Lehigh Acres Edible Gardening Exchange
Meeting Recap: Seed Saving
Mr. Ben Pino, from Heartland Gardens, spoke with us about seed saving on Thursday, January 20th, 2012. Below are the highlights:
Do not save seed from hybrid plants
Save seed from the best fruit or veggie that is just past being ripe
Dry seed for 1-2 weeks on newspaper or paper towels
Store dried seeds in something watertight to keep humidity out
Beans and peas can be left to dry on plants if weather permits (no rain)
Date saved seed
Ideal long term storage should have: 32-41 degrees and 6-9 percent humidity. Next best would follow this rule: temperature added to humidity under 100 (49 degrees plus 50 percent humidity = 99) Easiest plants are self pollinating these include: endive, soybeans, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, peas and all grains except rye.
Wind pollinated plants should be kept 1 mile from another variety including: beets, spinach, rye, swiss chard, and corn.
Insect pollinated plants should be kept 1/2 mile from another variety including: asparagus, collards, parsley, broccoli, cucumbers, parsnips, brussel sprouts, eggplant, peppers, cabbage, gherkins, pumpkins, chinese cabbage, kale, radishes, carrots, kohlrabi, rutabagas, celeriac, melons, squash, celery, onions, and turnips.
The following plants are biennials and set seed during second year: collards, parsley, parsnips, cabbage, chinese cabbage, kale, carrots, kohlrabi, rutabagas, celeriac, celery, onions, and turnips.
Personal note I learned from ECHO that evening: Tomato seeds require the fleshy coating over the seeds to be completely washed off prior to drying otherwise the seeds will not sprout.
Thank you Lilian Nieves for the photos:
