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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.
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.
pea seeds grow in pods; allow them to dry directly on the pod and harvest once the pod crumbles to sow next year
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
An onion will flower if you leave it in the ground for an extra season. Then, the flowers will form seeds to sow for the next year. In the meantime, other beneficial insects will flock to the onion flowers!
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
Squash seeds are easy to save. Just make sure that no cross-pollination occured if you want them to grow true to type.
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
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
Save some potatoes to sprout and grow next season!
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:
Propagate herbs from 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:
Stool layering allows you to multiply certain plants without much effort
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
Take root divisions to propagate plants, and watch them multiply!
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
