Seed Saving, Save Money, Save your favourite plants, save genetic diversity.

Check out the website for the video about seed saving, very interesting :)

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http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s2169804.htm



Seed saving is simple, saves money and allows for crop improvement. But best of all it’s possible to experience the pleasure of growing plants through their entire lifecycle - from seed to seed.

The most important rule is to save seed from non hybrid plants. These are usually called old fashioned, heritage or open pollinated plants. That means if you save the seed the offspring will closely resemble the parents. For example in the garden there is a red Russian kale. It’s the best one of the crop and is true to type - it has large, robust, deeply cut leaves - and so it’s the ideal one from which to save seed. Never eat the best plants, save them for seed.

Chinese Celery can be considered a herb or a vegetable and this year’s crop has been the best so far. This is the third year I've grown it from saved seed, and this is an example of how seed saving can put the home gardener ahead of climate change. Short lived plants like Chinese Celery readily adapt to local soils and conditions and change as the climate changes.

But it's not just about vegetables, flowers can be saved too. Saving seed from nasturtium is child's play - simply collect the seed from a withered flower.

The Portuguese cabbage is another plant with an enormous number of pods, which means no shortage of seed. It is heat tolerant and white cabbage butterflies ignore it. Collect pods that are ready for harvest – those which are brown and dry.

After collecting the seed, it then needs to be prepared for storage. For example the Portuguese cabbage seed is placed in a seed tray lined with newspaper. It’s best left somewhere cool, dry and well ventilated, because moisture and pests are the worst enemies of seed. The pods burst and the seed is collected in the paper, ready for storage. Some plants, such as a weird vegetable called orach, have seed which is like powder, so it needs to be put into a paper bag.

Loofahs are a relative of the cucumber, and the dried pods are nothing more than an open seed tray. When collecting seed, it’s important to use quality control. Always select good quality seed, which in the case of the loofahs, are the tiny black ones. Any that are discoloured - brown and white - are probably not viable, so discard them.

When it comes to storing the seed of peas and beans, it’s important to remove them manually from pods and dry them thoroughly. Seed will store best in a resealable airtight container - try camera canisters or jam jars. Another good tip is to add a pinch of powdered sulphur to control pests and diseases during storage.

Always remember to label containers with the name of the seed that’s inside and the collection date. Put these in another resealable container and store it in the fridge crisper at 4 degrees C. Seed stored this way should last for between two and 10 years.

Seed saving is simple, and offers a range of advantages, but the most fascinating thing about seed saving is the way it engages us with the entire lifecycle of our plants - from beginning to the end.

Information contained in this fact sheet is a summary of material included in the program. If further information is required, please contact your local nursery or garden centre. Tweet