation—to extract viable seeds inside their fleshy pulp; incompletely ripe tomatoes or peppers will not produce fermentable pulp with viable seeds inside it!

Find out when and how to gather seeds from different types of crops

Getting the right seeds is a big part of your home garden. Many people use purchased seeds, but you can also save seeds from crops that grow in your own garden.

In this article, we’ll show you how to save seeds for growing in the future and ensure that they won’t be affected by cross-pollination. We’ll also tell you how to store them properly so they will remain viable until you’re ready to plant them.

The first step is to determine when and how to gather seeds from different types of crops so that they can be saved successfully. Although seed saving methods differ among plants, there are some basic procedures all have in common.

Some fruits can be used for seed saving

Save seeds from fruit that has been allowed to ripen on the plant until fully mature.
Allow tomatoes and peppers to get overripe, soft, and wrinkled before picking.
Seeds should be brown or black when fully ripe. If it’s still green or white, leave it on the plant longer.

To save seeds for growing, select the best of what you have grown and learn a bit about how to treat them.

To save seeds for growing, select the best of what you have grown and learn a bit about how to treat them. You don’t need to be an expert gardener to save seeds. The time-tested nature of plant reproduction will ensure that even a novice gardener can help perpetuate good stock!