Member Collaboration: Seed Saving

I'd love to contribute! But I have no personal experience. Can I just do a lot of research and post what I find?

I've never saved a seed in my life. But I bet could save a carrot seed, now that I"ve read about it and put the ideas into my own words.

It's a mini-educational exercise that can give us all a little more confidence in the long run, that we have, or can do, or can learn to do what it takes to take some responsibility for providing for ourselves in the worst of times.

Or, it's just something we can do to save a little money.

Pick a veggie you're comfortable with, or even one that seems foreign to you, read up on it, then try to tell me what I need to do to save its seeds. Then try following your own advice when the weather cycle makes it possible to grow the veggie you picked. There's no telling what we all might learn in the long run!

OK boofer I want to do beets. I'm growing them now in my very first sfg box.

M'kay, then I think I'll work on peppers

How to save pepper seeds

Peppers are probably one of the easiest plants to save seeds from, and a great place to start for beginners. Since peppers are self pollinating, there is little chance for cross pollination. However, it can happen, and if you're trying to save bell peppers and your neighbor is growing habanero peppers, you may end up with some unexpectedly spicy peppers next year!

To prevent cross pollination, create a small bag made from tulle or another type of fine mesh material, and tie around unopened blossoms. Once blossoms open, make sure to gently tap them to ensure proper pollination. After the blossoms fall off and small peppers appear, you can remove the bags and tie a string around the fruit to remind yourself of which pepper you want to save for seeds.

Peppers must be fully mature for seed harvesting. For a lot of varieties, this means they must be red; of course, each variety is a different color so make sure to check your original seed package to know what color the fruit should be. If you know a frost is coming but the pepper hasn't finished maturing, you can pull the entire plant out of the ground, and hang it up in a cool dark location until the peppers have matured.

To harvest the seeds, simply slice open the pepper, either along the side or the bottom, and scoop them out. Lay them out on paper in a cool dark place until they're completely dry, or until the seeds break when you bend them in half.

ALWAYS wash your hands after handling hot peppers!

I'm still working on mine

littlesapphire wrote:ALWAYS wash your hands after handling hot peppers!

You just can't say that enough. This spring our favorite Peruvian Restaurant Owner gave us one fresh Aji Amarillo pepper that had been imported from Peru. We had told him we wanted to grow the peppers ourselves.

Trying to help me, my husband removed the seeds from the pepper and spread them out on paper towels to dry. He removed the seeds by hand, no gloves.

Even after washing his hands several times, he was outside working, became sweaty and wiped his eyes

FIRE

Furbalsmom wrote:

littlesapphire wrote:ALWAYS wash your hands after handling hot peppers!

You just can't say that enough. .........


Even after washing his hands several times, he was outside working, became sweaty and wiped his eyes

FIRE

Been there, done that!

GG

OK, I am picking peas. That would make me a “pea picker”.

(Had to look that up, I remember seeing Tennessee Ernie Ford from "Hee Haw" as a kid, Wikipedia tells me that “Pea Picker” was a derogatory term, describing the poor migrant workers in the Great Depression.) ok, already off track…

Anyway, I had an incredible experience this spring with Mammoth Melting Snow Peas. This is now my favorite food from the garden. I ate them in salads, stir fried anything, raw in the garden, and even put a gallon or so in the freezer (just blanched for a minute, and put in an ice bath).

I planted these with snow on the ground on Feb 28th. They were very early to sprout, and did great. At the end of their spring season, I saved all the pods that had gotten tough, brown and leathery. I let the pods dry out a bit, and then shelled them and put them on the hearth for a week to get really dry. They are in the crisper of the fridge, and I have enough to share/trade with a bunch of people. I am going to plant some in the coming days for a fall crop attempt.


So, now after saving seeds,( and later researching how to do it properly) It seems that I did it right. Peas self-pollinate, and there is not a great risk of cross-fertilization. They need to be thoroughly dried, and stored as any other seed at a cool temp, preferably in a refrigerator. From what I have read, they don’t keep as long as some other seeds.

okay boofer here it is

Beets are a biennial. To save seed from beets you'll have to plant 20 to 30 plants (2 squares at 16 per) to leave in the ground to over-winter. You can harvest tasty beet greens for the first part of the season, and you can crowd the plants a bit. You don't have to pamper them with lots of room, water and fertilizers to get plenty of seeds in the spring—just make sure they're big enough to get through the winter and re-sprout. (If you have a square or two that didn't bulb properly, and don't need the space, you could try over-wintering them.)

Beets are wind pollinated and have very light pollen; they need to be isolated from the same species (Swiss chard is the most common similar species) 3-5 miles to be safe. The other safe option is to bag the 20-30 beet plants together so they can pollinate each other. The bag should be windproof to prevent windblown pollen from entering. Having 20-30 plants bagged together typically allows a female:male ratio of 2:1.

Allow beet seeds to fully mature and become dry on the plants before harvesting. After final drying, the seeds can be easily rubbed off the stems. Beet seeds will last for up to 5 years if properly stored.

F1 hybrids and GMO seeds will not breed true, you'll get something other than the parent plant..assuming it even germinates. I'm sure that will be in the final document, but if any other people are like me, they'll skip that kind of thing and just go straight to saving seeds.

I'll see what hasn't been taken tomorrow and pick something to help this along. Great idea! When I first read this I thought someone was starting a seed exchange, but this is just as good. Self sufficiency at its finest.

Unmutual wrote: When I first read this I thought someone was starting a seed exchange, but this is just as good. Self sufficiency at its finest.

Looking forward to your contribution.

Are you familiar with the seed exchange database?

https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/portal?pid=4

Without further a due, the cucumber!

Step 1: Let the cucumber fully ripen on the vine. The cucumber will turn from a dark green to a yellow color.

Step 2: Slice the cucumber down the middle lengthwise and, using a spoon, scrape out the seeds and the jelly-like stuff(the jelly-like stuff inhibits seed germination, this is why you have to soak a lot of different seeds when saving them).

Step 3: Place the seeds and the jelly-stuff into a jar with some water. This should start fermenting, and the mature seeds should sink to the bottom over the next few days.

Step 4: Scoop out the scum and dry off just the seeds that sank to the bottom. Immature seeds will generally float to the top.

Step 5: Store seeds in a cool, dry place and don't forget to label the pack with the date and cultivar!

Notes: I see that some places say that the seed can last for 8-10 years, but the germination rates would drop significantly after the first year or two. All this means is that it may take more seed to start a new planting, but that doesn't matter since you got yours for free.

Also, Seedsaver.org specifies that if other varieties are of the same plant(or sometimes even a close relative) are growing nearby(1/2 mile for cukes), then you have to somehow separate them(maybe with a floating row cover), so they are pollinated by other plants of the same cultivar. And yes, apparently some plants can inbreed which isn't a good thing. If you are doing this professionally, you'll want multiple plantings of the same cultivar and you'd want to keep them from being pollinated by something else. Seedsaver.org suggests 6 plantings, in isolation, for good seed. I'm fairly sure that for personal use, a single cucumber fruit will suffice.

Hand Pollination: Female flowers will have a tiny cucumber between the flower and the vine. This actually is the plants ovary. Male plants will not have this, it will just be a flower on the vine. Pinch off(or cut) a male flower. Carefully remove all the petals without disturbing the center of the flower. The center of the flower is where the pollen is, and any serious disruption can shake off the pollen..be careful. Take the male flower to the female flower and push it(carefully, we don't want to mash them together) inside of the female flower. Turn the male flower a little and it should be pollinated. I'm not sure how many times you can reuse a male flower for this.


Seedsaver.org says:

(All cucumbers except Armenian cucumbers)

PLANT: Separate two different cucumber varieties by at least 1/2 mile to ensure purity. Experienced, home, seed savers can grow more than one variety at a time in a single garden by using hand pollinating techniques. (See page 36.)

FLOWER: Cucumbers are mostly monoecious with separate male and female flowers on each plant. Female flowers can be identified by locating the ovary (a small looking cucumber) at the base of the flower. Cucumber vines will produce the greatest amount of female flowers when day length shortens to approximately 11 hours per day. Fruits will be aborted during dry spells and very hot weather.

INBREEDING DEPRESSION: Although inbreeding depression is not usually noticeable in cucumbers, seeds should be saved from at least 6 cucumbers on 6 different plants.

HARVEST: Cucumbers raised for seed cannot be eaten. They should be left to ripen at least 5 weeks after eating stage until they have turned a golden color. First, light frost of the season will blacken vines and make cucumbers easier to find. Undamaged fruits can be stored in cool, dry place for several weeks to finish ripening.

PROCESS: Slice fruit lengthwise and scrape seeds out with spoon. Allow seeds and jelly-like liquid to sit in jar at room temperature for 3 or 4 days. Fungus will start to form on top. Stir daily. Jelly will dissolve and good seeds will sink to bottom while remaining debris and immature seeds can be rinsed away. Spread seeds on a paper towel or screen until dry.


This from motherearthnews.com

How can I save seeds from cucumbers that I grow?

In order to save seeds from cucumbers, you must let them thoroughly ripen on the vine. They will enlarge and turn yellow. They should stay on the vines until the vines are dead. Bring the cucumbers into the house and let them ripen further on a dry shelf in the pantry (or someplace out of direct sunlight). When the cucumbers begin to turn soft, scoop out the seed mass and put it into a large jar of water. Let the seeds ferment for five days, thenseparate the scum from the good seeds that have sunken to the bottom. Rinse the seeds in a colander, then dry hem on screens for at least three weeks, or until the seed snaps when bent in half. Store the seed in airtight containers, label and date clearly. Store the containers in a cool, dark place free of humidity. Seed processed properly will remain good for at least eight to 10 years.

— William Woys Weaver, contributing editor, MOTHER EARTH NEWS and Gourmet magazines

boffer wrote:Are you familiar with the seed exchange database?

https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/portal?pid=4

I'm so growing heirlooms next year. I'll have to bookmark that page.

This thread is coming along beautifully! Awesome work everyone...let's keep it up.

middlemamma wrote:This thread is coming along beautifully! Awesome work everyone...let's keep it up.

Diiii-toooooe! Nicely done, everyone!

Ok. I'll take Pak Choi... *gets to work*

Pak Choi

This is my first year growing vegetables and I had my first Pak Choi bolting this month. So the below is not from experience, but from research!

It's pretty easy to save Pak Choi seeds. Just make sure it's not growing close to a vegetable of the same family like tatcoi for example in order to prevent it from crossing.

It seems like pak choi usually bolts in the second year, but mine bolted the first year. I guess it is because the winter is warmer here than it is in some parts of the world. If you need to leave it in the ground through the winter while waiting for it to bolt, cover the roots with thick mulch and cover the plant, while still allowing it to breath.

So, let it mature and bolt. Before the seeds get too dry, snip it off and let it finish drying out. Once that's done, empty the head and store the seeds in a cool dry place.

Was there anyone else that wanted to contribute to this?

I'll take Brussel Sprouts. I'm growing them for the first time,I know nothing about them other than when/how to harvest but I'll give it a shot. Please give me until tomorrow to get it posted.

Brussel Sprouts aka Brassica olerace , are part of the cabbage family and must be kept at least one mile distance from other family members to avoid crosss pollination. Other family members include: kohlrabi, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collards and kale. All other family members will not cross polinate like turnips which are Brassica rapa.

Brussel Sprouts are biennial, meaning grow and mature in the first season, then allow to overwinter to produce seeds.

Brussels Sprouts are insect pollinated and mostly self infertile, seeds should be taken from groupings of at LEAST 10 or more plants. A few sprout heads can be left on each plant to over-winter and flower in the spring. If for some reason, you are unable to keep outdoors during the winter, put in pots in a greenhouse and transplant back into the garden in the spring.Plants left outside - Mulch around base of plant when temps get below freezing , removing in the spring when temps get above 60 and new growth is seen. Resume watering, leave flowers on the plants as you will seed pods develop.

Seeds will not continue to ripen after harvesting so seed pods MUST mature and dry on the plant BEFORE harvesting. The pods open readily once they've dried, however, so don't tarry after seed pods are dry.

Seeds will keep for 4 yrs if properly stored. (cool, dry, etc)

All info gathered here: http://howtosaveseeds.com/seedsavingdetails.php#cabbagefamily
and
http://www.ehow.com/how_8527459_harvest-brussels-sprout-seeds.html


video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpB6lC6CSRs

Heirloom varieties include:
Long Island
Catskill





FYI: English was never my thing, please forgive any run-ons sentences or grammical errors.
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