A Garden in Your Hand: The Joy and Art of Saving Seeds

Saving Seeds Is One of Gardening's Best-Kept Secrets. When Else in Life Can You Get Something for Nothing?

I've gardened and written about it for 20+ years, yet always learn new things about plants, insects, critters in my backyard. That's the great thing—gardening is never boring! Worked as landscaper, organic farm, plant pathology lab research technician, small cut-flower business—all inform my writing. Few years ago husband and I bought a Victorian house, opened pet-friendly B&B; spent summers renovating/adding garden beds. Husband asked when I'll finish; I replied, "Never!" For me, gardening is a process, not a goal.

As you clean up the garden in fall, take a moment to collect some seed.

Calendula

Columbine

Echinacea

Zinnia

Bachelor's button, a flower with seed that's easy to save.

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I'm finally tidying flower gardens, and tardiness benefits: plenty of seedpods with ripe seeds. In minutes I collected hundreds for replanting. Saving seeds is gardening's best-kept secret. When else do you get something for nothing?

Most obvious reason: save money. Zinnia/calendula seed packets cost a few dollars with maybe a dozen seeds. A single flower usually yields that many or more.

Other rewards:

• Satisfaction of nurturing plant from seed to seed, completing the circle of plant life.
• Repeatedly saving seeds from plants with desired traits develops strains uniquely adapted to your conditions.
• Since agriculture's dawn, people collected seeds for replanting. Saving seeds connects you to this legacy.

Choosing What Seeds to Save

Seed-saving is straightforward, but background helps beginners.

Hybrids vs. open-pollinated. Hybrid seeds may not resemble parent. Hybrids result from careful crossbreeding for specific traits—often not passed down. Offspring might lack desirable traits; or you might get a nice surprise.

Non-hybrids are open-pollinated. Saved seeds produce offspring closely resembling parent—maybe not identical but similar. Serious seed-savers research pollination methods and isolation needs to prevent cross-pollination.

Degree of difficulty. Beginners: start with easy plants. Self-sowers (naturally propagate via dropped seed) are good: bachelor's buttons, calendula, cleome, columbine, nigella, rudbeckia. Easy vegetables: beans, broccoli, corn, chives, melons.

Some plants difficult even for experienced gardeners—may not be worth saving. Peonies are so slow-growing they take years to flower from seed. Many cold-hardy perennials need prolonged chilling before sprouting—not difficult but requires planning/patience.

Collecting Seeds

Some plants make it easy. Calendulas/zinnias produce abundant flowers with big seeds. Columbines hold seeds in upright pods. For sunflowers/black-eyed Susans, beat the birds.

General rule: let seeds fully ripen in pods before harvesting. Tricky because some scatter seeds when ripe—drop, blow away, eject. Tie paper bag around maturing pods to catch seeds—also thwarts birds.

Easiest: harvest ripe pods, bring indoors. If not completely dry, finish in dry, airy, rodent-protected place.

Storing Seeds

When pods dry, remove seeds, separate from chaff/debris. Can be tricky—seeds tiny or hard to identify. Research seed appearance; Internet search "zinnia seeds" yields helpful images.

Ensure seeds completely dry. Store in labeled, airtight, rodent-proof containers in cool (40-50°F), dry, dark place; refrigerator works well.

If new to this, don't rely solely on saved seed. Germination may be lower than commercial seed under ideal conditions. Offspring might surprise you. But surprises are part of the fun!