seed saving 101
Post on 14-Jun-2015
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SEED SAVING 101Seed Savers Exchange
Grant Olson
Our mission is to save North America’s diverse, but endangered, garden heritage for future generations by building a network of people committed to collecting, conserving, and sharing heirloom seeds and plants, while educating people about the value of genetic and cultural diversity.
Seed saving is the process of saving seeds from open-pollinated fruits, vegetables, grains, flowers & herbs.
Open-pollinated varieties are maintained by allowing pollen to flow only between plantsof the same variety.
When pollen flows between different varieties within the same species, this is known as cross-pollination.
Intentional, controlled cross-pollination is used to create hybrid seeds.
Hybrids will only exhibit reliable characteristics in their first generation. Seeds harvested from hybrid plants will not likely grow up to look or taste like their parent.
To save seed, you must start with open-pollinated seeds and plants.
choosing to save seeds
things to know as a seed saver:
1. know your variety2. know the lifecycle of your plants3. know how your plants pollinate4. know how to isolate your plants5. know how many plants to grow6. know your environment7. know when to harvest your seeds8. know how to prep your seeds for
storage9. know how to store your seeds10. know how to share
know your variety
Kingdom: PlantaeDivision: MagnoliophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: Fabales
common name: beanbinomial name: Phaseolus vulgaris
Family: FabaceaeGenus: PhaseolusSpecies: vulgaris
P. vulgaris will only cross with other P. vulgaris beans. It will not cross with runner beans (P. coccineus), lima beans (P. lunatus), or fava beans (Vicia faba).
What is my plant’s Species?
common names can be misleading
crop types can contain multiple species
species can contain multipe crop types
vegetables may have ‘weedy’ relatives
know the lifecycle of your plants
why flowers exist
annuals
biennials
know how your plants pollinate
(flower structure)
anther produces pollen
seeds form in ovaryafter fertilization
stigmareceives pollen
selfers
keel
fusedanthers
potential outcrossers
likely outcrossers
obligate outcrossers
know how to isolate your plants
grow only one variety
distance
time
barriers
barriers
know how many plants to grow
Population Size
Strongly OutbreedingEx. Brassicas
Strongly InbreedingEx. tomato
Generally InbreedingEx. pepper
Generally OutbreedingEx. Squash
know your environment
know when to harvest
know how to prepare your seeds for storage
dry seeds
threshing
winnowing
wet seeds
(fermenting)
rinsing
drying
dry
too wet
know how to store your seeds
know how to share
traits of a good seed saver:
observantorganizedinquisitive
for more information:
Seed to Seed, Suzanne Ashworth
A Seed Saving Guide for Gardeners and Farmers, OSAwww.seedalliance.org/publications
SSE Webinarswww.seedsavers.org/webinars
The old varieties are threatened today, not because of any deficiencies, but because they are not suitable for factory farmers and the food processing industry. As long as food crops are being bred for machines and large commercial growers, the needs of the home gardener will be of marginal importance. The old varieties will survive and flourish only if they continue to be grown by backyard gardeners and sold by local farmers markets, organic food co-ops, and CSAs.
Suzanne AshworthSeed to Seed
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