Saving Seeds For Next Year

The seeds that I purchased to grow this years garden have provided me with several frustrations. I don't want to mention the name of the company that I bought most of my seeds from because I respect what they do and understand that starting out a company such as this poses many difficulties. One frustration I ran into was getting beet seeds in a cucumber seed package. This wasn't to frustrating because I recognized the seeds and averted any mistake. What was more frustrating was buying specific types of heirloom tomato seeds only to find out once the tomato vines started to produce the tomato's, they were not the ones advertised. The most frustrating mistake was buying vine beans that turned out to be bush beans, leaving the trellis I built useless, and us without any tasty beans. The other issue is that seeds are expensive when you consider how cheap it is to save them yourself.

The only way I see that I can avoid these issues and save my money is to save my own seeds. This was something that I had always assumed would be difficult. I talked to my neighbour Franka about it and she was surprised that I didn't already save my own seeds. Her enthusiasm that this was an easy task to tackle encouraged me to try saving my own seeds. So far I've saved Mizuna, Cayenne Pepper, and Arugula seeds very easily. Tomato seeds are a little more difficult to save and require a longer process.

First the tomato seeds and pulp are removed from the tomato's. Then you cover the pulp and seed with water and wait three or four days. The viable seeds will sink to the bottom and the pulp and poor quality seeds will float to the top. After this you let the viable seeds dry on newspaper and store in a cool dry place. This has got to be the best way to grow, because it gives the gardener entire control over their garden from the seed at its earliest stage.