Free Garden Catalogs

How do I dry out/preserve my own seeds for the next years garden?

I want to save the seeds from my garden this year (2011) to grow next year (2012) but I don't know how. I tried last year & failed miserably. If it helps this is the bulk of what we grow, cucumbers, tomatoes, honey dew, carrots, peas, corn, lettuce, cabbage, potatoes, green (I think it was green) beans & brussel sprouts. I'm sure there was more but I can't remember it all now.

Public Comments

1. Spread them out on a sheet of paper until dry, Store in a cool, airy place in paper (not plastic) bags until they are needed. In plastic bags they tend to go mouldy. Oh, and label the bags carefully!
2. To save seed you have to let the plants flower and make sure the seed are ripe. Clean and dry them then keep them in a cool dark place until spring. The plants you mentioned are very likely to be F1 hybrids so won't come true from seed anyway.
3. Tomatoes, cucumbers, melons are easy. Just save some of the seeds from inside the fruit. Wash the pulp off, set them out to dry (don't use heat), and store in an envelope. Peas and green beans are easy, too. Let a handful of pods ripen and dry right on the vine. Then take them off when they've turned brown, store in an envelope. Ditto for corn. Potatoes - just keep some potatoes, and in the spring, cut them into a few piece, leaving 2-3 "eyes" on each chuck, and plant the chunks. Lettuce you'd have to let go to flower and seed. So pick one plant to let grow, and not harvest. Brussels sprouts and cabbage I'd have to look up - but again, you'd have to grow a plant and not harvest to allow it to mature. Carrots are biennials. Don't harvest the ones you want to grow seeds from - leave in the ground. The second year, the plant will put up a flower stalk, and the seeds follow. Looks a lot like fennel or queen anne's lace.
4. most all the vegetables you list will not come true from the seed you would collect, they have been so hybridized you have to buy new seed or buy only heirloom varieties. clean these seeds of all vegetable material, you don't want bits of tomato, cucumber or such on seeds, dry excess water then spread the seeds to dry on dry paper in dry place out of direct sun. potatoes save some and cut them in chunks to grow new vines from the eyes on potatoes.
5. Only buy heirloom plants or seeds, or you won't be happy, and when you get them google the directions for the specific plant. All are different