Saving Seeds

All gardeners have to be natural born savers. There is little to do with gardening that doesn't involve some form of saving. Harvesting the fruits of your labors, taking cuttings or digging bulbs is saving. Even protecting plants so they make it through the winter is saving.

The first gardeners probably lived of the land with little thought of saving anything. They harvested what nature grew. They noticed that most plants produced hard structures - seeds - that would last even if the plant died. These were sometimes good to eat and when they were provided with moisture and the right temperatures, they would produce other plants in a new season. Saving seeds provided food and a way to propagate new plants when the need arose. These tiny embryo plants could be stored for long periods and could be easily transported from place to place. These original gardeners stored seeds for much the same reason that we store them today.

Saving seeds is a simple process. Knowing what to save and how to save them takes a more intense knowledge of the intricacies of the plant reproductive processes. I do not save very many seeds from my garden. Seed production is a highly specialized business. I find that purchasing them is easier than trying to save them. I like to try many new varieties, and I cannot save those seeds because they are just being introduced. Purchased seed is tested to assure the customer that it is viable and will germinate when planted.

Why would anyone want to save their own when seed for purchase is so readily available? Some gardeners have favorite varieties not available through commercial sources. Others enjoy propagating plants and feel a sense of accomplishment from having grown their own seed. The more thrifty count their savings from year to year, and , finally, amateur plant breeders save seed as a way of creating new plants.

Before embarking on a seed saving spree, learn something about how plants are pollinated. Most plants pollinate themselves, meaning pollen transfers from the male part of the flower to the female part. Plants that pollinate themselves are self-pollinated while those that fertilize another plant are cross-pollinated. These are hybrids, although this term is normally used for plants produced by a controlled breeding program. In nature only about 4 percent of the seeds produced come from cross pollination. Wind and insects are the most common ways pollen is transferred.

Hybrid seeds result from two parents with different characteristics. The first generation of offspring from these plants may have many desirable characteristics. The seeds they produced usually revert back and show characteristics of the parent plants. Since some parents are used to introduce specific traits into the plant, the resulting offspring is often much different from the original variety.

Other hybrid seeds will not produce viable seeds. These plants are termed "mules.' Just like the offspring of a horse and a donkey, the plants are strong and vigorous. Mules cannot reproduce and neither can "mule' plants. Saving seeds from these plants is a waste of time because they are not capable of germinating.

In nature plants usually have little control as to the ultimate destination of their pollen. While promiscuous is probably the wrong label for these plants, the result is that cross-pollination produces many combinations of genetic material. Squash plants cross very freely and saving seeds often causes many different kinds of squash. Some are interesting but most have fewer desirable qualities when they recombine.

Unlike many seeds from woody plants, annual vegetables and flowers do not need specific climatic or other treatments to grow. The most important consideration is to make certain that the seeds are mature before they are harvested. Immature seeds shrivel and are not viable so they cannot grow.

Most must be dried before they can be stored. Drying also causes internal changes so the seeds can germinate after harvest. Many have built-in mechanisms to prevent germination before drying. This prevents them from germinating inside the fruit even though the moisture and warm temperatures would normally cause the seed to germinate. Sometimes the seed is ready when we normally harvest the produce but this is not always the case. Summer squash, peas, snap beans and corn are harvested for seed long after they would normally be picked for fresh eating.