/r/seedsaving

Photograph via snooOG

A place to discuss seed saving techniques and heirloom seed history.

/r/seedsaving

8,277 Subscribers

8

Fermenting tomato seeds

I hope this is the right place to ask but I tried to ferment some tomato seeds for the first time and I think I messed it up. It’s been five days and they haven’t sunk, actually they’re all floating at the top still in their gel cases. Are they wasted or can I salvage them? Should I leave them a few more days to see if they sink or should I rinse them off and dry them like normal? And will they still sprout if I dry them now?

12 Comments
2024/03/15
06:09 UTC

4

Seed ID

Title explains it all - found these in the seed collection and can't remember what they are or where they came from! Any ideas? Thanks in advance 🤞

1 Comment
2024/03/12
23:06 UTC

23

Free Seed Resource

Hello,

I recently shared the Going to Seed project that focuses on mixed genetics breeding. I thought I would share another group that others here might be interested in. The Freeheirloomseed.org website is another volunteer group that collects heirloom varieties from growers and helps distribute the seeds. They give away up to 4 seed packages for free, but a $10 donation can be made if you want more seeds to help cover shipping costs. I have gotten batches of seeds from them for two years now and I have always been happy with what I've grown out. I just thought it would be another resource that some people would be interested in. If you are interested, there is also a facebook group were people can go to share additional seeds or ask questions.

11 Comments
2024/03/07
18:19 UTC

24

Going To Seed Project

Hello,

I thought some people in here would be interested in the Going To Seed project. This project works to preserve genetic diversity in seeds and give them away for free to other plant breeders. The primary purpose of this group is to allow individuals to develop their own locally adapted varieties for many common crops. They opened up their free seed earlier this month and still have some available for some species of plants.

If you are developing your own landrace or accidently have some plants that have crosspollinated, they always welcome seed donations in the fall.

8 Comments
2024/02/28
18:39 UTC

13

Do you really have to collect corn seeds from 200 Different plants to not inbreed corn?

7 Comments
2024/02/22
21:32 UTC

6

Florida Seed ID

May be a long shot, but is anyone able to ID these seeds? Found in the Everglades. If so any propagation tips (not sure if they cold stratify or not).

0 Comments
2024/02/11
17:44 UTC

7

Best non-Ziplock/plastic seed storage?

Best non-Ziplock/plastic seed saving storage?

I’m starting my seeds (Zone 7b/8a) and noticing how many Ziplocks I used to save seeds from previous years and how bulky it is in my freezer. Basically, every time I saved seeds from a plant it got its own Ziplock, so as an example I may have multiple “Bell Peppers 2022” bags.

I keep my store bought seeds in one of those plastic photo organizers, but I’ve always stored saved seeds in the freezer. Is this necessary and is there a non-plastic possibly reusable alternative?

Would it be worth buying some small paper envelopes that can be composted and fit in the organizer? I also save all our glass jars and did the Glove Collaborative thing for a while so have a bunch of those small cleaning concentrate jars which might work, but I worry about how to label those since they’re so small.

4 Comments
2024/02/10
00:51 UTC

3

Delonix regia Germination ?s

0 Comments
2024/01/26
07:51 UTC

4

Sunflower seeds

When will I know when to save the seeds of this sunflower. Growing it in my front garden and want to save for next season

4 Comments
2024/01/17
04:35 UTC

0

Dive into the art of harvesting papaya seeds with our step-by-step guide! Embark on a journey into the art of harvesting papaya seeds with our comprehensive step-by-step guide! 🌿🍈 Whether you're a seasoned gardener or a curious beginner, we're here to guide you through each stage...

0 Comments
2024/01/05
11:29 UTC

5

Guess the seeds!

Collected 100 seeds in total in an old jar to display. These seeds will be easy to guess.

6 Comments
2023/12/19
03:12 UTC

3

I gathered up some Datura Stranonium seeds and need to store them safely.

I have gathered up a few ripe seed pods and left them to dry out for a month or so now, I would like to stash these seeds until I have space to plant them but I’m wondering what the best way to do this would be? So far I’m thinking in a glass jar with a sealed lid and a sachet of silica gel thrown in. I’m open to suggestions.

1 Comment
2023/12/17
09:39 UTC

6

Pepper seeds

I grew several different types of peppers last year (yellow 7 pot, Carrie an red habenaro, hatch, Anaheim, bells, Thai chilis, super Thai, scorpion, ghost, jalepenos, cayenne, shitito, and maybe another one or two.) I know some might cross pollinate with one another and I did not separate them far enough or use big nets. Will the seeds still be viable? Will there just be some hybrids? I always seed save and haven’t worried about this before, but possibly I didn’t notice.

3 Comments
2023/12/12
22:18 UTC

1

How long are sunflowers open for pollination?

I’m growing a crop of heirloom sunflowers for seed (to sell). I’m not growing any other sunflowers and live very rural so I’m safe from cross pollination. I want to grow another succession of something else though…. So l I’m the only risk of cross pollination haha. I’m just wondering how long the standing patch of sunflowers seeding are susceptible to cross pollination? Can’t seem to find the info anywhere on the internet. Variety is 100 days to maturity.

Also how long is the pollen around? Will first planting still be shedding pollen when they are full of seeds? Cross pollinating the second planting?

3 Comments
2023/12/09
01:41 UTC

4

I am prepared to exchange Icelandic common birch seeds with what other want to offer :)

I have around ~ 5 gr of common birch seeds (Betula pubescens) of Icelandic stock (Bæjarstaðabirki clone) which is one of few birch forest of Iceland to survive continous cutting, volcanic disruption and sheep grazing. These trees eventually can grow up to ~12 meters. Only suitable for Northern temperate climate. Anybody for exchange?

3 Comments
2023/12/02
11:48 UTC

9

Percentage of seed to safeguard each year?

Hello! I’m trying to be as self-sufficient as possible, although I am still learning as I go. I am currently trying to save seeds of everything I grow.

I’ve been calculating how much seed I’ll need to save of each crop in order to yield my desired amount of that crop the following year.

My question is: when I go to grow out that crop, what percentage of its seed should I always keep in storage to ensure I always have seed in the case of crop failure?

I know there’s probably not a set percentage. But I was just wondering what y’all might do. Or perhaps what seed banks, or the like, might do.

Thanks for your help & input!!

4 Comments
2023/11/18
22:19 UTC

5

Wasabi Seeds?

Purchased from americanseedstore, shipped from china so I have my doubts. The appear to be the correct shape however they seem too small to be wasabi. If they aren’t does anyone know a reputable place to get legit seeds, if not I’ll just have to buy starter plants.

4 Comments
2023/11/15
00:40 UTC

10

True Sadness

True sadness is separating sunflower seeds from the bud, throwing the seed in your compost heap and putting the bud into seed storage.

curse you, semi-conscious automated sorting hands

2 Comments
2023/11/09
19:45 UTC

9

Echinacea seeds

Can you please confirm whether the seeds are on the left or right or neither?

2 Comments
2023/11/06
23:08 UTC

5

Collecting soggy late-season seeds - I only have a few healthy marigolds left and I want to save their bloodline.

I have a bunch of marigolds that are still kicking and healthy and I'd like to save their seeds. There's plenty of dead heads to grab, but they're all mostly wet from being rained on a LOT recently (Seattle area).

Typically when I have saved other seeds I'm successful just putting them in a paper bag and giving it a good shake occasionally until they're completely dry. I haven't had any issues with mold/rotting so far, but these are noticeably soggy.

Wondering if there's any hope at all, and if someone can recommend the best method to dry them out. Even if there's 'no hope', I'll probably still try it for science.

7 Comments
2023/10/20
16:08 UTC

4

Saving Pristine California Deserts - Seed by Seed in Beautiful Joshua Tree! See complete video and more on YouTube: @morongobasinconservation #mdlt #mojavedesert #seedbank #joshuatree

0 Comments
2023/10/06
18:25 UTC

3

Crosspollinated Sweet/Flour Corn

Hello,

I was just shucking the corn I left for seed. I noticed that there is some cross pollination between my sweet and flour corn that was several hundred feet away. Not a lot, maybe 2-4 kernels per cob on the plants that were closest to the flour corn patch. I picked out all of the flour corn type kernels out and stored them separately. Is there any use for these crosses, culinary wise, if I were to grow them out and just let them interbreed? I have landrace sweet and flour corns growing, would it hurt if I mixed a few of the crosses into one of those populations?

1 Comment
2023/10/06
15:44 UTC

8

Newbie Question: Cucumber Seed Saving

If there are other cucumber plants 20 and 40 feet away from my seed harvesting will the seed be true to the original species or a crap shoot of cross pollinated offspring

Edit: I also have some habanero pepper seed, same question.

6 Comments
2023/10/01
12:31 UTC

4

Could I put this in the freezer?

I want to store all my herb and vegetable seeds in ziplock packets that will be put into these containers, also could add a silica gel packet to each one if needed.

17 Comments
2023/09/28
05:38 UTC

8

How do I harvest and store concord grape seeds?

First time gardening, wondering how to I harvest and store these concord grape seeds for when I eventually get a bigger place.

3 Comments
2023/09/27
21:03 UTC

1

👋

What seeds are these and can I sow these in the winter?

0 Comments
2023/09/27
17:48 UTC

26

Marigold seeds

First time seed saver here… I just lopped off the dried heads from a marigold plant I had in my vegetable garden and pulled the seeds out. Since the heads were already dried up and the seeds feel dry, should I still leave them out to “dry” more before putting them away?

1 Comment
2023/09/22
20:49 UTC

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