Saving and collecting seeds is a great way to grow your collection, share with others and build on a healthy and happy garden. There are so many benefits to saving your own seed and we have seen great results from it. Read on for our tips to save your own seeds and our favourite reasons to do so.
Seeds can be purchased very easily from local garden centres or online stores. The majority of these come from plants that were likely grown in a different climate to what you are growing in. Since saving seeds from plants in our own garden, we have seen a big different in germination rates and the health of our seedlings and plants.
Another advantage to saving your own seed is it gives you the ability to select the genetics your wish to live on. Perhaps one tomato plant produced larger, juicier fruit; or one of the broccoli's headed up well before the others. By saving seeds from these plants, you have a greater likelihood of those traits being carried through for the next season.
Always collect seeds from the happiest and healthiest plants in your garden. Avoid collecting seed from plants that look stressed, unhappy, diseased or pest ridden. You want the next generation to be as healthy and resilient as possible and have the best traits and performance.
When saving your own seeds, there is always a chance you will end up with something unexpected. As we garden outdoors and have no control over the wind or the visiting insects, there is always a chance of cross pollination. When this occurs it means the seed you have saved will germinate into something that is slightly different to the parent plant.
How to save your seeds guide
This varies a little depending on the type of fruit, vegetable or flower you are saving from.
For flowers, you need to ensure the spent flowers die back completely and you are left with the dry seeds. For fruits such as tomatoes, you need to remove the seeds from the fruit and dry them out on paper towel. For other plants including zucchinis, cucumbers and pumpkins you need to allow the fruit/vegetable to mature a little further than the point you would eat them. As a general rule, the seeds should be larger and darker, compared to the thin, soft white you'll find in one that you eat. The seed should be firm and not feel hollow.
Once the seed has been harvested, allow it to dry for a further week in a dry location before storing in a paper bag away from direct sunlight.
