Be sure the seeds are perfectly dry so they don't mold. Store them in tightly capped small bottles, in a cool place.
Most seeds need a "rest period" of one to several months before they will germinate. After that, germination can be tested by soaking 10 seeds, draining them, and spreading them between layers of moist cloth. Keep the cloth moist. Germination varies between two days and two weeks depending on the type of seed and temperature.
The percentage of germination decreases with age. Seeds of corn and onions can be stored for two years; peas and beans for three years; tomatoes, four years; cabbage and spinach, five years; and beets and squash, six years.
Save the best seeds, from parents with the qualities you desire. The earliest pea pods can be marked by tying a scrap of colored yarn or similar material on the vine, a sign that says these pods should not be picked. When the pods are completely ripe and dry, pull the vines and hang them in a garage or shed. When the pods are brittle shell and store the peas.
Mark chosen tomatoes and leave them on the vine until they are overripe, but pick them before they spoil. Cut the tomato and remove the seeds. Some pulp will inevitably come along. Soak the seeds and pulp in water for about two days or until they start to ferment, but not long enough to sprout. Separate the seeds from the pulp by rubbing, and dry them quickly (but not in direct sun) by spreading them thinly on newspaper.
Carrots, radishes, and other biennials will not produce seed until the second year of growth. These can be left in the garden over winter under a heavy mulch, or they can be dug and stored in damp sand in the root cellar for spring replanting. If they will be in the way of future tilling or succession planting, consider a separate area for seed production. When the seed head is almost ripe, tie a paper bag over it to collect those seeds that will otherwise fall to the ground.
Onions are also biannual, but producing bulbs or sets requires yet another year. Sow seed thickly - about a quarter of an ounce in four square feet - so they will not get too big. When the tops fall over pull them and store them in net bags for planting the following year.
Info from: http://www.i4at.org/surv/seedtips.htm
Don't forget that carrots can cross-pollinate with weeds like Queen Anne's Lace, so it can be difficult to save 'true' seeds.
ReplyDeleteI have to ask and shutter doing so. lol I froze my seeds after research told me to do so, but now I'm reading not to do this. Do you know if they will still germinate or should I plan on replacing them.
ReplyDeleteShelly I'm not sure if seeds that have been frozen will be any good, I have all ways been told to never freeze seeds.
ReplyDeleteShelly-
ReplyDeleteI freeze my seeds...there may be a couple varieties that are fussy about being frozen, but for the most part they'll be fine.
Much love,
Andie
I never freeze my seeds and this is why:
ReplyDeleteEverything made of natural fibers like the wooden chair you sit in or the heirloom seeds you buy from us has moisture content in them. They absorb and expel the moisture from the humidity in the air. As the humidity changes, the moisture percentage inside the seed changes.
Now, most cellulose and natural fiberous things range from 15% to 30% moisture. Ask yourself this, what happens to water when it freezes? It expands. That's why people die when they freeze. At a cellular level, the ice crystals expand and rip the human and vegetable seed cells apart.
Seeds are alive. To add another obvious example. You plant grass seed for your lawn in the Spring or Summer and not the Winter because of the same reason. If you tossed out grass seed on your lawn in Nebraska in Late December, by May you will not have grass from it because of the same reason.
Vegetable seeds have been found at archeology sites that date back 1,000 to 10,000 years ago and they have been able to plant and harvest the plants. How is this possible? The seed was kept in a dark and dry cave. Dark and dry is the opposite of what seeds need to sprout- moisture and light. A matter of fact, most ancient seeds are found in the desert caves. Deserts are the opposite of your freezer.
For those of you that will counter with-- "but they froze seeds in the seed vaults." No they did not. Otherwise they would have just stuck them outside in the ice. They placed the seeds deep in the earth where the temperatures are constantly 55 degrees.
http://www.victoryseeds.com/information/brook_seed_saving.html
ReplyDelete"Seeds should be stored in a cool, dry space. Nowadays, many gardeners simply put them in plastic bags, and freeze them. Not only is this safe, some seeds actually benefit from freezing. And many potential diseases carried by the seeds are destroyed by the freezing process.
It is crucial, however, when you defrost the seeds, to not open the containers until everything has reached room temperature. If you open them before that, condensation can form on the seeds, and effect germination rates."