Saving Seeds

As we continue with fall cleanup here on the Central Coast, we find that many of our summer annuals and summer blooming perennials have gone to seed. Saving seeds is an easy, money saving way to increase the number of plants in your garden and now is the time to do it. Care must be taken, however, to harvest and store the seeds properly in order to assure successful germination.

1. First, you must be patient. Seeds must be fully ripe before harvesting. Usually this means that the flower head has completely dried and the seeds detach easily. Avoid collecting seeds that are damp because they will most likely mildew in storage.

2. Let seeds dry and keep them dry. Moisture will destroy a seed's viability so it is important to let them dry for about a week in a dry location, out of direct sunlight. Spread them out in pie tins or baking pans so that they will dry completely. Then store them in either an airtight mason jar or ziplock bag.

3. Keep seeds cool. Store seeds in a cool location out of direct sunlight. One place to store seeds is in the refrigerator (not the freezer as too low a temperature can kill seeds). Place the jar or ziplock bag inside until they are needed in spring.

4. Keep a record. It's easy to forget what seeds came from what plant, so it's best to fill out an index card or slip of paper with the plants name and cultural needs as you go. If you want to be super organized, keep a list of seeds that you have saved so you won't accidentally purchase something you already have. Plus, it's a good way to know what you have in stock should you want to share.

5. Share your seeds. One way to increase the variety of plants in your garden is to trade seeds with other gardeners. If you don't know any seed savers locally, check out online seed saving websites like Seed Savers Exchange.

And don't throw out any seeds you don't use next season. Seed will keep for more than one season. Seed viability doesn't just stop in a years time, but rather slowly decreases. You may have 90% germination the first year, 50% the second and so on.