More Seed Saving Questions

Comments for
More Seed Saving Questions

Daylilies
by: Janet

You talked about hybridizing daylilies, and I'm very excited to try it. But screwed up on the only two blooms left of the season! But nevermind. Real question is: once you've done the pollinating bit, you'll end up with a dying bloom. What do you do then?

sub-zero chilling or refigeration
by: Anonymous

once i save the seeds how do i know if they need a period of cold before they will germinate...can you recommend a good website that may list more common perennials that need this treatment for successful germination
thanks

Storing Poppy seeds
by: Marion

I just collected the seeds heads from both icelandic and oriental poppies that come up beautifully every year in my garden. I am giving the seed heads to a friend who has admired my poppies. I have some seeds and some seed heads stored in paper mailing envelopes. Should the seeds be kept in the seed head or should I break open the dried seed head to release the seeds. When I give them to my friend, how should I advise they be stored and when should they be planted. It seems to me that since my poppies reseed themselves that the seeds could be planted now to imitate that process, but perhaps it is better to wait until spring?
Thanks for all you do to help us gardeners who continue to learn...

Great Job Mayo!
by: Barbara

You have already enlightened me with you answers and statements on seed saving. Please, keep up the good work (though I know actual gardening is more fun).

fermentation?
by: Anonymous

Fermentation???? Okay, the sound you are hearing is me bonking my head against the computer screen...one more thing I know nothing about. Please provide a detailed description of this process. And I hope you are planning to provide a more complete listing of the vegetables seeds that you can save to plant when you eat the vegetable vs those that you need to let basically rot by themselves in the garden before you save them. Speaking of which, would you rinse off the gunk of those rotted ones before storing them? Or since fermentation apparently is a good thing, do you just save the whole pile of yucky gook? Is it okay then to freeze the gunk til the following spring? Yup...the more I know the dumber I feel some days...

seed saving
by: Cheryl

what would you use for saving the seed in? small plastic bags? paper towels? small jars?

would using a moisture trapper (like used in beef jerky? or other types of food) in the container with the seed be ok?

Do they need to be kept in the refrigerator until used in the spring? or just at room temp.?

thanks,

Cheryl

seed saving
by: Bonnie

I agree that this is a good start but more detail would be helpful, esp re fermentation.
Thanks for all your hard work on this.

excellent
by: John

Very good. lots of good response to your initial information on seed saving. I have saved bush bean seeds for several years with very good results. Just let the bean pods mature and fairly dry up and shell the bean seeds.

The tomatoe seed saving was very interesting and I did not know of the fermentation technique. New information.

Covering seed savings now and starting seeds in another session makes sense to me.

Seeds of all kinds
by: Heather B.

Very informative, thanks! I've heard of the fermentation process but never heard how to do it, so that would be interesting. Also, Can you give us specifics on how to save many different types of seeds, vegetable and flower? Thanks for your hard work!

Fermentation
by: barbsgarden

Now I am even more interested in saving seeds, and planting more heirloom varieties in order to save more seed! Thx Mayo.
Detail fermentation process?
Storage temps for various seeds?
How long to dry/cure seeds before storage?
Best fruit & vegi. varieties to save?
Thanks again. everything is very helpful!

containers for seeds
by: Sally Bowen

I find that unused weekly church envelopes are an ideal size for most seed saving. I have friends who make a once/year donation to a church and get the weekly envelopes. They are passed on to me and put to good use. (Remember to write on the envelope - before filling - name of plant and year of harvesting.) then scotch tape firmly.

Bank envelopes are fine too, but you have to swipe those.

Thanks!
by: Sally Bowen

Please describe the fermentation process for saving tomato seeds.

The answers are clear and concise and just what I need.

Storing collected seeds
by: Elaine

Hi Doug:
What type of container is best to store the seeds in? Where in our homes could we store them and at what temperature should they be kept at.

Seeds
by: pearls

Thanks for the idea of saving tomato seeds in a napkin, i have travelled and seen some tomatoes that had a blackish colour and i serched everywhere for the seeds and could not find them, if only i had thought of that i would have eaten one less, , another thing, when storing seeds can you place them in the refrigerator , or is it best to kep them at room temp. Thanks Doug and Mayo

seed saving
by: Anonymous

very interested in learning more

fermentation & self cleaning plants
by: marilyn

Like others I'm clueless about fermentng seeds and how to do it. Some plants like melampodium are a bit hard to tell when ready to harvest--do I wrap nylon or something around branches to catch sed?

Seed Saving Idea #1 -"Open pollinated"
by: Nannagrandma

What is open pollinationation as opposed to ???????
How long can you save seeds? I collected some a few years ago but have not used them.
Do some last longer than others? The bigger -the longer?
Thanks Mayo- for any information you wish you pass along.

How to store seed properly
by: Rondi

I liked the first installments of questions and answers. I've never saved seed, never wanted to, but now you've peaked my interest! That was very helpful general information to help me get started. I chuckled though when Mayo said to "store the seed properly". And what constitutes properly? In an envelope? In a plastic bag? In the refrigerator? Or a dry cool but not freezing garage?

Quantity versus Quality
by: Candi

May I assume that you want to save as many seeds as possible because some aren't going to make it? In the past, I have found that seeds will get mold on them. Obviously, they weren't dry enough when I stored them. Any hints on how to tell when they're ready to be stored or preferred drying methods in general?

seed too dry
by: Anonymous

Is it possible to get seeds too dry?

seed vs chaff
by: Anonymous

That was a very useful answer; hadn't thought of looking for consistent shapes to find the seeds. Excellent.

tomato seeds
by: Anonymous

OK, now I'm confused. I thought that one dried the seeds before saving... presumably tomato seeds saved on a paper towel get dried, no? So I don't understand how the gel sack (which used to have moisture in it) can affect the state of the dried seed. Is it that tomato seeds cannot /will not be dried completely unless allowed to ferment first?

Seed saving
by: Judy

How do you know when your seeds are completely dry and ready for storage?

What's the best thing to store them in? Are ziplock bags ok?

When saving seeds from plants other than tomatoes, how do you tell the healthiest ones from the poorer ones?

I've never heard of the fermentation method for saving tomato seeds but since it's the better method to use, I'd like to know how it's done.

Thank you, Doug and Mayo, for all you do! I've learned so much and I need all the help I can get down here in the heat and clay soil of zone 8.

fermentation process for tomatoes, etc
by: Sapphi

What exactly is the process to follow for fermentation?

I have eggplants on the vine that I know are no longer edible. (They turned yellow before I thought they were large enough to eat.) I left them there so the plant wouldn't try to bloom again until it cools off. (I'm the SW desert person.) How do I harvest those eggplant seeds?

Fermentation
by: June

VERY helpful. I have never heard of the fermentation method. Guess that I have a lot more to learn than I thought. And I will be using the info for saving tomatoe seeds from an heirloom tomatoe that my dad says came from Russia.

seed saving
by: Linda B

I have just started trying to save seeds in the last year or so. I thought I had a lot of seeds of a plant and discovered they were not seeds at all.
Thanks for helping us learn to do it right.

LB

Click here to add your own comments

Doug Green