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| Photo Credit: Mark A. Miller |
| Seeds can last a long time. In fact, the Science Museum of Minnesota has germinated ancient seeds from an archeological dig and successfully grown plant varieties that Native Americans cultivated hundreds of years ago! |
We’re fortunate to live in a time when we can just head to the garden center to pick up a wide selection of seeds. It sure makes gardening a whole lot easier! Nevertheless, it’s extremely gratifying to save your own seed, just as our farming and gardening ancestors did for centuries.
There’s a natural rhythm to the cycles of nature. As gardeners, we become attuned to that rhythm when we sow the seed, nurture the plant, harvest the fruit or flower, and finally return the seed from the fruit to the earth again. These days, few of us bother with saving seed. But as interest in sustainability grows, there’s more reason than ever to start gathering seeds. Of course, we need to know some plant reproduction basics first: Some plants produce “perfect flowers” (also called bisexual) that are self-pollinating. This means they contain both male and female parts and don’t require the help of insects or wind to reproduce. These plants don’t usually cross-pollinate with other varieties, so we’re safe planting them close together in the garden. Some examples include legumes, tomatoes, some varieties of grapes and lettuce. | Add Photo to Journal |  | | Photo Credit: Scott Vlaun, courtesy Seeds of Change | | These Jacob’s cattle beans are being separated from the chaff in a process called winnowing. |
On the other end of the spectrum are the imperfect-flowing plants. Male and female flowers are found separately on the same plant, and they require a carrier (such as the wind, bees or other creatures) to transport pollen from the male to female flower. Plants within the same species can crossbreed when pollen is carried from one plant to another: Picture a robust cabbage crossbreeding with a sickly specimen. The resulting seeds would likely convey the undesirable traits. As a general rule, plants should be 500 feet from each other to prevent cross-pollination.
Another way to ensure good seed is to stagger plantings. For example, plant and harvest a short-season crop before planting a later-season crop of the same genus. Because most vegetables have imperfect flowers, that means staggering your food crops like cole (cabbage, broccoli, greens), carrots, beets, chilies, herbs (parsley and basil), onions, corn and radishes. We also need to learn a little something about harvesting seed. Methods vary from plant to plant, so we have to familiarize ourselves with the signs of seed maturity for each. Some plants have exposed seeds that emerge as flowers fade and petals fall. Others have seed that may be contained in fruit or on stalks. Generally speaking, seeds should be picked before the first frost. They also shouldn’t be allowed to fall to the ground or be damaged by adverse weather conditions.
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