Before you even start there are some things you need to think
about. If your goal is to produce good seeds that will grow the plants
you want, you need to think about cross-pollination and hybridization before you plant the parents.
The first problem is hybridization. The producer of hybrid seeds
has developed ways of carefully controlling pollination to produce seeds
that blend the characteristics of two different parent plants. Think of
the two varieties crossed as "A" and "B." The seeds
sold produce a plant we call "AB." When you plant
"AB," the seeds your plant produces may or may not be
"AB." They may also be "A," or "B," or
even, most unfortunately, "BA," which is likely to be most
peculiar. It's just like the genetics you studied in high school,
if you remember. The easiest way around this problem is; don't
plant hybrids if you're planning to save seeds.
The next trick is avoiding your own unwanted cross-pollination. Ifyou've ever tried to grow two varieties of corn at the same time,you know about this. Corn is pretty famous in this regard. Theprofessionals recommend planting different varieties of corn a minimumof one mile apart--literally--to avoid cross pollination. The easieranswer may be to plant them in different years. Different varieties ofpeppers will also cross-pollinate. And some plants may be related thatdon't appear to be. Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and wild mustardare all part of the huge family known as Brassica. To keepcross-pollination under control, your first step will be to keep thewild stuff mowed. Next, keep related varieties well separated. Inaddition to keeping them physically distant, bear in mind that if theyflower at the same time, you may have a problem. Don't forget, too,that most seeds are viable for several years, so you don't need tosave everything every year. The bottom line is, you need to practicebefore you bet the farm on your saved seed.
Start with the easy stuff
The easiest seeds to save are the things that we eat when they are
perfectly ripe. I call them "eat and save." This makes the
"waste not want not" crowd very happy. Pick a beautifully ripe
tomato, eat it and save the seeds. This is also true of winter squash,
pumpkin and melons. All you have to do is clean the seeds out of their
slime, let them air dry, and store them in an air-tight container in a
cool and dry place.
The next group takes a little bit more thought. These are the
things that we normally eat early. Zucchini and cucumbers are way past
eating by the time their seeds are mature. You have to choose a plant to
let "go by" and learn to judge when it's ripe enough to
have mature seeds. It should be fat and yellow, but not yet rotten.
Broccoli and radishes we eat before they flower but they are kind enough
to grow their seeds in pods which are not too difficult to control. You
want to leave them alone while the pods fatten up and start to dry, but
pull the plant and let it finish drying under your control before it
gets dry enough to scatter the seeds by itself. Leaf lettuce is similar,
but has to be watched more closely for self-seeding.
The third group is the tricky one, the biennials. Biennials flower
and produce seed their second year. These include: beets, Brussels
sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collards, kale, onions,
parsnips, rutabaga and Swiss chard. (I may have missed a couple.)
Brussels sprouts and parsnips are quite hardy, and will often over
winter in the garden all by themselves if the winter is not too severe,
at least in zone five, where I am. In the colder zones, you have to pull
the plant in the fall, keep it in cold storage over the winter, and
replant it in the spring. If all goes well, it will then flower and
produce seed. It's a good idea to use at least three plants, just
in case. I've had carrots survive the winter in the back of the
refrigerator, but if you're going to do a lot of this type of plant
saving, you're going to need to make a root cellar--there's
only so much room in the refrigerator.
Always choose the best plants for seed. You want to promote the
characteristics that do the best in your climate and soil. If you do
this long enough, someday you may have selected your very own variety.
When it's time to plant your saved seeds, look them over carefully.
You may notice that some look much fatter and fuller than others. Your
eyes do not deceive you--plant the good looking ones. Lord knows
you'll have plenty of seed. Once you start really looking at the
amount of seed one fruit produces, you'll wonder why you ever paid
for seed of any kind. Finally, take notes, keep records, date and label
everything.
Once you get going, and need to look up more specific facts, I
would like to recommend an excellent reference book for seed savers: The
New Seed Starters Handbook, by Nancy Bubel; published by Rodale Press.
A project for kids
Go to the grocery store and buy a bag of dried beans labeled
"16 Bean Soup." Sort the beans and see if you can find all 16
kinds. See if you can identify each type of bean, then plant them. Keep
track of your plants and how they grow.
The year we did this, the garden was kind of a jungle and I lost
track of my soup, so I'd love to hear from you about yours,
especially if they do well enough to make more seeds.
