Harvesting seed

Dry Seed Processing – (Beans, peas, peppers, basil , spinach, carrots and onions) Harvest dry seeds from their plants when their pods or husks have dried. Cleaning dry seeds involves simply drying and crumbling the pods or husks, then screening or winnowing the seeds to separate them from the chaff. Collect dry seeds under dry, warm conditions to prevent mold and reduce additional drying time.

Wet Seed Processing – (Tomatoes, eggplant, melons, squash and cucumbers) Allow the fruits to fully mature on their plants before harvesting. To clean wet seeds, scoop the seeds from the fruit, pulp and all. Pour the seeds and pulp into a container and add water. Healthy seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl, while dead seeds and most of the pulp will float. Use your fingers to gently separate all the seeds from the pulp. Drain and lay the seeds that sink on a plate to dry.

Fermentation Method – (Tomatoes, melons and cucumbers) Highly recommended, fermentation removes germination-Inhibiting substances from seed coats, makes them more permeable to water, and also helps reduce or control seed-borne diseases. Allow fruits to ripen fully and scoop out the seeds, along with the gel surrounding them. Put the seeds and gel in a glass jar with a small amount of water. Stir or swirl the mixture twice a day. Allow the seeds to sit in a warm area for 3 – 6 days. The mixture will ferment and the seeds should sink to the bottom within five days. Pour off the liquid, rinse the seeds and spread them out to dry on paper towels.

Storage – Store properly dried seeds in a moisture proof container. Small plastic bags, paper envelopes, or glass jars are all excellent choices. If using plastic bags, make sure to squeeze out all of the air. Keep seeds dry, dark and cool. Maintain proper temperature, light and humidity. Ideal humidity levels should be 50% or less. Avoid light and never store seeds in direct sunlight or a well-lit room. A temperature between 32° and 41°F is ideal, so your refrigerator can be a good place to store seeds. A small amount of silica-gel desiccant added to each container will absorb moisture from the air and help keep the seeds dry. Powdered milk can also be used as a desiccant. Use one to two tablespoons of milk powder from a freshly opened package. Wrap the powder in a piece of cheesecloth or a facial tissue and place it in the container with the seeds. Powdered milk will absorb excess moisture from the air for about six months. When you are ready to use your seeds, keep them in their closed storage container until the seeds come to room temperature. This will prevent unwanted condensation from settling on the seed packets.

Important! Be sure to label your saved seeds with their name, variety, and the date you collected them. It’s too easy to forget the details by the following spring.