Do you want to start seed saving but don’t know how? Learn how to harvest and save these 5 easy seeds!
Something that I found very overwhelming this year was buying seeds! There are so many varieties and brands to choose from. Do I want a hybrid variety or an heirloom? Do I want to stick to brands that have worked in the past or venture out and try a new brand that may or may not grow well in my garden?
There are so many variables and unknowns when it comes to seeds.
That’s why I made the decision this year to take note of my trusted favourites and then save their seeds to regrow year after year. Seed saving is such an easy way to save money on new seeds every garden season. It’s also one of the oldest ways to ensure that you have food security.
In other words, the more seeds saved this year, the less you have to buy next year!
What is Seed Saving?
Seed saving is the practice of harvesting and collecting seeds and other reproducing parts from plants to re-grow year after year. Some plants have seeds that are easy to collect. Other plants, like potatoes, reproduce in other ways.
Why You Should Start Seed Saving
In a world with scary words and phrases like food shortages and inflation it is never a bad idea to try to be a bit more self-sufficient each year. Saving seeds is one of the ways that I have found to be easily accessible and anyone can do it! Most of the seeds that I am going to show you below can easily be grown in pots, indoors and on balconies!
How Do You Save Seeds?
In this blog post, I will tell you about 5 seeds that you can easily save right now and continue to grow year after year.
Marigolds
Marigolds have become my new favourite flower. Not only are they beautiful, with bright, cheery colours but they are exceptional pollinators. I planted many marigolds in my garden this year and have had many guests come to visit my garden. From honey bees to butterflies and even a hummingbird or two!
Besides the benefits of pollination, marigolds have a place in every medicinal herb garden. Making a marigold salve to rub cuts, bruises, rashes and even light burns can help with inflammation and healing.
Marigold seeds are some of the easiest to save. When a marigold flower has begun to dry up and wither, you can easily pull the seeds out by giving a gentle tug on the wilted blossom. You can dry the seeds to use for later or immediately reseed them in other places. Marigolds grow rather quickly so you should have a new marigold plant within a few short weeks.
Peppers
If you’ve ever cut up a bell pepper, jalapeno or any other type of pepper, you are very familiar with the seeds. Did you know that these are perfect for harvesting and regrowing?
When peppers are ripe, or turn red, you can gather the seeds from inside and plant them in your garden! To harvest the seeds, simply remove them from the pepper and allow them to dry on a paper towel.
Peppers are a staple in most of out meals. Having seeds saved and ready to go for when it is planting time is a must!
Spaghetti Squash and Butternut Squash
From personal experience, spaghetti and butternut squash have the easiest seeds to germinate after harvesting. You could toss a few of these squash seeds anywhere and they will pop up wherever they were dropped!
You can harvest these seeds by removing them from the inside of the fruit, rinsing the flesh off the seeds and then set them aside to dry.
Celery
Celery often gets a bad rap for being harder to germinate and needing more attention as seedlings but it is one of the easiest seeds to harvest. Best of all, they don’t even need to be replanted in order for you to get use from the seeds!
Celery seeds can be germinated and planted in the garden but they can also be eaten as is! Ground celery seeds are commonly sold as seasoning. You can find it on any grocery store spice shelf. It tastes exactly like a celery stalk and is commonly used for soups!
When celery begins to bolt and the flowers turn brown, you can easily just shake the seeds from the flowers and into a waiting bowl.
How to Store Seeds Long Term
Storing seeds long term is the key to their success in germination. Seeds are ideally stored in dry containers where damp air and other elements cannot get to them. Once your saved seeds are fully dry, transfer them into an air tight and waterproof container.
I like to use small glass mason jars or spice jars for mine.
This is beneficial even for seeds that you have purchased in paper packages because the paper can degrade over time.
How to Get Started With Seed Saving
Seed saving is easy and can be done at any time! It may take a bit of trial and error but with practice you can be saving seeds like a pro!
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