Introduction

Since the very beginning of agriculture in human civilization, we’ve saved seeds from our favourite, most useful plants. Indeed, agriculture was originally little more than the realization that we could save seeds from the plants we ate and plant them again to have more of our favourite foods without having to forage for them where they grow wild. Since that realization, human civilization has revolved and evolved around agriculture and, at the same time, the plants we grow have evolved to better suit our needs over countless generations.

Varietie of plants

While selective breeding is being dramatically outpaced now by more aggressive (and sometimes frightening) methods of altering the genetic variation of the species we grow, many, many gardeners still maintain the HEIRLOOM VARIETIES of our many favourite plants. Heirloom varieties are plants that have been altered by generations of selective breeding for particular traits colours, tastes, shapes, etc. They are not, it is important to remember, distinct species of tomatoes are all tomatoes, no matter whether they are little and yellow or huge and red, just like a German Sheppard and a Chihuahua are both still dogs.

Right circumstances

Indeed, many crops that you may think are distinct species are not jalapeno and sweet peppers zucchini and
many varieties of pumpkin cantaloupe and honeydew melons these are all examples of crops that will readily cross
with one another given the right circumstances. Please refer to the attached discussion on pollination and varietal
purity for more information. Saving seeds from your garden for the next season is a simple and fun way to cut down on your gardening costs and, moreover, provides a remarkable feeling of self-reliance and connectedness to the complete gardening cycle.

Important Seed Harvesting Tips

Ensure the fruit is ripe (we harvest many crops early green peppers, and zucchini before the seeds are mature.
Sometimes the fruit must over-ripen before the seeds are mature beans, for example, must be dry and woody.
Tomato seeds must be fermented for about one week before they can be easily washed and dried for storage.
A good rule of thumb for checking the maturity of seeds is soaking them in water floaters are likely, not viable.
Make sure that seeds are allowed to dry completely in the open air before storing them in closed packets.
For crops where we don’t eat the fruit (root vegetables, herbs, salad greens) allow the fruit to dry on the plant.
When seeds are tiny, don’t be too concerned with isolating them from the surrounding dried plant materials.
Seeds can be properly stored for at least a few years and still be used they might just take longer to germinate.
Some plants that grow in places with a winter season have seeds which must endure cold temperatures before
germinating this is called. You can plant them outdoors in the fall and let them spend the winter there or give them a short time in the freezer (or a slightly longer time in the fridge) before starting them.