Preserving Those Seeds
Preserving seeds may just become more important again. With food costs on the rise, and the economy up in the air, saving a few seeds for next years garden may not be a bad idea.
I save seeds every year from my favorite varieties of tomatoes, peppers, several flowers, and gourds.
Some seeds are a little trickier to preserve than others, because they can cross pollinate with other varieties. Corn, and squash need to be separated or they will cross pollinate, and the plants you get from your seeds may not resemble the parent.
Peppers and tomatoes are easy to save and grow from seeds. Many of the best varieties have been handed down from generation to generation. Some of my favorite tomatoes are originally from seeds my dad gave me many years ago.
Every year I save some seeds from one or two of the best tomatoes. I spread the seeds out on a paper towel and let them air dry. Then I put them in a plastic bag or air tight container until January or February, and plant them for the next season’s crop.
Peppers can be saved the same way. Smaller hot peppers can be dried whole, and stored in plastic bags, or glass jars with lids until you’re ready to plant them.
It might be worth the time and effort to preserve a few seeds this fall, to save money on your garden next spring.
Have you ever tried preserving your own seeds for next years garden? How did it work out for you? What’s your favorite variety to save?
Other seed saving resources:
Seed Sewing Tips for Small Seeds
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219 Comments
I don’t have a garden space (one of the many unfortunate issues of living in a condo), but we save seeds for my mom and in-laws from time to time if we have some fantastic produce from the farmer’s market. My favorite result from seeds collected is a peach tree in my mom’s backyard that grows fabulous juicy peaches from a Colorado peach pit we had. Yumm….
this is the 1st yr. I’ve tried saving my own seed. I saved lettuce & okra & several varieties of gourds. So next year we’ll see how it goes.
I have never tried to preserve seeds before. I think I am going to have to try it though. Sounds interesting.
We have saved seeds from plants for decor but not food. I may have to start doing that as well.
I live in an apartment. Does anyone have any suggestions for me so that I can start a garden?
Luckily our flowers come back every year and this is the first year we are going to try a vegetable garden, so I am going to save some of the seds from the veggies we bought at the farm. Thanks!
My favorite way to save seeds is in the compost pile and wait to see what “volunteers” next year. (grin) I am going to save some yellow mini plum tomatos from this year. Those babies PRODUCED!!
I never been able to get results from keeping seeds, will be trying it again though.
My grandmother was really good at banking seeds, but I am terrible at it.
My husband likes to take the tomatoes that were past their prime and throw them all into one of raised beds. Then in the spring we can weed out the volunteers or move them around as needed.
Hmmm, I’ve never tried this; however, I’m thinking I want to start growing a few things, especially herbs (basil, mint, maybe rosemary and thyme) I’ll probably stick to containers because we have a mole in our yard that we canNOT catch! blech!
Eggplant! Many thanks…..Cindi
I love saving my seeds year to year, it saves me so much money and its a lot of fun growing seedlings!
I tried so hard this year to grow my own herbs and they failed miserably in the hot Arizona sun.
neat idea
if anything that I planted actually had grown I would of tried this
Hmmm. . don’t have much success, except with flowers. They seem to like me. Thanks for the contest.
I haven’t ever planted any food – but this year i would like to try.
I should try preserving seeds. I have heard of this before
Brilliant idea! I have a to do list ready to go. Thanks.
I’ve never tried saving veggie seeds for next year. Maybe I will start doing that. I do save seeding flower and bush seeds, i.e., Rose of Sharon.
I’m sure my gradmother saved seeds but it’s new to me. I’d like to try.
Great tips, I’ll have to tell my dad about that since he’s the gardener in the family.
I don’t grow a garden, but this is a great idea. Thanks.
I wish I had room for a garden,I would like to try growing things from my own seeds.
OH BOY
I’ve never preserved my seeds, but very well may now.
Last year we tried to save our seeds, but didn’t have much success. We’re giving it a try again this year. We started with a small amount, and we plant them in a small area of our garden. Hope this works!
I am not much of a green thumb. I have killed cactus in the past.
i have a brown thumb
I haven’t preserved any seeds besides the pumpkin seeds every year, which do very well!
Very interesting.
I have been saving my flower seeds. We will see what happens…..Thank you
i would like to try growing from seed this may be the year
The best tomato plant I ever grew was a volunteer that sprang up next to my shed. No weeding, no watering, produced so much I was giving away bagfuls!
I save flower seeds but I never thought of saving tomato seeds. I’m guessing that you would get better seeds if you saved them from tomatoes at the peak of the plant. I’ll definitely try this next year if I get some good ones.
I’d love to win!
This would be fun. Thanks for the chance.
My boyfriend and I preserved some seeds this year from some wild foods and annual flowers. I think seed preservation is a great practice. Great blog!
I really want to start growing some basic veggies that we eat regularly. I think preserving seeds is a great idea to help you each season.
I think preserving seeds is an excellent idea. I , however, have not had much success. I will try, try again though.
I just have a balcony but plant as much out there as possible – I keep seeds of my tomatoes. It’s just tricky to get the slimy stuff onto the papertowel and then OFF again!
Thanks
My Dad was a great gardner, we had a garden in the back yard and one at the community plot and every year seeds were saved. Dad had trays that were just framed with screening and these were used to dry seeds. Besides this our kitchen window was always covered with post of herbs year round. As for the little mole, he airates your soil. Just plant a little extra for him. My dad always planted a patch of lettuce and greens away from the main garden in a kind of secluded area for the rabbits and moles and sure enough the rabbits and moles preferred it every time. They could munch and not be bothered by people.
We planted our first veggie garden this year and I love it! And I love surprises – count me in!
Thanks for the tip will start saving seeds
Every year I save my heirloom tomato seeds.
I like growing beefsteak tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, parsley, and chives.
I’ve never had any luck planting saved seeds, but I’m going to try it again.
I love to plant seeds with my daughters and see their excitement at every first little sprout!
I have never saved my seeds, but I am going to start-it’s a great idea!
We plan to put in a good sized garden this spring so saving seeds is something I need to learn how to do.
I have saved seeds from plants that I’ve loved and planted them the next year, peppers, cucumbers, peas, watermelons, even loofahs (fun to grow). Thank you!
I have never tried to preserve seeds but I think it sounds like a great idea.
Want to Win.
We’ve had very good luck with saving gourd and melon seeds.
I would just love to start a garden. Too bad my gardening skills are so lacking. Maybe some year I will give it a try again.
I have never tried saving my own seeds. I always buy tomatoes in the spring as plants and then replant them. I have never had much luck trying to grow tomatoes from seeds. Maybe I’ll try with seeds from this last plant since it grew really good tomatoes.
I love growing plants.
Thank You for the Nice giveaway, Hope to win!!!
I saved the seeds from my beefsteak tomatoes and planted them.Turned out great.
I saved seeds from my longstorage tomatoes and got a good crop the next year.
I came across a wonderful pepper this year and was so tempted to try and save the seeds but I had no idea how to do it. I am going to look for more and try your hint.
I’ve only had luck with pumpkins & watermelons so far but here’s hoping something else will take next time!
I love gardening. I love my green beans and tomatoes the best! They make a fantastic salad with mozzerella and vinegar!
Please let me join into the blogtoberfest fun!!
I’ve never tried this before — thanks for the advice!
Great prize, whatever it is!
Cubanelle pepper and tomato seeds.. they dry up and preserve well for me and grow great plants the next season.
We save some tomato seeds every year. Our family has been growing them for years.
interesting. didn’t dawn on my to try this. I had my very first garden this year.
I have NEVER been able to grow seeds!
my mother is a seed saver and sharer.
Tomato seeds is what we have saved, sometimes it works out great and other well not so great.
we save them just to see
No garden here but would love to have one eventually
Well this info came in real handy, we grew tomatoes and peppers mostly. Thank you for that.
What a great idea to preserve seeds!! In these economic hard times there are so many of us that could benefit from this! Thank you for the contest!
We’re moving into our first home soon and I can’t wait to use these tips!
Have a great day.
Sounds very interesting!
Haven’t saved seeds, but after planting a tomato this season that was not what the label stated, I may try that,
I have never tried preserving seeds, but sounds like a very good idea!
haven’t saved seeds, but will save the tips for next year. thanks!
I would love to start growing veggies in my own garden.
I save seeds for my son
Great idea , I have only tried flower seeds
i have never tried, i am afraid I would forget where I put them, or I would kill them along the way (unfortunalty I don’t have a green thumb, but I am trying to learn as I go)
So timely! Just last week I harvested zinnia and hollyhock seeds!
I love plants, but have not had luck growing from seed.
We didn’t get to plant a garden this year. I missed having homegrown tomatoes, beans, and squash. We have never saved seeds. I will have to try it next year. Thanks!
SWEET
Surprise me.
I would love to grow tomatoes, but we moved into a condo so the only way I could do it, is in a pot on the patio.
I think I wull try it next year!
i never have kept seeds but i’m thinking above it
I’ve saved some basil seeds from this year’s plant–we’ll see if they come up next spring! Thanks for the contest!
Great site…
My son made a book telling about seeds. We used a bunch of real seed packets. After grading, we planted the seeds and most grew. Veggies all summer.
great contest!
Thanks for the great tip!
cjnedrow@gmail.com
I wish I could keep up a garden!
When ever I eat something that is great, I try to save the seed. One-person watermelons, really crispy cukes, watery bright orange melons, but so many times the seeds start to mildew or I forget which seed is which.
you have to. love the seed pods that pop open when you touch them
I have grown herbs, with some success.
Sweet niblets!
I save flower seeds but I have never tried saving vegie seeds
Sounds great. Thanks
Please enter me!
We currently have about 100 volunteer tomato plants in our garden-too bad I don’t have a greenhouse.I’d love to have homegrown tomatoes in the winter.
Great tips thanks!
please enter me thank you
We plant tomatoes every year and have never saved the seeds. I will be saving them next year.
What a great way to save some cash. I’m definetly going to try this.
Don’t have garden space here.but i do sometimes save seeds for my brother in law, then I get to share some of the produce
I will be having an herb garden soon so this is some interesting advice!
thanks so much!
suzystars9[at]gmail[dot]com
Okay – this is why I love to visit blogs – I learn so much!! I never thought of preserving seeds for our garden. I am a smart person with too much on her plate, LOL! The thought just never occurred to me and I thank you so much for sharing your tips with me (us)! I do have a garden and now I am going to look at my garden game plan for next year in a whole new light! On another note – Did I mention that I love surprises! Giveaways are fun and the surprise aspect allows you to dream and wonder with anticipation. Thank you for participating in Blogtoberfest!
THERE ARE SOME REALLY GOOD IDEAS I WILL TRY
I save my seeds for my friend. Unfortunately, we do not have anywhere to plant a garden.
Thanks for the contest!
I just toss the seeds out in one area and harvest the volunteers. I get lots of cherry tomatoes but not many big ones. Can’t figure out why.
Great site.
I have never tried saving seeds, although I remember my grandmother doing this. She also saved egg cartons, before they were styrofoam, and used these as starter containers for her saved seeds. When the plants began to grow, she would cut each individual section and plant it outside.
a vote for obama is a vote for the seeds of change
My mother likes to save seeds,dry them and store away for spring planting.I am not that inspired.Maybe somsday i will.
My tomatoes failed miserably this year, have no idea why.
count me in please
please enter me!
Thanks for the info. I think I will try saving some seeds next year.
would love to be entered.
No, I have never done that. I just don’t have a green thumb.
I’ve always had a difficult time growing from seed. But after a move from the East Coast to the West Coast, I wish I had brought some of the seeds I had with me. This was the first time in years I didn’t have any Tabasco peppers in my garden, and not for lack of trying to locate them.
I still have johnny jump ups that my grandmother gave me seeds from her own garden years ago. No matter how many moves we have a piece of her with us.
i didn’t know you could do that, I am not a gardener, but next spring my daughters and i are going to try….fingers are crossed.
Good information, might try it.
Thanks for all the information on seeds! Help me alot!
This is the first year I have tried this but had some great heirloom tomatos I want to try and grow next year,
Thanks for all the great info!
The only thing I have successfully saved are marigold seeds. Those are easy!
i havent but i would love to
We do save seeds for the next years garden. Squash, tomato, cucumber, eggplant. And all the flower bulbs are dug up and put in the cellar. My husband has a great garden every year, and enough for the neighbors too!
Thanks for sharing this. I do have a garden, but i have never preserved seeds before….
I try every year to have my garden, but every year I fail. The good news is that it does get better each year. I will keep trying until I get it right.
Thanks for the tips! I’ll be passing them on as well!
I’ve never preserved my seeds, but what a great idea!
Thanks for the nice giveaway
great site
Very interesting.
We’ve always saved marigolds — it saves so much money…..
I saw a tv program about banking seeds and it was really interesting.
i used to try and plant seeds when i was a kid, i don’t think they grew into anything…yet!
We saved the seeds from a variety of flowers. We shared them with friends and family members.
I work a lot of hours, and my Mother is an avid gardener, so if I have a particularly great tomato, pepper or other vegetable or fruit I love (like the bags of sweet peppers from Costco), I am sure to put the seeds in a baggie and bring them to her; she dries them out, and grows them for me the next spring. After they are beginning to produce, she brings me many plants in pots so I can have them fresh, too. Every spring I buy her the red Solo cups, and she grows hundreds of seedlings from the tomato and pepper plants’ seeds we all save (and I buy) for her, and I take them to the local Community Pantry; she says although she is disabled, this is her way of enticing others to grow to love gardening, too. Over the years, we have heard feedback that many of the recipients have eaten the fruits over the summer, and were quite successful, and some are now gardening because of her!
I have never preserved seeds before. I’ll have to try doing that. Thanks.
We do some container planting – peas, carrots, and strawberries this year.
we are trying to preserve pepper seeds
I enjoy gardening! And I love surprises! I would love to win! Thanks so much for the giveaway!
I have never tried to preserve seeds. You can always learn something new…Thanks for the info and please enter me!
I have saved flower seeds but never vegetables.Too late this,I will try it next year though.
I don’t have a lot of time or energy for real gardening right now, but lots of stuff grows great in containers on the back porch or patio. Next year I’m going to expand my efforts and grow more than tomatoes.
Fantastic! I love surprises!
Very helpful info. I am not much of a gardener but we like to grow tomatoes. Hoping to have a big garden one day if we ever get to move.
I am a seed saver and sharer.
Thank you for the great information
Great idea. Now if I can just keep the stray cats and other critters away from my garden.
Saving flower and veggie seeds, are always a wonderful way to reflect also upon the past and the present/future as reflection of our lives during the past, present, future growth rates usually compare to those times in our lives. Gardens are our own life reflections. Thank you!! SW
I got some tomato plants back from seeds this year. Sweet 100’s. They were great.
And always zinnias..they are best from seeds.
[...] Preserving Those Seeds [...]
I love this idea. I have never done it but I know my mother saves flower seed and cucumber seeds.
I plant a small garden every year, and this never crossed my mind, but from now on I will give it a try.
We have deer who delight in all gardening efforts in the neighborhood. Hoping to preserve some flower and herbal seeds for use in the protected patio area. Thanks
never thought of preserving seeds..very neat
Neat tip – I don’t garden.
I used to save seeds and lately have been thinking I need to do it again. Thanks for the great information and refreshing my memory.
I remember my parents saving seeds to preserve favorite varities of seeds.
[...] Preserving Those Seeds [...]
Great Tip
My mom and dad were always good with seeds but not me, oh well try and try again, great giveaway.
Heirloom seeds are an important gift to the next generation.
I save Nasturtium seeds every year, but am going to try to start saving more! Thank you for the giveaway.
I love watching seeds germinate. It’s fascinating and such a miracle!
We haven’t saved seeds from our veggie garden but now I’m inspired! I still have tomotoes on the vine as we haven’t had a hard freeze yet so I’m going to give it a try. We do save flower seeds though. My favorites to save are morning glory seeds…the wonderful colors I get each year are amazing!!
My Dad was so good at gardening. Hubby has grown some wonderful tomatoes and a couple other veggies but this year I will be helping him. We shall see how it goes. If we have some good veggies I plan on trying to save the seeds.
We take seeds from what we’ve grown this year and put in a dry place for next year…some seeds we store in our freezer…
Is there hope for my black thumb?
Count me in
I’ve tried saving seeds, but mine usually don’t grow! Wish I knew how.
oinkmoobaa (at) yahoo (.) com
neat I started thinking about seeds the other day. I have been getting my back yard ready for a big garden in the spring. I saved flower seeds this year which i have been doing for a long time but I am thinking vegetables this coming year and i can’t wait!!
I like to plant things
Saving seeds is very important if they come from REAL plants, not hybrids. With all the hybrids and laboratory creations now…the average person will not have access to normal seeds if they are not growing the plants and saving the seeds each year. Some day, those very seeds may save your life in a time of famine, which seems more plausible each year. Great reminder from your story! Thank you!
more power to people who grow their own food
ive been planting the same pumpkin seeds for years now
i dont have much luck with seeds i usually buy the seedlings
What Julianne said.
Also it seems like the surest way to get predictable results, since the seeds will normally produce replicas of the previous crop. With purchased seeds, you’re really taking chances.
My father in law plants a huge vegetable garden for our family every year.
Thanks for the giveaway – I love surprises!
My formerly green thumb was a little bit brown this year. Next year will be better!
I never been able to get results from keeping seeds.
I never preserved seeds and now I really want to.
I would love to do the whole seed&garden thing!!
I only have a very small plot where I keep mint and oregano. They come back every year so I don’t save the seeds. Thanks for the contest.
We regularly save peas and beans and some types of flowers, but I’ve been thinking about trying to save a wider variety of seeds.
This is such a great idea, I love to garden anyway… this is just taking it a step further!
I have always wanted to do this with our sunflower seeds but we’ve always leaving the seeds for the birds.
Thanks…
I’d love to win!
I’ve been a seed saver (and even snatcher) for years. Mostly flowers and herbs for my garden. I’ve been known to carry small ziploc bags in my purse and snatch some seed pods when I’m out and about in the neighborhood!
Thanks for hosting the surprise giveaway. Hope to win.
A neighbor once gave me marigold seeds from her own plants and then was amazed at how huge they grew in my yard. They never got that big for her. I chalked it up to the rich black soil that I planted them in.
I have a garden and this year had some “volunteer” green beans that planted themselves. They were so amazing. They provided me with green beans all summer so I saved the seeds.
This year I had a very large garden, part of it had flowers..part vegetables.. Everynight after work thats where I can be found…watching my garden grow
I have never tried to preserve seeds before, but I think I need to start. With the economy the way it is, I am thinking this may be the only way we are going to get our fresh veggies.
Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this giveaway!
Any surprise is a good surprise, right? Please enter me, ty
Groovey!
I love to garden, but have never saved seeds before. However they are getting very expensive, so it may be a good idea to do so. I can remember my parents, years ago, saving seeds from the biggest pumpkins and squash for the next year’s planting and they always grew lots of those to store for the winter months in the cold basement. Thanks for having the contest, I love surprises.
I don’t have a garden space.
Good tip, but I live in an apartment so no garden
Thanks for the giveaway!
I used to save my tomato and pepper seeds. It was really quite easy. Unfortunately, my busy schedule keeps me from growing my own veggies.
Count me in please.
I haven’t saved seeds for next years garden yet, but would like to try.
I can’t wait to try saving some of my tomato seeds and pepper seeds. ooo ooo oooo pumpkin seeds too!!!
[...] you save some of your own seeds last summer? Dig out the seeds you’ve saved and decide how many of them you’re going to use in your garden this summer. Bag the rest of them [...]