Seed saving is a tradition worth reviving in the garden. The joy of growing a plant that has fully adapted to your specific region is a delight! Another reason is to preserve a unique variety of plant that can be found nowhere else.
As an organic farmer, I find myself growing my seeds for food and not seed most of the time. I like to support other seed savers and reputable seed companies instead, like Seed Savers Exchange or Johnny’s Selected Seeds. That all changed this year, when I heard the news. My favorite seed company was no longer selling one of the signature greens in my salad mixes. Firecracker lettuce, has this deep red that I have been unable to find in any other lettuce, and the flavor is incredible!
It was time to start seed saving, I wasn’t going to stop growing one of my favorite lettuces! In the video below, we will transplant the firecracker seedlings into a pot and talk about seed saving practices. This snippet is from the free 33-week High Performance Garden Show.
Are you interested in seed saving? The first step is to what type of seeds you are starting from so you can have clear expectations for the seed saving journey. So many people have asked me about which seed varieties are best for their garden and safe for their family. Seeds are wonderful packets of living history that with the right care and understanding can yield so much!
Heirloom (or open pollinated) seeds are one of the best seeds to save. They are genetically steady and will continue to produce seeds that are like the original seed.
Hybrid seeds are a cross between two inbred parents. This is most often done in a tech lab or a controlled environment. This controlled cross will allow scientists to predict the traits of the offspring. When searching for seeds, generally you will find F1 seeds (first generation). These are an adventure to save. They have recessive genetics that will make for surprises in the generations to come!
With the plant that you are seed saving for, there are many different approaches. On my farm I will not harvest the plants I want to go to seed. In a garden, you can simply allow for your plants to naturally go to seed, make sure that you store the seeds soon afterwards! A great place to save them is in the freezer, they will last much longer there. Otherwise, a cool, dry and dark room should do.
What seeds will you start saving? I hope this article has inspired you to get started.
If you would like to see what happens in the Firecracker saga, sign up for the free 2016 season of the High Performance Garden Show. This real time gardening show is a great place to learn organic, weed free, productive and organic gardening techniques.
Sign up for the Free High Performance Garden Show to get started.
If you like this idea, be sure to share it with your friends and inspire someone you know. Anything becomes possible with just a little inspiration…
