How I Save Garden Seeds for Next Planting Season 🌱 | Easy Seed Saving Tips, by From backyard to the table on YouTube. 1 min 20 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 20 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes plus 1 to 2 weeks d
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Choose open-pollinated or heirloom plants rather than F1 hybrids. Seeds from hybrids often grow into plants that look nothing like the parent, so pick your best, healthiest specimens.
Leave the seed pods, flower heads or fruit on the plant until they are fully mature and starting to dry. Do not harvest them early, even if they look ready.
Skip any plant that is diseased, weak or bolted early. Save from the strongest plants with the best flavour, size or colour so next year's crop improves.
Cut the stems on a dry, sunny morning once the dew has lifted. Hold each seed head over a paper bag or bucket as you cut so ripe seeds do not scatter on the ground.
Shell the seeds by hand over a bowl. Split dry pods open with your fingers and pick out the chaff, broken seeds and any bits of stem or insect damage.
Spread the seeds in a single layer on newspaper or a paper plate. Leave them in a warm, dry, airy room for one to two weeks until they snap when bent instead of flexing.
Write the plant name and the date on each envelope before you fill it. Mixing up unlabelled seeds is the most common seed saving mistake.
Store the seeds in paper envelopes or a glass jar with a silica gel packet. Keep them in a cool, dark, dry place, roughly 5 to 10 C, away from damp sheds and warm kitchens.
Check the stored seeds every month or so for mould, condensation or pests. Discard any soft or fuzzy seeds and reseal the rest.
Tips and common mistakes
Seeds must be bone dry before storage, since any moisture leads to mould and rotting over winter.
Wet seeds such as tomatoes and cucumbers need fermenting and rinsing first, not just air drying.
Small paper envelopes breathe better than plastic bags, which can trap condensation.
Label with the year as well as the name so you use the oldest seeds first.
Questions
How do I know my seeds are dry enough to store?
A fully dry seed snaps or crumbles when you bend it. If it flexes or feels soft, leave it in a warm, airy room for another week before packing it away.
How long do saved seeds stay good?
Most vegetable and flower seeds keep for two to four years in a cool, dry, dark place. Test a few on damp paper before sowing if they are older than that.
Can I save seeds from shop-bought vegetables?
Sometimes, but many shop vegetables are hybrids or have been treated, so results vary. Seeds from your own open-pollinated garden plants are far more reliable.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
