Save seed from open-pollinated or heirloom plants, because their seed grows true, while saved seed from hybrid (F1) varieties does not reliably repeat the parent. Let the healthiest, best-producing plants go to seed, collect the seed when it is fully mature, keep different varieties of the same species apart so they do not cross, and dry the seed completely before storage. Seed stored damp rots or sprouts, so drying is the step not to skip.
Part of Seed & Food Salvage
Seed saving works only if the plant breeds true, which is why open-pollinated and hybrid varieties are told apart. Longer treatment is in Seed Saving.
Open-Pollinated Seed Breeds True; Hybrid Seed Does Not
The parent article says open-pollinated and heirloom varieties give seed that grows true to the parent, while hybrids (marked F1) revert to unpredictable parent traits in the next generation. You can plant hybrid seed, but you cannot count on saved seed from the harvest. This is why the first rule of seed saving is to know what you planted.
What You Need
- Open-pollinated or heirloom plants.
- Screens, plates or newspaper, in a warm, dry, ventilated place for drying.
- Labels and dry containers — see Building a Seed Library.
Method: Select, Collect, Isolate, Dry
Step 1: Choose the best plants Mark the healthiest, best-producing plants early and let them go to seed. Do not eat them all.
Step 2: Collect when fully mature Dry-seeded crops are collected when the seed is mature and dry on the plant.
Step 3: Process wet-seeded crops For tomatoes, cucumbers and squash, the parent article says to scoop seeds from a mature fruit, ferment them in water for 2 to 3 days to remove the germination-inhibiting gel, then rinse and dry thoroughly.
Step 4: Keep varieties apart Different varieties of the same species can cross-pollinate. The parent article notes that self-pollinating crops such as tomatoes and beans need little isolation, while wind-pollinated corn and squash need much more. Distances differ widely between sources, so see Seed Saving before you plan a seed crop. A small garden can grow one variety of each species per season.
Step 5: Dry completely Spread seed on screens, plates or newspaper in a warm, dry, ventilated area. Large seed is dry enough when it snaps instead of bending. The parent article says grain seed shatters when hit with a hammer.
Step 6: Label and store Record species, variety, date and source, and store dry and cool.
Common Mistakes
- Saving seed from hybrids and expecting a copy — the result varies.
- Eating the best plants — seed comes from the best, not the leftovers.
- Storing seed that is not dry — it moulds or sprouts.
- Letting varieties cross — your saved seed will not be true.
Mouldy seed and treated seed
Do not eat seed that has gone mouldy in storage. If you mix saved seed with salvaged commercial seed, keep any dyed or treated seed in a separate, labelled container so it never ends up in food.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Building a Seed Library — organise what you save
- Combine with: Seed Storage — keeping it alive for years