Just like growing your own food, saving your own seed is another great way to ensure you are in control of your own food supply, from seed to seed! Saving seed from plants grown in your own garden also ensures that the plants are adapted to your growing environment. This means the plants you grow from saved seeds have a better chance of doing well in your garden and particular growing climate. This is also why I'm a big proponent of buying local seeds to begin with!
There is a bit to learn and it can be overwhelming at first, but just like learning to garden let's start with the basics and the easiest things to save, then you can use the resources to find books with more information on advanced seed saving techniques. First, let's start with a general guide on which types of seed you can save and the easiest seeds to save:
Which Seed Types Can you Save?
Save seed from open pollinated & heirloom plants
Save seeds from plants that are self-pollinating (see list below) or follow guidelines to separate plants of different species
Plants that are wind or insect pollinated can easily cross pollinate (squash family, corn, etc.) and will need to be isolated or hand pollinated and bagged
Hybrid (F1) seed will NOT grow true to the original variety*
Check your seed packet or plant label before saving seeds - if your plant is a hybrid variety (usually has an F1 after the name), the seeds saved from that plant WILL NOT grow true to variety. Save seeds only from open pollinated or heirloom varieties.
Easy Seed to Save – START HERE 😊
Lettuce | Arugula, bok choi, other greens |
Kale, Collards | Legumes: Beans & Peas |
Swiss Chard | Nasturtiums, Calendula, Sunflower, Marigold, Poppy |
Dill, Cilantro (most herbs) | Garlic |
Pepper (and most Solanaceae family) | Tomato* |
*Tomato seed requires rinsing to remove the wet membrane that protects the seeds from sprouting. Here's a great video from GrowVeg on how to save tomato seeds.
A Note About Pollination
Many of the above plants are self-pollinating. They pollinate themselves so don’t share pollen (DNA) with other plants, making for better chances of getting seed that grows “true” to the original variety. For example: Tomatoes have flowers that have both male and female parts so the flowers pollinate themselves. They do not require bees or wind to bring pollen from a male flower to the female flower. Although, occasionally a bee can cross pollinate a tomato, but it doesn't happen very often.
Plants that have separate male and female flowers are pollinated by bees or wind and can cross pollinate with other plants in the same genus, therefore the seeds may NOT grow true to type unless isolation methods are used.
Some plants that cross pollinate include:
Cucurbit family (squash & cucumbers)
Corn
Spinach
Plants that have separate male and female flowers are pollinated by bees or wind and can cross pollinate with other plants, therefore the seeds may NOT grow true to type unless isolation methods are used.
Ok, now you're ready to save some seeds! Here's a general How To guide with more resources listed below.
Seed Saving How To
ONLY SAVE SEED FROM THE BEST plants/fruits
Leave seed heads on the plant to fully mature & dry (i.e. kale, beans, peas) and let fruit fully ripen on the vine (tomatoes, cucumber, squash, etc) – ensures seed maturity
Remove seeds from seed pod/fruit. Let dry fully at room temperature. Keep ventilated.
Label and date the seeds (note variety and year harvested)
Store indoors in a place where temperatures do not fluctuate much (no humid areas like kitchens). Store in sealed Rubbermaid containers with dessicant packs to reduce moisture.
ONLY SAVE SEED FROM THE BEST plants/fruits: Save the biggest and best to ensure the seed will grow strong plants. It's hard to let the biggest cabbage in your garden go to seed (versus eating it), but things like Kale that you can harvest from all season and still save the seeds from are easy!
Lettuce Seed Harvesting Pictures and Video
Above: Slide through the images to see the stages of lettuce bolting/going to flower and setting seed. In the first image you see the first stages of a lettuce plant bolting. It starts to grow vertically and develop a thick stem. Leaves will change shape and become very bitter. You will see tiny flowers emerging at the top. Image 2 and 3: The seed heads are fully developed and ready for harvesting. Image 2 is ONE lettuce plant - with hundreds of seeds. You will never need to buy lettuce seed again!
Below: video of harvesting and threshing the lettuce seed heads in a paper bag. I usually harvest the seeds into the bag and then let them continue to dry in a cool dark place in the house for a week or so before threshing and storing the seeds.
Bolting: The process a plant goes through when it makes a flower and sets seed
Let it go!
Make the bees happy and let your plants go to flower and set seed, even if you don't intend on saving the seeds. Birds will eat the seed all winter long!
FREE PLANTS - Many plants will self-seed (like lettuce, chamomile, arugula, borage, nasturtium, calendula & more)
Experiment with seed saving from different plants and crops
Resources for Further Learning
More seed saving information:
Uprising Seeds – UprisingOrganics.com: One of my favorite local seed companies with seed saving information right on their seed packets!
Seed Savers Exchange – SeedSavers.org
Gardening books on seed saving:
The Resilient Gardener & Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties, by Carol Deppe
Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners, 2nd Edition, by Susan Ashworth
Garden Consultations and Coaching
I help gardeners learn to grow! An in-person garden consultation can really increase your learning and your garden health and success. Email Marni today at GrowingRootsTogether@gmail.com for a FREE 15 minute phone call to discuss your garden and learning goals or submit your contact info on my website using the button below.
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