In the garden, it is time to save seed to preserve a variety that otherwise would be lost. It is time to revive the tradition of seed saving in the modern garden. One reason you should consider seed saving is the ease of growing a plant that has fully adapted to your region is a delight! Another reason to seed save is to preserve unique plants for future generations.

As an organic farmer, I find myself growing my seeds for food and not seed. I like to support other seed savers and reputable seed companies instead, like Seed Savers Exchange or Johnny’s Selected Seeds. That all changed this year when I found out that Johnny’s Selected Seeds would no longer be selling the seeds for one of the signature greens in my salad mixes. The firecracker lettuce has this deep red that I have been unable to find in any other lettuce, and the flavor is incredible!

It was time to start seed saving, I wasn’t going to stop growing one of my favorite lettuces! In the video below, we will transplant the firecracker seedlings into a pot and talk about seed saving practices. This snippet is from the free 33-week High Performance Garden Show.

Are you interested in seed saving? The first step in seed saving is to understand what type of seeds you want to save. So many people have asked me about which seed varieties are best for their garden and safe for their family. Seeds are wonderful packets of living history that with the right care and understanding can yield hundreds of new seeds!

Heirloom (or open pollinated) seeds are the best seeds to save. They are genetically steady and will continue to produce seeds that are like the parent seed.

Hybrid seeds are a cross between two inbred parents. This is most often done in a tech lab or a controlled environment. This controlled cross will allow scientists to predict the traits of the offspring. When searching for seeds, generally you will find F1 seeds (first generation). These are an adventure to save. They have recessive genetics that will make for surprises in the generations to come!

With the plant that you are seed saving for, there are many different approaches. On my farm, I will not harvest the plants I want to go to seed. In a garden, you can simply allow for your plants to naturally go to seed. When you use this method, make sure that you store the seeds soon afterward! A great place to save them is in the freezer, they will last much longer there. Otherwise, a cool, dry and dark room should do.

What seeds will you start saving? Tell me in the comments below! I hope this article has inspired you to get started.

If you would like to see what happens in the Firecracker saga, sign up for the free 2016 season of the High Performance Garden Show. This real-time gardening show is a great place to learn organic, weed free, productive and organic gardening techniques.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Lynn

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