Seed Saving & Sowing at Home

How to Save & Sow Your Own Seeds

My seed saving obsession started about five years ago. It was a long late summer and warm dry autumn and the first growing season I had been invovled with Blackhill Club Community Garden, I had always grabbed seeds and thrown them down as reflex when I saw them, but this year there was true intention and spotted them everywhere. I collected them from friends gardens and when out and about if I saw them,

I always ended up with seeds in bags and scraps in my pockets. So much so when I was frisked getting into an outdoor event and asked to explain myself as  clear bag was pulled out of my pocket, I didn't even break a smile or a sweat when replying "My wildflower seeds!"

I'm telling you this as fair warning, once you start it is almost impossible to stop collecting and inevitably sowing seeds. It can become obsessive and over time an ingrained relfex you can no longer control.

I collect seeds for everything, from wildflowers and garden herbs to fruit and vegetables. For this Blog, I am going to mainly look at saving and growing vegetable seeds but the principles are the same generally for collecting flower seeds (with less mess, preperation and much more patience and observation required).

First you are going to need a source of seeds. Whether it is your own growing efforts from your garden or using the fruits of your shopping labour,

I buy organic food so most of my seeds are viable and seem to do well. I know some supermarket food is patented and the seeds are designed to be infertile. (This is a whole other subject that would require much research and investigation to explore further and is simply mentioned for comparison). This means I have had less sucess with supermarket food seeds than organic or home grown,

The process is very simple. save the seeds! So when preparing your food keep the seeds and don't eat or compost them.

I have had success in the past with collecting from Tomatoes, Peppers, Chillies, Squash, Pumpkins, Melon, Peas, Beans and more. be aware though some varieites can cross pollinate and you may not get a true seed. This is the case for squash & pumpkins and brassica varieties.

If collecting from wet food like a tomato I simply seperate the seeds as best I can on paper and leave for a day or two for them to dry out. Melons for example might need a rinse in water then left to dry. In spring these seeds could be sown immediately. Otherwise they will need to be stored for next season.

If collecting from your own growth with something like peas or beans you will have to allow the seeds to dry and store them until ready for them.

Most seeds are best to dry on paper or cardboard in a cool, airy, dry place. They generally prefer the dark but some light doesn't seem to do much damage, Perhaps some varieties are more sensitive than others so as your obsession grows so can you curiosity and experimentation if your are moved that way.

Seeds can take anything from a day or two to a month to dry out. So I would recommend labelling all your seeds as they dry. I normally note they type of seed and the date for my records.

Dried seeds can keep for a few years so having them labelled helps you to keep a good rotation of fresh ones and use them before they spoil. If you plan to save them for a while envelopes work great as they can be stored easily and written on. 

At our Community garden we have a seed box archive which is stored in the fridge and kept cool, dry and dark. Our other seeds are stored in evelopes in drawers in our repurposed vegetable drawers.

Every seed is different and every plant likes different conditions, You will have to research when is best to sow your seeds and what method might work best. There is a wealth of information available online but make sure you consider your location and it's weather when making sowing decisions. Asking local growers might give you more successful advice than the internet.
At the Community Garden we like to try sucessional sowing and using different methods to ensure the most success. At home I try to make an educated guess based on my previous experince with each variety.

There are three main methods for sowing seeds. Direct sowing into your planter or bed, potting or germinating.

Direct sowing is the riskiest method as the enviroment (being external) can not be controlled so you are at the whim of the weather, It does however take less time and materials and means your plants are not disturbed and you don't need to do more with them other than feed and water them.

At the Community Garden we use the square foot planting method along side our direct sowing to make best use of space. We also leave room for random sowing if space is not so much of an issue and we are successionally sowing.

Germinating your seeds means allowing them to begin taking root before planting them out or potting them. This process is the most time consuming but has the highest success rate and you do not waste materials or resources on an unsucessful grow.

Simply put your seed between two layers of paper towel, loo roll or a thin muslin type cloth or fabric. Put it in a tin a and keep wet. Keep the lid on unless checking progress and wait for the first tap root to emerge.

This process can take a few days up to a week. Once your root has began to grow you can then begin the usual process to sow your seed. You have to be very careful not to damage the delicate root when planting though.

When sowing seeds into pots you require the most resources and materials and inital time input, However you do tend to have more success with the results as you can move the plants to more suitable environments as the weather suits and they have all the nutrients and space each seed needs. Time will be required to prepare pots and to plant out but this is the most used method by the gardeners I chat with,

A good seed compost or soft mix of compost, soil and sand is best for seed sowing, You can use anything to sow seeds in, If you have pots and trays use them. If not empty loo rolls work, egg boxes, plastic trays from fruit, yoghurt pots, all sorts of materials can be used to start your seedlings. I wouldn't go any bigger than a fist sized container for the potting method.
Put the soil in the pot, dampen and sow your seeds as it prefers. Different seeds like different depths and conditons. This part you will have to research for your choice of seeds.
Keep a record of what you do so you can refer back and know exactly when and how things were done.

You will need a space that is convenient to get to, as your nurture your seeds. They will need light and water daily. Generally they prefer to be warm, not too hot or not too cold. This is where your potting method helps as you can move your babies to spaces they may prefer.
A usual method is to pop them outside just before they are ready to be planted out to "harden off". This will stop them from being too shocked when they are moved to their final home. You'll know they are ready because they will look big and healthy and they will fill their pots.

Planting out requires a little bit of instinct as well as a keen eye on the weather and knowing your new plants.

In an ideal world you want a warm spell with damp soil and plants full without over filling their pots.
We don't always get what we want so i would go with warm and plant ready over damp (you can always add water). If you wait too long the plant gets too used to the pot and struggles in the ground (in my experience) and if it's too cold the shock doesn't seem to do them much good.

Choose your timing as best you can and have faith in your decison. Once they are out there is no point doubting yourself!

Choose the final position of your plants and space them with the pots prior to starting to dig, to make sure you have plenty of room.

Once they are all in postion they will need to be gentle removed from their pots and dig them in the soil. At our Community Garden we use no dig methods as much as possible which means we disturb the soil as little as possible. We simply make a strong slice with a hand trowel, lever it back and put the plant in the gap before pressing down,

Most gardeners dig a trench, place the plant and press in around the base, We seem to have more success with our no dig methods but you can choose this technique for yourself.

Most plants want a good water in once placed and then can be watered every few days as they prefer.

After a few weeks it is a good idea to start feeding your plants too. We normally feed every two weeks or so. Especially if you want a lovely big yield of fruit or vegetables.

Each variety of plant needs it's own type of care and this is where research and experience can help. Give them lots of attention and they will hopefully reward your efforts.

Everything from the weather to the soil, amount of water variety of seed and when they are planted can all effect how well the plant grows. Our advice would be not to expect perfection, appreciate what you do get and don't be put off trying again if it doesn't work.

Good Luck!