Why buy new seeds every year when you can easily grow them yourself from the delicious tomatoes, colorful blooming summer flowers and vegetable plants? We'll explain how to collect, dry and store seeds.
How do you dry seeds correctly?
To dry seeds, place the seeds in wide containers lined with kitchen paper and place them in a warm, shady place at max.35 degrees and let it dry for one to two weeks. Then remove plant residues and pack the seeds in labeled paper bags for dark, cool storage.
When can the seeds be harvested?
The fruit heads of many vegetable plants and flowers ripen from green to brown. In the case of beans, the shell becomes hard and leathery. Keep an eye on this process and allow the seeds to mature on the plant for as long as possible.
With a little experience it is easy to tell when the seed capsule will burst open. Cut them off shortly beforehand.
How are the seeds dried?
To prevent the seeds from becoming moldy, they must be dried thoroughly before packaging:
- Dry fine flower seeds on the seed stand. They then almost fall out on their own.
- Vegetable seeds, such as tomatoes or pumpkins, must be free of pulp. Place these in a sieve and rinse the seeds thoroughly. Cleaning is even easier if you place the seeds in a glass of water and leave it open for one or two days. This causes the pulp and jelly coating to come off.
- You can leave the pods and pods whole.
Drying seeds
- To dry, place the seeds in wide containers that you line with kitchen paper or blotting paper.
- Place the inflorescences upside down in small glasses. If the fine seeds fall out, they collect on the ground.
- Place the bowls in a warm, sunny place. However, the temperature must not be above 35 degrees.
- Here the seeds need about one to two weeks to dry completely.
Saving seeds
- Remove casings, capsules and other plant debris.
- Then shake the bowl. Since the germinable seeds are heavier, they fall downwards.
- By blowing carefully you can remove any remaining husks and seeds that would not sprout.
- Pack the seeds in small paper bags and label them.
- Store seeds in a cool, dark place.
Tip
Since hybrid seeds are not germinable, you can only harvest seeds from plants whose origin you know. If you would like to use your own seeds in the future, you should only cultivate seed-resistant plants in your garden. Whether a plant fulfills this characteristic is written on the seed bag.
