Comments on: Home Seed Saving and Storage

By: Stephen

Stephen — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 22:12:38 +0000

Good advice, Jan! One of the many reasons we specialize in only heirloom and open pollinated seeds.

By: Jan

Jan — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 18:26:06 +0000

It is imperative NOT TO SAVE HYBRID seeds. Hybrids will breed true only the year they are first planted, which is the planting you are savig the seed from. After that, they will revert to charistics of one parent plant or the other, but will not reproduce what you planted. The old varieties are best and will breed true. Of course, avoid all GMO seeds.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:35:22 +0000

Thanks for the nice mention in your blog! Looks like you are on a similar path as a lot of people, learning to grow some of your own food and helping to create a better local food system. Thanks!

By: Food (produce) Shortage – Don’t Panic – Be Prepared. « Hole in the Fence

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:46:17 +0000

[...] In the meantime growing your own produce such as lettuce, peas, green beans, and spinach, all fast growers, will keep you in greens. Also, buying local at farmers markets and co-ops is always a good thing to do. And when you are buying seeds to plant in your garden buy an extra pack or two now and put them in your freezer to store for future use. You never know about availability of seeds with all this crazy weather. If you have seeds then you always have the ability to grow your own food if need be. This is just insurance. Here is a great blog that explains seed saving. http://terroirseeds.net/113/seed-saving-and-storage/ [...]

By: Stephen

Stephen — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:14:30 +0000

You are absolutely right! We all need to start our own personal, private seed bank.

It doesn’t need to be large, only those varieties that you want to eat on a regular basis. It is much easier and more practical to save seeds from only one or two varieties a year, as this gives you enough time and space to plant a large enough population to ensure the highest quality and enough seed left after removing the less than perfect plants and fruit that results in inferior strains a generation or two down the line.

By: Larry

Larry — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:07:08 +0000

I have been freezing seed for 30 years and am astounded as to how long seed will store and still have a high percentage viability to get started again after 25 or so years. We all need to put some of our local OP corn types in storage as so many are going extinct.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 19:34:39 +0000

Very few people have the time, expertise or space to be able to save most of their seeds, let alone all of them. You are doing the right thing- start small and get some good experience and go from there.

By: Steve B

Steve B — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:16:28 +0000

Good Advice. Although I don’t save all my varieties from year to year, I save the easy ones, and it is very rewarding knowing you did the little work required, and then you get to watch them grow!

By: Bush Chick

Bush Chick — Mon, 10 May 2010 11:03:35 +0000

I have been saving seeds now for the last couple of years and totally agree with your last comments – I am hooked. I have now become a seed collector hoarding new varieties (especially heirloom) from others at any opportunity. It is such a liberating feeling to know exactly the cycles and rythem of the food you eat!

By: Stephen

Stephen — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:39:48 +0000

Start slowly with vegetables that are easy to save- pumpkin, squash, corn, etc. then work up to more involved things if you still enjoy it. Good luck!