Seed Saving

By Kymisha Montgomery, CGC Urban Agriculture Coordinator

Saving seeds has always been an important element of maintaining food traditions and diversity in our food system. From people braiding them into their hair to sewing them into garments in the hopes of sustaining familiar food systems and ways of life, seed saving has played a big part in preserving community traditions.

In the 1800s, 90% of Americans were farmers. Today, fewer than 2% are. As the economy changed and agriculture became mechanized, farming practices faded, taking crops and food options with them. The ability to keep crops refrigerated meant food could be grown in one place and shared across the country. As a result, regional agriculture took a back seat—as did small-scale seed saving. In more recent times, home cooking has started to be replaced by restaurants and convenience food options, increasing corporate control of our food system.

When farmers were enticed or driven off of their land, corporations began to grow commodity crops like corn and soybeans for the new market. These commodity crops were quickly and increasingly grown with genetically modified seeds (GMO), which were patented, making it illegal for farmers to grow or seed save them without permission.

Throughout history, seed saving has been a vital action of protecting and defending cultures, ways of living and food systems. Here’s how you can save some of your traditional or favorite crops!

Plant Selection

Seeds are interesting and cool, but they’re also crucial to plants because they are the plants’ primary means of reproduction, genetic diversity and nutrient storage. You can save seeds from many different varieties of crops, including cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and more. And it’s not difficult! You just need to select suitable plants for the seeds you would like to save.

My rule of thumb is to choose open-pollinated or heirloom varieties, not hybrids! If you follow it, you will grow the plant you’re expecting and not a plant with different characteristics than the parent plant—hence the terms “true to seed” or “true to type.” (Learn more about seed terminology here.)

Harvesting Methods

Choosing crops to harvest seeds from isn’t rocket science! It can be as simple as choosing a tomato that a squirrel got to before you or the overgrown squash you didn’t catch before it grew past its prime. The actual method of saving seeds can vary depending on the crop. Here are methods for some familiar crops:

Beans

When the bean pod is brown, dry and brittle, its seeds are ready for harvesting. If you shake the pod, it should sound like something is rattling inside. You can either harvest the pod from the plant or wait until more are mature and dry, then remove the entire plant. Hang the plant in a warm, dry place to prevent molding and allow the beans to finish drying.

Tomatoes

Unlike many other crops, tomatoes need to go through a fermentation process to produce viable seeds for next year. These fruits have a gel-like seed coat containing a germination-inhibiting substance that prevents the seed from sprouting early and acts as a protective layer for the seed.

Simply cut the tomato in half and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and the gel-like substance into a small mason jar. Fill the jar halfway with water, then leave it to ferment for a couple of days out of direct sunlight. Make sure to swirl the jar at least 2-3 times a day. After a couple of days, the pulp and seeds should have separated. Your jar should have the good seeds sinking to the bottom while the pulp floats at the top. Rid the jar of whatever is floating, then pour the remaining seeds into a strainer and rinse. Lay a few layers of paper towels down and transfer the seeds onto the paper towel to dry. Make sure they are completely dry before storing to prevent mold.

Cucumbers

Cucumbers have the same gel-like substance around the seed, so use the same method described above for tomatoes.

Squash & Pumpkin

These cucurbits aren’t like their counterpart, the cucumber. Since their seeds do not have the gel-like outer coating, they don’t need to go through the fermentation process. Once the plant stops growing and changes colors, the seeds should be ready for harvesting. Clean them and spread them out to dry completely on a paper towel before storing.

Peppers

Once the fruit is fully ripened and starts to wrinkle, remove it from the plant and open it to reveal the seeds to be harvested. Spread them out on a paper towel to dry.

Okra

There’s a good chance you won’t have any trouble harvesting the seeds from this crop. Simply leave one pod on the plant well past its prime, until it’s dry and cracking. Or you can harvest it well past its prime and let it dry. Once dry and brittle, open the pod to remove the seeds.

Seed Storage

Storing seeds in a cool, dry and dark place is ideal. Use an airtight container like a Mason jar or zip-top bag to help keep moisture and condensation out. You can even keep them in a refrigerator or freezer for years! (Check out the typical shelf life of different types of seeds below.) Label the container with the name, variety and date you collected the seeds.