You wouldn't have your grandmother's silver today if your mother hadn't made you polish it regularly when you were a child. We wouldn't be able to furnish our homes with beautiful antiques if someone hadn't taken the time to maintain them when they were new. We wouldn't have heirloom fruits and vegetables unless someone continued the cycle of growing them and saving the seeds. It's called stewardship.
Our ancestors had to save seed. Keeping seed from their best plants was the only way they would have seeds to plant the following year. We don't have that worry about that. Our concern is maintaining the availability of our favorite, best performing varieties and, in the grand scheme, preserving the vast genetic diversity. To truly call them heirlooms, we have to take part in the handing down.
A lot of people avoid saving seed because they think it's an involved science, requiring great stores of knowledge and precision timing. While requirements vary from plant to plant, you can start to save seed with very little forethought or effort. Once you start, it's not uncommon to find yourself totally hooked on collecting seed. It's every bit as addictive as baseball cards and bean animals, because once you start to build up your collection, you can start sharing and trading. In very little time you will have one of those gardens they put on tours.
But before we get carried away, let's talk about some seed saving basics. Since most fruit trees are grown from grafts, we are mostly concerned with vegetables here, but the process is the same for any type of seed. These are the six steps I follow:
1. Keep the Seeds Pure
2. Select Choice Plants from which to Save
3. Collect the Seed
4. Clean the Seed
5. Store the Seed
6. Share
1. Keep the Seeds Pure
Probably the biggest deterrent to saving seed is the effort required to keep seed pure. Unless the plant is self-pollinating (and even sometimes then) steps have to be taken to prevent cross pollination with another variety of the same species. Brassicas are notorious for this. They have a means to prevent self-fertilization and easily cross pollinate by insects. Peppers can self-fertilize, but will readily cross with other peppers if planted nearby. At the other end, peas and beans self-fertilize before the flowers ever open.To insure purity, separation distances have been developed for each species. When considering distances, remember to keep in mind not
