Save your Seeds

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Don’t forget as you are harvesting your garden to save your seeds to use next year. You can save seeds from everything. This may mean letting a few plants “go to seed” instead of harvesting them though.

With all the flooding and the crop losses, we have had this year it is more important than ever to save your seeds. A lot of people don’t realize that a lot of the crops that were lost this year were also seed farms so not only is vegetables, grains and fruits going to be in short supply seeds will be also. And if you can find seeds marked down now grab all you can. 

If you still have seeds left from this year or last hold on to them and be sure to store in an airtight container in your fridge or a  cool dark place. (The only seeds that need to be new each year are onions.) If you are unsure if they are good next year just do a germination test a few weeks before you get ready to plant. Put about ten or so seeds in a damp paper towel and sandwich the paper towel around the seeds and keep moist, I put mine in sandwich bags to keep moist, If at least seven sprout your seeds are good.

I know a lot of people worry about using older seeds but if stored correctly they will last a few years. I read once where seed companies will take seeds that didn’t sell that year and reuse them for the next year.

If you weren’t able to grow certain things this year or didn’t get it planted but think you might want to next year, go to your farmers market and buy a few to use for seed (if they have the seeds in them). Or if some of your friends or neighbors grew them you might ask for a few seeds from them.

Some of my broccoli along with a couple of other things didn’t do very good this year so I let them go to seed and I will use them next year. I will also be saving the seeds from my volunteer sunflower for seeds next year.

Don’t forget your herbs also. Some of your herbs you can take cutting and root inside for next years plants.

So will you be saving seeds this year?

4 Replies to “Save your Seeds”

  1. NRP

    If I may;
    Heirloom Seeds are the best way to go, Not Hybrid.
    Most Hybrid Plants and seeds are a cross breed of two different plant, and if you save the seeds from a Hybrid Tomato let’s say, you probably will not get the same tomato as before.
    Heirloom plants and seeds will off breed their own plants.
    Please know the differences in the two.
    Personally I grow both types and have had good luck saving seeds from the Heirloom.

    PS, look up some of the Bulk Seed Companies, they usually have bulk seeds cheap, I normally buy by the pound at ¼ the cost, they keep well for many years in Mylar Bags and the refer. I have planted Bulk Heirloom seeds that are 4-6 years old and have 80-90% rate…. Not bad I’m thinking.

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      NRP,
      You are so right. I am working towards getting more heirloom. And that is a good idea in buying them in bulk I would think that a person should get orders in now if they can just in case there is a seed shortage this next year which as I mentioned with all the flooding ( and not just here but everywhere) there is a good possibility of a seed shortage ( hopefully not but better safe than sorry).
      Have a great day
      Connie