Starting with a bit of honesty here, I'm not the expert on seed saving. There are folks out there who've been doing this for decades with all kinds of success and variety. That's not me. Yet. However, if you're wondering about maybe trying a little yourself, I can share with you some good ways to get started.
Why should you save seeds? I partly do it as an activity with my daughter Hannah. It's a good educational project to learn about plant biology. I partly also do it to save money. Saved seeds means I don't have to buy more next year. Finally, if you do this over time, the plants will actually start to acclimate to your specific climate and soil conditions making them perfect for you. I haven't been doing it long enough to enjoy the last benefit but we'll get there.
Please note that all seed saving is best done with heirloom plants. It has to do with how long that variety has been around. Seeds from hybrid plants will probably germinate for you but the flower or fruit may not look like what you expect. You can tell if an plant is heirloom (or open pollinated) from the seed packet you originally bought.
My excursions into seed saving have centered around vegetables and flowers. First, if you've grown
peas or beans this year and the plants are still out there in the garden somewhere, then you might have some great seeds outside waiting for you. Just look for any old, dried pods that you didn't get around to pick. Open the pods up and separate out the seeds inside (see picture).
With flowers, I enjoy saving zinnia and marigold seeds the most although my daughter is saving 4 o'clock seeds this year too. Leave a few flowers on the plant until they turn brown and dry and then pluck off the heads. You'll find the seeds under where the petals used to be (see the other picture).
When storing seeds, note that moisture is your worst enemy. I keep the seeds out on trays till they are 100 percent dry and then store them in a sealed jar in the basement. Next spring I'll be ready to go. If you're interested in more information on this subject, I"ll include some links below. Do you do seed saving? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.
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