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Garden Gate:  Saving seeds question  |
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SheilaC
True Blue Farmgirl
1948 Posts
Sheila
Vermont
USA
1948 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 10 2007 : 06:33:23 AM
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| This is my first year with a "real" garden and I'm wondering about keeping some seeds to plant next year. I have some HUGE green beans and a few big yellow beans and was wondering if I can just dry the seeds inside to plant for next year. Any ideas or advice? How about zucchini seeds, cucumber seeds also? |
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MsCwick
True Blue Farmgirl
775 Posts
Cristine
Farmville
Virginia
USA
775 Posts |
Posted - Aug 10 2007 : 08:48:46 AM
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Do you still have the packets that they came from? You can't necessarily save the seeds from anything. It has to be either a heirloom or open-pollinated variety. If they aren't you will grow a plant that will not produce any fruit. If they are, you saved a lot of money!
Only pick the bestest veggies for seeds.Example: If there is a particular bell pepper plant that produces nice large 4 lobed peppers, put a twist tie around those few peppers on that plant that you want to keep, and make sure no one picks them. Same with cukes and zuccini. If a cuke plant makes funky crooked cukes, don't use it. And you can let the fruit for seed mature a little more than you would if you were picking it for eating.
With zuchini and cucumber, you can scoop the seeds out and spread them really thin onto wax paper. My dad puts them in a really fine sieve first and rinses them under water and kinda helps the slimy stuff come off. Then put them on the wax paper and spread them out, and put them somewhere safe to dry. Once they are dry a dark airtight container such as a film container work great for storage. Make sure they are really dry or they may mold over the winter.I can only assume you do the same with the green beans, minus the rinsing part. Just lay them on the wax paper and let them air dry.
Good luck
cristine
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AliShuShu
True Blue Farmgirl
150 Posts
Alison
Charlotte
NC
USA
150 Posts |
Posted - Aug 10 2007 : 2:13:47 PM
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to be sure they are good and dry, could you dry seeds in the oven on low heat? or in a dehydrator... or is that too much drying?
thanks!
Alison
I think that if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden at the cool of the day. ~F. Frankfort Moore, A Garden of Peace
Namaste'
www.shumusings.com |
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MsCwick
True Blue Farmgirl
775 Posts
Cristine
Farmville
Virginia
USA
775 Posts |
Posted - Aug 10 2007 : 6:34:37 PM
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A dehydrator may be alright, but in the oven, I'm sure the temps would kill the seeds.
I've never used a dehydrator, so I'm not sure how they work? NO heat i'm assuming?
Have fun!
Cristine |
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brightmeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
2045 Posts
Brenda
Lucas
Ohio
USA
2045 Posts |
Posted - Aug 11 2007 : 07:42:21 AM
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I save the little packets of silica gel that come with stuff like shoes, purses, vitamins, etc. (Usually they say something like "DO NOT EAT" on the packet) and put my seeds in an empty spice jar with the silica gel packet. So far it's worked pretty well, except for one jar that evidently had a LOT of moisture in it.
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blog at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com ,web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
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mima
True Blue Farmgirl
1573 Posts
1573 Posts |
Posted - Aug 11 2007 : 08:25:27 AM
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| Oh!! No wonder my garden isn't doing real great this year! I thought I'd be super thrifty and reused seeds from plants from last year! Not going so well!!! Guess there's more to it than that! |
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Garden Gate: Saving seeds question |
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Saving seeds question
