Saving seeds is a wonderful and rewarding fall activity that will help you connect with nature, become more self-sufficient and save you some money in the process. This blog post outlines our reasons for seed saving as well as 7 crops that you can easily save seed from year after year.

An opportunity to slow down

For us, seed saving is not only practical, but it can be quite therapeutic. In a world where digital information is constantly being thrown in our direction, it’s nice to be able to slow down and focus on an analog activity like seed saving.

It’s an opportunity to stop and appreciate the circle of life. A tiny seed holds so much potential, so much promise.

An investment in self-sufficiency and building community

In many ways, seed saving is an act of rebellion. A rebellion against the status quo and the systems that govern our daily lives. Saving seeds helps us become more self-sufficient. It’s a way for us to do our part in preserving heirloom and open-pollinated varieties for generations to come.

When we save seeds, we end up with way more than we need on our own. Sharing seeds with friends and acquaintances is a time honored tradition among gardeners. We are also really proud of our charitable endeavors and have shared seeds and seedlings with people and organizations in our communities. We hope to do more.

The frugal gardener

There’s no doubt, saving seeds and replanting them the following season is as frugal as it gets. We dig it! Over the last couple of years, we have seen an explosion in seed prices as well as the prices of gardening supplies. Whether the blame lies with the pandemic, global instability, the supply chain, or inflation, times are more challenging and saving seeds will definitely save you money.

Zinnias

One of our favorite flowers. Zinnias come in a range of colors and shapes. They are also one of the easiest flowers to save seeds from. With zinnias, you have to wait until the flower heads are completely dry before attempting to save seeds. Once the flower heads are dry and brittle, cut them off the stems and allow them to dry further in a basket or open tray. Once complete dry, gently pull the petals. You will notice that the petal will be attached to an arrow-shaped seed. The process of separating the petals from the seed can be laborious, but it is definitely worth it.

Marigolds

Marigolds are an incredibly popular annual flower grown in gardens across the world. Once a marigold flower is spent, it will turn into a mushy brown clump of petals. As the petals dry, the seeds below them will form. Marigold seeds are interesting because they look like small pins about 3/4 of an inch (2cm) long. Pulling on the spent and dry flower head will yield a bunch of seeds. Remove any remnants of dry petals, transfer the pins to a labeled paper bag and allow them to dry fully before storage.

Calendula

A flower with many uses. Calendula is truly a powerhouse flower. It attracts pollinators, it can be used in medicinal and cosmetic applications, it is edible and it can even be steeped for tea.

Calendula seeds are incredibly easy to harvest. When the flower petals are spent, the flower head will shrivel. The seed pods will swell and take on a green color. As the flower heads continue to dry, the seed heads will turn dark brown. If left to their own devices, calendula seeds will drop (self-seed) and you’ll end up with new calendula plants next spring.

Harvest the seed heads when they are completely dry. Calendula seeds have a unique shape to them. They look like the letter C. They are easy to handle and package.

Cilantro/Coriander

Cilantro plants serve double duty. In the green form, the plant is called cilantro or green coriander. The plants will eventually mature and bolt (go to flower and seed). The seeds of the cilantro plant are known as coriander, a common and widely used spice around the world.

The trick with cilantro is to allow the plants to mature, flower and set seeds. The plants will slowly brown and the seed heads will turn from bright green to a dull light brown color. When the seeds are completely dry, they are ready to be harvested and stored. The seeds can be replanted next spring (or fall) or used in your kitchen as ground or crushed coriander.

Peppers

Peppers come in all shapes, sizes, colors and spice levels. Because they are self-fertile, the chances of their seeds breeding true is high (cross-pollination is possible as well and could result in some very interesting crosses). It is important to wait until your pepper is ripe before you consider saving its seeds. Under ripe peppers could be housing underdeveloped seeds. Waiting until the pepper is fully ripe on the vine to harvest the seeds will yield higher quality seeds with higher germination rates.

Saving pepper seeds is quite easy. Using a small paring knife, cut open the fruit and scrape out the seeds onto a paper towel or into a paper bag. The seeds need several weeks to dry out completely, so it is important to allow them to dry with some air circulations so they do not rot or go moldy.

Tomatoes

Much like peppers, tomatoes are self fertile though there is always a small chance that cross pollination occurred. That being said, it shouldn’t stop you from saving seeds. Saving seeds from tomatoes should be done when the fruit is fully ripe. Again, for the same reason stated above, we want to ensure that the seeds are fully developed.

The process of saving seeds from tomatoes is a little more complicated.

Slice the tomato in half and squeeze out the juice and seeds into a mason jar or bowl.
Cover with a small piece of plastic wrap, label the jar and set aside for a few days. We want the seeds and juices to ferment. This fermentation helps break down the gelatinous layer protecting the seeds.
After a few days, a layer of white mold may appear on top of the seeds and juices. That’s ok! When the mold appears, it’s time to wash your seeds.
Run the seeds under cold water in a fine mesh sieve to remove any tomato pulp remnants.
Transfer the washed seeds to a dry paper towel and allow the seeds to dry completely before storage.

Beans

Probably one of the easiest seeds to save. As the pods mature on the vine, the beans within the pods will swell. To save beans, you will want to allow the pods to mature completely on the vine and begin to dry. It is important to allow the pods to dry out completely. They will be hard and crunchy. The beans may even rattle inside the pods. Once the pods reach this stage, you may harvest and shell the beans.

Seed saving is an incredibly rewarding activity and we encourage you to give it a shot. Who knows, you might even end up discovering an awesome cross worthy of a ribbon at the state fair.

For more information about A Year in the Urban Garden, our Seed to Plate Master Class, please click here.

7 Easy Plants to Seed Save