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This article focuses on how to save seeds. If you’re looking for an overview of the benefits of saving seeds, check out our supplementary article on how to create plants that are well-adapted to your growing environment.

Learning how to save your own seeds helps you to build more resiliency, self-sufficiency, and sustainability into your garden. You can adapt varieties over time to thrive in your growing environment while selecting plants that thrive with low-input practices.

notes on labeling your seed packets

Labeling your seeds with the type of plant, variety, and date is obvious.

But there are other pieces of important information that you can add to your label to help you create more adapted and resilient seeds year after year.

For example: were the seeds you collected from a greenhouse, meaning they thrive in a warmer environment? Did the seeds come from a bean plant that produced pods with more seeds than others? Were the seeds from your brassica, chard, or lettuce from a slow-to-bolt plant? Did your seeds come from a plant that successfully over-wintered? Did you experiment with dry farming techniques or other low-input methods?

This information will help you to find success with your seeds next year. For example, seeds from fava beans that you over-wintered and then planted for summer growing would probably still do well, but you wouldn’t be breeding for over-wintering qualities at that point.

If you’re working with landrace seed saving, it’s helpful to record what varieties you started with.

In addition to details about growing environment, it can also be helpful to note the generation of the seeds (if you remember, or if you’re a nerd and keep spreadsheets year after year you can record that there).

ways to save seeds from your garden

The says to save seed from plants depends on what type of plant it is, which factors in to how it produces seed.

I have a handy spreadsheet below on seed saving techniques for quick reference; keep reading for more details on each method.

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materials needed for seed saving:

• envelopes with a seal - any envelopes will do, but I’ve found that ones shaped like the standard seed packet (around 4ish inches by 3ish inches) are easier to work with and store.
• Some seed companies sell empty seed packets, such as southern exposure seed exchange or native seed search, but you can also easily make your own from paper that you have around and some glue or tape.
• you can also purchase something like these small envelopes with a string tie.
• optional: drying rack
• optional: paper bag

methods of seed saving

let dry in pod

best for: peas, beans, brassicas

steps:

• find the sweet spot between when pods are crisp and dry and when pods shatter on their own and spill into the garden
• for larger seeds such as peas and beans, break the pods open on a clean and dry surface, like a fine drying rack or just a table
• for smaller seeds such as brassicas, you’ll need to take extra care to collect the seeds since they are so small. I like to break the pods open over a dry plate or bowl
• let the seeds air dry for a day or two, and then store and label

let dry on seed heads/flowers

best for: beets, chard, fennel, carrots, lettuces, corn, grain, seeds, onions, leeks, annual herbs, annual flowers

steps:

• these plants will bloom and then create a seed within the dried flowerhead or seed head
• find the sweet spot between when the flowerhead/seed head/seed is green and moist and it bursts open - seed pods should be dry and brown
• cut seed heads off of plant into a paper bag or bowl in the garden to prevent seeds from dropping
• over a bowl or plate, tap the seed heads or break them open to let the seeds fall out
• discard the seed heads as you work, leaving only the seeds behind
• there will naturally be some particles from the seed heads in your pile of seeds, but personally I just leave them there
• let the seeds air dry on a flat surface like a dry plate, a dry towel, or a piece of paper for a day or two, and then store and label

let fruit get over-ripe

best for: cucumber, eggplant, pepper, squash

steps:

• let the fruit get over-ripe on the vine - not overwhelmingly so, but enough so that it would be a hair beyond eating quality
• cut open the fruit and scrape out the seeds into a bowl of water
• in the bowl, sort out any remaining vegetable/fruit flesh pieces from the seeds
• rinse the seeds a few times and let them dry on a flat surface - drying these types of seeds will take longer than seeds in pods or seed heads, since these seeds were wet
• store and label
• (source: gardening west of the cascades by steve solomon)

ferment seeds

best for: tomatoes

steps:

• let the fruit be slightly over-ripe
• cut open the fruit and scrape out the seeds into a jar or bowl that you can place a lid over
• pour water over the seeds so that they are covered by around 1 inch of water
• swirl and let sit on your counter, swirling the jar a couple of times a day
• let the jar be loosely covered as it sits on your counter
• after 3-4 days, you’ll see the gel-like seed coating coming off of the seed
• remove any non-seed particles from the water with a spoon
• rinse the seeds in a fine mesh seive
• let the seeds dry in a single layer on a towel - drying these types of seeds will take longer since they were wet
• store and label

save whole plant

best for: potatoes, garlic, bunching onions, Egyptian walking onions

steps:

• when you harvest your crop, you may wish to set aside a few potatoes/garlic/bunching onions/walking onions from plants that have done really well in terms of size or other desired quality
• typically larger “seeds” produce better
• store in a cool dry place until planting time the following season
• it’s okay if the “seeds” have sprouted, but not necessary for planting

take cuttings:

best for: perennial herbs, basil

steps:

• for some perennial plants, taking cuttings can be easier than collecting seeds and cold stratifying them the following growing season
• when plants are “green” cut a side shoot from the stem
• take off any leaves at the bottom of the stem, leaving 2-4 on top
• immerse the stem in water, leaving the remaining leaves above the water line
• if you like you can add in some rooting hormone, but personally I put a green willow cutting in with the herb stem with good results
• if the water starts to look funky, switch it out for fresh water
• most plants will start to form roots in 1-4 weeks
• you can also set the stem into the garden bed in an area that you know you’ll be watering frequently - you don’t want the stem to dry out
• I’ve found this method works 80% of the time with basil and mint

stool layering:

best for: perennial herbs, berries

steps:

• find a branch of the plant that is close to the ground and soft
• gently bring the stem so that it lies against the ground, especially on the bottom half
• you might need to weigh down the stem with something like twigs or rocks
• cover the bottom part of the stem, near the base, with soil
• check periodically for root development
• I’ve found that soft-stemmed plants like oregano, mint and thyme naturally stool layer themselves, and will root within weeks with this method
• other plants, like honeyberry, lavender, rosemary, which are more woody, can take 6-12 months to root in this way
• once rooted, cut the plant from the base and plant roots into the garden or a pot, water well and let establish in its new home
• (source: edible acres on youtube)

easier to do root division:

best for: perennial herbs, chives, perennial flowers

steps:

• if your plant has multiple stems and the stems feel loose in the soil, you may be able to simply pull up a stem or clump with the roots attached without really digging
• this method has worked for me with chives, mugwort, motherwort, mint, thyme, chamomile, oregano, rosemary, lavender
• if your plant isn’t in loose soil or doesn’t allow you to pull rooted stems out of the soil, you will need to dig up the whole plant
• look for breaks in the root system where stems/stem clusters can be independent from each other
• divide out into the garden or pots of soil, water deeply
• plants might look kind of sad for a week or so, but should spring back once they’ve settled into their new home

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