How to harvest seeds from the garden and plant them next year

Saving seeds from this year’s crop can save you the expense and hassle of buying seeds for next year’s garden. If you have a particular favorite tomato or green bean variety, saving a few seeds to replant next year means you won’t have to guess which variety you want to plant in the future. However, there are a few ways to make saving seeds easier and more successful.

How to choose suitable plants for harvesting seeds

Choosing the right type of seed to store is the first step. Please note that seeds from hybrid vegetable plants will not necessarily give the same results as the parent plant. This is because hybrids, also known as F1 plants, are the cross-pollination of two different plants with a particular trait. In contrast, open-pollinated plants, also known as OPs, are propagated over several generations to produce predictable results. If you have a surprise, you can try hybrids, but otherwise open pollination is best.

Another thing to keep in mind is that self-pollinated seeds such as peppers, peas, beans, tomatoes, and eggplants are better consistent than plants that require cross-pollination. Pumpkins and other climbing plants, and wind-pollinated plants like corn, are capable of cross-pollination because they require cross-pollination with another plant rather than providing their own genetic material. Cross-pollination can cause unpredictable results at harvest, but if you like surprises, you can try it.

How to harvest your own seeds

Once you’ve selected a few seeds to store, you’ll need to harvest the mature fruit and remove the seeds from the most productive and healthy plants you have. and using its seeds can pass those traits on to offspring. Set aside to dry. Make sure the seeds will germinate if they are not completely dry.

If you want to see how well the seeds germinate, take a few, put them in a plastic ziplock on top of a wet paper towel, and leave them on your windowsill. It will be the approximate germination rate of the seed. This allows us to know how many seeds in a given batch will germinate and grow into plants.

Seed preservation method

After the seeds are dry, you can: Store at 32-41°F Place in a sealed mason jar or paper envelope. Don’t forget to label your container. That way you can remember what the container is when you bring it out to plant next year.