How to Save Vegetable Seeds For Planting Next Season!

By Steve Gunther

1. Harvest the seeds from the healthiest most mature fruit/vegetables that you have. Try to find the most blemish free plant with the healthiest produce. Most of the time you will want to get seeds from very mature plants not young ones since the seeds are not fully developed yet. For example, I like to leave one pea plant and one bean bush mature past the point where you would want to eat them, I then pick the over-matured plants to use as seed next year. Also, allow one or two fruit on viney plants like zucchini, cucumbers, and pumpkins to get larger than is recommended to use the seeds from.

2. Wash the seeds in lukewarm water. Try to remove any flesh or stringy materials from the seed. If flesh is left on the seed it can cause the seed to rot and smell. Once the seeds are rinsed, drain them and...

3. Place them on a surface to dry for several days. It is best to use a plate or other surface that the drying seeds will not stick to. This being said, I tend to place my seeds to dry on paper towels or newspaper (turning them occasionally the first day or two so they don't stick).

4. Place the now dry seeds in envelopes, boxes, or other "dry" materials that will allow the seeds to completely dry out and get a bit of air circulation. I like to store my seeds in toilet paper/paper towel rolls with the ends pinched and taped shut. Be sure to write on the outside of the packet what type of seeds they are. The seeds should be stored in a cool dry area away from any heat or direct sunlight. A wine cooler, dry cabinet, or dry basement should work fine. The seeds will likely be viable to use in a month or two.

One final suggestion I have, is to test the validity of the seeds after a couple of months has passed since saving them. This will allow you to make sure that the seed is valid and you won't plant a bunch of dud seeds come planting season. Take 8-10 seeds, place them in a very damp paper towel, put them inside a Ziploc bag, and place the bag in a cool area for 10-14 days. The viable seeds will sprout, thereby letting you know how thinly or heavily to sow your seed in the Spring. Good luck. Please see this article and many other articles at our great new gardening site listed below.