Beginner's Guide to Seed Saving: Preserving Heirloom Varieties

Tap into and preserve our agricultural heritage by gathering and saving seeds from heirloom plants. Here are tips to get started:

Begin slowly and simply. Test the waters with beans or another easy crop.

Branch out from there. Wait until your group has skills before tackling challenging crops like wheat and grains.

Find a focus. Select themes: regional varieties, historic seeds, short-season vegetables, heat-tolerant vegetables, herbs.

Grow open-pollinated varieties. Hybrids don't grow true; open-pollinated plants show same characteristics as parents.

If gathering seeds, also plan for autumn plants using our guide.

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Learn isolation distances. Some plants (e.g., tomatoes) cross-pollinate if too close. To ensure true seeds, keep them apart or grow plants that flower at different times.

Spread the wealth. If you want to save many tomato types but have limited space, send some to good homes. Ask for a promise of produce at harvest.

Save some seed. When a variety is under your protection, keep some seeds in storage as insurance against crop failure.

Pass it along. List seeds with a group like Seed Savers Exchange. Just 100 seeds of one variety to start.