Seed Saving in Community
Value of Saving Seeds
A timely 12,000 year old tradition!
Why do we want to do it now?
Seed then ... and now
What do you notice?
1903: Commercially available varieties
1983: Varieties available commercially or in the National Center for Genetic Preservation
National Geographic infographic by John Tomanio
In 2013, the top 3 seed companies are chemical
companies & own 50% of world seed!
Dr. Phil Howard is an Associate Professor at Michigan State in their Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies program.
Source: philhoward.net
Dow and Dupont merge in 2015, then split into 3 .companies.
Four firms control about 60+% of global seed sales.
The Big 4: BASF, Bayer, Corteva, & Syngenta
Source: Cornucopia.org
More consolidation...
80% of biodiversity in forests, grasslands, deserts, and marine ecosystems are stewarded by indigenous communities, which are less than 5% of the world's population.
Source: World Wildlife Fund
Communities Steward Seeds
When you control food,
you control society.
But when you control seed, you control life on Earth.
-Dr. Vandana Shiva
Uniformity & Purity
Historically: Lots of diversity
Now: Bred out diversity for uniformity & purity.
Advantages & disadvantages?
Future? We can choose to celebrate diversity and resilience... and plant nutrient-dense & delicious foods!
Getting Started
Our ancestors have been saving seeds for generation. We honor them and future generations when we pass on seeds.
Broccoli
Cauliflower
We will cross, but we'll be edible.
If something doesn't come out like expected,
we can eat our "mistakes".
- Bill McDorman
Seed Saving Best Practices
Cabbage
1. Know your seed. Don't save seeds from commercial hybrids. These are labeled F1, F, and hybrid. Warning! Many of these have a characteristic called cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS). Don’t save patented or GMO.
2. Save information, not just seeds. Keep records.
Information is as important as the seeds. Essential:
Best Seed Saving Practice
Corn requires a large population 200 plants and wind-pollinated, but you can see the cross in the mother plant!
3. Population Sizes: Size matters!
Growing more will provide more genetic diversity.
Seed Saving Best Practices
Kale
4. "Pure" or Cross: Decide if purity is important for you. If it is, you need to start with open-pollinated or "heirloom" varieties to get the same plant next season and take precautions for plants that cross.
If letting the variety mix with others is okay, label it well. Ex. Butternut Squash - Crossed?
5. Save the Best: Save seeds from healthy plants that show the characteristics you want.
Seed Saving Best Practices
Cilantro, Santo
2022
Planting distance: 1/4 in. (0.5 cm) deep and 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) apart
Notes: Santo is a slow-bolting selection grown for its leaves
6. Label! Label! Label!
cilantro
Saving a Specific Variety
Lettuce, beans, peas, tomatoes, & wheat
Tomato
Tomatoes, lettuce, beans, peas, & wheat are super easy to save!
Super Easy!
Plants that are extremely self-pollinating tend to come out like the parent plant (true-to-type).
These are "super easy" to save for beginners.
Tomato
Red Beans
Lettuce
Peas
Wheat
Tomatoes, Beans, Peas, & Wheat
Super Easy!
Let peas, beans, lettuce, & wheat seeds form and dry on the plant.
Remove chaff - the unwanted part.
Red Beans
Lettuce
Peas
Wheat
Dry Process
Lettuce going to seed.
Tip:
Viable (good) seeds will sink to bottom in Step 3.
Toss seeds that float.
Super Easy!
Tomato
Wet Process: Tomatoes
If you want a tomato for particular purpose, such as canning, keeping the variety and starting with an open pollinated or heirloom is best.
✉ Determinant (bush)/ Indeterminant (vining)
✉ Color/size/shape
✉ Use: paste/slicing/dehydrating
✉ Disease-resistance
✉ Early, mid, or late season
✉ Length of harvest
Tip:
Determinant (bush-type) tomatoes are great for containers and also give most of their fruit at the same time (good if canning).
Tomatoes - Label! Label! Label!
Provider Bush Bean
One Seed, One Community
A lot of what we grow that we call vegetables are actually fruits!
Contains seeds = fruit ex. zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes
Saving seeds from fruit bearing plants is more straightforward because you know where the seeds are located.
When we pull a beet, we’re ending the life cycle so it won’t go to seed.
Where are the seeds?
Beets going to seed.
When are the seeds of fruit ready?
Save seeds from completely mature fruit
ex. melons, winter squash, tomatoes, peppers
Some fruit are eaten young and seeds aren’t mature. Let these ripen past the eating stage: cucs, zucs, eggplant
Zucchini should be like a winter squash
Know your why?
You need to decide why are you saving seeds: enjoyment, save money, climate adaption, resilience, creative expression, preserving a culturally important variety, letting life express itself, food security….
You also need to decide do you want exactly what you grew last year or do you just want food and the variety isn’t as important.
Soya Beans
Reason | Considerations |
Preserve heirlooms = Purity matters | Want to follow “best practices” to maintain varietal purity. Need to isolate or hand-pollinate to prevent cross-pollination |
Climate crisis & food security = Purity not important | Be adventurous! Mix it up! Allow things to cross-pollinate. Communicate that you are on a wild adventure so folks know that these will not be uniform or like their parents (true-to-type)Label to reflect cross, ex. Windsor x Negreta Fava. (x = cross) |
Fun & Saves $! = Purity not important | Breed varieties for the future. Enjoyment. Choose your own adventure! |
Why do you want to save seeds?
Type | Pros & Cons |
Pure | +- uniform; + comes out like expected, - more susceptible to shock because uniform |
Garden | Home saved seeds where isolation distance may not be fully met +- some off types, + easier to do |
Naturalized | +- more off typing; +don’t need to plant; + often more resilient since come up on their own |
Crossed / Hybrid | - Unstable; +-taste/desirability; +-resilience (commercial hybrids have vigor the first year, but less vigor in next generation, ex. corn) |
Seed Quality: Pros & Cons
Key concept:
Avoid cross-pollination from different varieties to maintain variety.
… then again, mixing up and creating a hybrid might have better properties or at least be good to eat.
Note: Information related to keeping variety purity will be written in in blue .
Cross-Pollination
Offspring will be a mix of the two parents. .
.
Offspring will be true-to-type
Tip:
Always save from the healthiest plants. Try to save from as many plants as you can to increase genetic diversity.
Save "Super Easy" species: some species easily come out like their parents: peas, beans, tomatoes, lettuce, wheat, arugula
Others easily cross pollinate and hybridize. If keeping the variety is important, then:
.
To Maintain Variety Purity
Party favor mesh bags can be used to protect blossoms from cross-pollination
Garden records Seed source Year of seed Variety | Good seed Start with open-pollinated or heirloom seed or mix it up and plant a landrace |
Plan your garden Pop. size Isolation Distances (for pure seeds) Time in soil may be longer | Talk to neighbors What grows well |
Key concept
If you are going to save seeds, plan your garden for seed saving.
How do I get started?
Purity NOT important | Purity Matters |
TWO varieties planted close by are likely to cross. It will be a fava or runner bean and be tasty. Enjoy! | Do the best you can to separate two fava (or two runner bean) varieties by 100 feet OR plant only ONE variety. |
Favas & Runners will cross
Cucurbit maxima Ex. Hubbard, buttercup, Big Max (and many prized varieties) | C. moschata Ex. butternut |
C. pepo Ex. most pumpkins, Acorn, Delicata, Spaghetti, summer squash, zucchini WARNING! Ornamental gourds are the same species and are bitter! Do NOT save C. pepo if you do not hand pollinate and are growing gourds! Crosses with summer & winter may be undesirable . 🤚🏾 pollinate or grow summer or winter only. | C. mixta Ex. Cushaw squash |
Variety purity: Hand pollination required!
Population size: Home = 1; Community 5-10
Cucurbits
Squash, pumpkins, melons, cucumbers
Hand-pollinating cucurbits
Hand-pollinating squash video
Tip #1: Start hand-pollinating with squash. It’s easier because the flowers
are big. Then move on to cucumbers & melons after you’ve got the
technique.
Tip #2: Plant some extra seeds about 1-2 months after your original planting. Male and female flowers often don’t appear at the same time. This will ensure that you have more genetic diversity and that there are both male and female flowers in bloom.
Tip #3: Choose your own adventure!
Plant a bunch of squash of the same type, ex. Butternut, and hand pollinate across varieties!
Hand-Pollinating Tips
Tip:
Arugula is also a brassica, but a different species. It generally comes out true to type.
Kale, collard, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower,
Brussels sprouts, and kohlrabi!
Population size: Home = 5; Community 20-50
So many ways to cross!
It might be something completely different, but it’ll be edible and probably delicious.
If sharing, mark “Diverse mix?” on label.
Brassica oleracea
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Remember Brassicas, except for arugula, are likely to cross. So when sharing please label them “crossed?”
Label! Label! Label! - Sharing Brassicas
cabbage
Auto Seed Wrapper
Make a copy of the Auto Seed Wrapper
Beets & Chard
Beets and chard are the same species (Beta vulgaris)! If you let both go to seed, you’ll get something edible but will it be more of a beet or chard?
Chard - can harvest leaves then let go to seed
Beets - food needs to be sacrificed to go to seed; too woody to eat
Varietal purity: Wind pollinated and pollen can travel far, but how many people are saving their beet or chard seeds? So maybe one year you save beets and another year chard. Plant in a different location to avoid volunteers.
chard
beets
Is my old seed good?
Seed Storage
To make sure your seed lasts for a long-time.
Seeds will also last different times depending on their species. Onions,
leeks, and chives don't last long.
Onion
Be clear on your purpose.
Be clear in your communication.
Seed Saving in Community
Paprika
Tomato
Chili