Saving Seeds

Every year there is that one crop which is so successful there is no possible way that you or your family could possibly eat, can or preserve it all.  Two years ago a friend of the family bestowed upon me some huge tomatoes after she had canned sauce, salsa, ketchup, relish, etc. and just couldn’t process any more tomatoes.  These particular fruits were so meaty and delicious; I decided to try my hand at saving the seeds.  To my amazement it worked!  About 60 percent of the seeds that I saved grew. 

Since that first attempt was a success, I tried to save all sorts of seeds last year.  Cucumbers, peppers, squash, pumpkins, corn, and radish were all tried in 2009.  The cucumber seeds became a moldy mess.  The squash and pumpkin seeds saved well; however, only about 15 percent of them grew.  The corn takes two years to dry (or so I read) so we will attempt to plant those in 2011.  The radish seeds did even better than those that were purchased for this spring.  Flowers including calendula, sunflowers and lupines were also successfully saved and propagated.

The adage that you learn something new everyday is no where more true than on the farm.  I am learning this summer/fall on how to save seeds properly.  Tomato seeds need to go through a fermentation process in order to grow successfully.  Pure luck is the description for my previous success at saving tomato seeds.  Squash and pumpkin seeds need to be thoroughly rinsed of the pulp and dried for several weeks.  Pepper seeds are probably the easiest seeds to save. 

Once the seeds are completely dry, I place them in a labeled envelope with the name, species and date.  All the envelopes are stored in alphabetical order in a cool, dark storage room at the farm house.

Goals for seed saving this year include jalapenos, zucchini, blue hubbard and patty pan squash, and of course more tomatoes.  With some practice and a little bit of luck we may not need to buy seeds in coming years.

Are you saving seeds from anything special this year?