Just let a few beans mature and dry out, and you can call yourself a seed saver! It is exactly what the name suggests... except there is so much more to it. When you save seeds, you are actually saving them!
In a world where so many plant varieties are going extinct, one person who saves seeds
can make a world of difference, and you can be that person! This blog will give you the basics of seed saving from how to plan for saving seeds, to providing resources on saving seeds for specific plants.
Why Do We Save Seeds?
Preserving genetic diversity within our plant world is extremely important. Let's say that you are growing tomatoes, for example. If you are only growing one variety and it is susceptible to a certain disease that is prevalent in any given year, you will have no tomatoes.
Now apply this to more staple crops like corn, beans, many grains, or potatoes and you will have your whole crop wiped out from the disease, just like what resulted in the Irish Potato Famine!
Preserving genetic diversity is not only important so that we have delicious, and fun varieties to grow as home gardeners, but so our food system can plow through challenges that lie ahead. Other factors such as extreme weather, pests, and other environmental factors we can’t predict could also impact the plant's growth and seed production.
Flowers and non-edible plants play their part as well since they are all part of the ecosystem. They are important to things like preventing erosion and providing food and shelter to insects and animals.
We need to keep as much genetic diversity as possible to be able to tackle whatever the future brings! Read on to see how you can get started.
How To Start Saving Seeds
For information on the plants that you want to save seeds for, check out some of the resources at the end of this blog. Here are some general information to get you started:
Determine The Type of Plant
Annuals are plants that will flower and produce seeds in the first year, only lasting for that year
Biennial plants complete their life cycle in two years, where they start to set their seeds in the second year
Perennial plants regrow every year, therefore continuously producing seeds
Seed Production
The time it takes for certain plants to produce seed will also vary. For example, tomato seed is harvested when we eat the ripe fruit, but spinach plants must be left in the ground longer before they flower as the seed matures. Therefore, it is important to plan for your garden accordingly!
Saving seed doesn’t mean that you can’t eat them too! You just can’t eat all of them. With my tomatoes for example, I take the seeds out of the fruits, but I still eat the leftover flesh in salads and sauces. With greens, you can’t harvest the heads, but you can pick a few leaves before they send up a flower start
Easy Seed Saving Crops
Start with some easy to seed saving crops like peas, beans, calendula, poppies, lettuce, and peppers
Most plants produce a lot of seeds, many more than you’ll likely grow! Think about how many seeds you will grow and share with others. Remember: seed doesn’t last forever!
Storing Seeds
Once you’ve harvested your seeds, it’s time to learn how to store it properly so it lasts.
Generally, seeds should be stored in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight (all of mine are stored either in my basement, or bedroom closet). Make sure that the seed is completely dry before packaging up and storing away.
Packaging Seeds
I store most of my saved seed in:
Coin envelopes (my favourite option, available from stationary stores, #1 size is what I use)
Small plastic bags (Cheap, resealable, however I do like to avoid more plastic, and sometimes permanent marker labels wear off)
Glass jars (various sizes, I tend to use only for thing that I have a large quantity of, mostly beans and peas)
The first two options are kept in a reused biscuit tin and sorted alphabetically for ease of finding when it’s time to plant.
Over time, the germination rates of seeds will go down. Tomato seeds stay viable for quite a long time, whereas lettuce and carrot seeds are shorter lived. Plan to prioritize your seed saving to do with what seeds you have and what you will need more of. This is also why labelling your seed packets with the year is so important!
Labelling Seed Packaging
Make sure to keep EVERYTHING labelled! Seeds often look very similar, and you will likely not remember what’s what (I know from experience!). I label all seed packages with the variety name and year saved.
If I’m sharing, I also include my name as the source. You can also add additional labels with variety descriptions (I usually keep notes separately for myself).
Sharing Seeds
Seeds of Diversity Canada (SOD) and Seed Savers Exchange United States (SSE) are both organizations dedicated to conserving biodiversity and seeds. They have many opportunities for exchanging and contributing seeds to the seed libraries.
Seed swaps happen all over the world! In person seed events usually include a seed swap table, as well as seed vendors, local small businesses, and presentations. They’re always full of fellow seed-savers and like-minded people!
Seed Libraries can have different purposes. SSE and SOD both have a goal to preserve as many seed varieties as possible, and to share it around. Smaller seed libraries can be found at botanical gardens and hosted by small businesses. They often have a goal of collecting and sharing as much seed as possible around their community, especially to people who may not have easy access to it.
Seed Saving Definitions 101
Open Pollinated (OP) :
These are varieties that will come true to type if the seed is saved. These plants are pollinated by the same variety, where the seed will grow out to be the same as initially picked.
Heirloom
Any variety over 50 years old, or with a known history of being shared (like a family heirloom). Many people know these varieties have great flavour, since they have withstood the test of time (they must taste good if people have shared the seed around!). All heirlooms are open pollinated, however not all open pollinated varieties are heirlooms.
Hybrid
A hybrid is a cross between two varieties. You have probably seen F1 (aka. first generation) hybrid seeds for sale. If you save seed from a F1 hybrid, which can happen from intentional crosses or naturally, when you grow them out, it will not be the same as the plant from which the seed was first saved.
Cross-Pollination
When pollen from different varieties mix, which could be purposeful if you’re trying to create your own variety, or natural, with pollen travelling by the wind or pollinators. The resulting seed will be a F1 hybrid (see above). Some crops are more likely to cross-pollinate, especially ones with big showy flowers (squash, melon, and cucumber family comes to mind). Use isolation distances or create physical barriers around flowers (tape closed, organza bags), and then hand pollinate to ensure that pollen isn’t mixed up.
Landraces
This type of seed is a mix of many varieties of a certain crop (for instance, 15 varieties of corn), which are grown together, and are allowed to cross-pollinate. The seeds are saved from the overall best plants, and by continually selecting the best every year, you get a diverse variety that becomes adapted to your climate and garden. They are better at meeting any challenges (like pests and disease or drought) because of genetic diversity within the variety.
Start Saving Seeds!
As a gardener, you have the power to do a lot of good, by helping the planet with responsible growing practices, donating extra produce to food banks, sharing plants with those in need, and by saving seeds. In the grand scheme of things, it may just help prevent a repeat of the Irish potato famine. So go out there and save some seeds!
Happy growing and seed saving!
SHOP OUR
ORANIC BIOFERTILIZER
Emma Biggs Biography
Emma Biggs is an 18 year-old gardener and garden communicator. Her passions are growing tomatoes, trying new and unusual crops, and saving seeds. She has raised over 80 tomato varieties in her Toronto garden in 2022 and loves to try weird and wonderful plant projects. Emma speaks at libraries, seed exchanges, garden clubs, and garden events. She is the co-host of The Food Garden Life Show and her latest book is Gardening with Emma. Find out what Emma has been up to recently on Instagram!
As of 2023, Emma has been taking a break from her garden work to spend some time adventuring and travelling. This article was written by Emma in 2021 when she was interning at Nurture Growth Biofertilizer.
Resources
Saving Our Seeds, book by Bevin Cohen (full of practical advice on the how-to of saving seed, plus the stories behind them)
The Complete Guide to Saving Seeds, book by Robert Gough & Cheryl Moore-Gough (covers the basics of seed saving and how-to with 322 different plants)
Seed Savers Exchange, https://www.seedsavers.org/how-to-save-seeds (how-to content, and they host a very large seed exchange)
Seeds of Diversity Canada, https://seeds.ca/sw8/web/home (supports “Seedy Saturday” exchanges across Canada, individual swaps by mail, and has resources on website)
Organic Seed Alliance, https://seedalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/seed_saving_guide.pdf (extensive guide on saving seed)
Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties, book by Carol Deppe (has a small chapter on seed saving, but covers the fantastic next step from saving other varieties created by others... creating your own!)
Landrace Gardening: Food Security Through Biodiversity and Promiscuous Pollination, book by Joseph Lofthouse (A different approach to saving plant diversity, also has a small section on seed saving)
Epic Tomatoes, book by Craig LeHoullier (one of my all-time favourite gardening books, full of awesome tomato info including 3 methods for saving tomato seed, storing seed, and tomato breeding)
The Food Garden Life Show, podcast and radio show hosted by Emma & Steven Biggs (some shameless self-promotion for the show I co-host with my dad). We’ve covered seed saving in many episodes with some great people including:
Getting Ready to Shop for Seeds with Linda Crago (November 3, 2020)
Saving Seeds and the Stories Behind Them with Bevin Cohen (April 13, 2020)
Tasty Tomatoes for Small Spaces: The Dwarf Tomato Breeding Project with Craig LeHoullier (December 17, 2020)
Backyard Breeding: Cold-adapted Watermelon, Red-Podded Peas, Tomatoes with Andrew Barney (November 12, 2020) shop now
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