Seed Saving

General Seed Saving Guidelines

• Save from as many plants as you can. To maintain genetic diversity save from many plants.
• Label. Label. Label. Make sure the plants in your garden are labeled. Having a garden map is also handy. When you save seeds make sure they are always with a label.  As a minimum, the label needs to have the species, variety, and year. Additional notes such as things you selected for and varietal information are very helpful. Since we gave you the seeds, we have some of the extra varietal information, but it is a good habit to save this information yourself when you share with friends and neighbors. 
• Don't pamper your seeds. We want our seeds to be rigorous so don't spray with chemicals. Let nature weed out the less healthy plants. 
• Storage matters: Make sure seeds are dry before storing them. Cool, dry, and dark is the best storage condition. If you have beans or peas, put dried seeds in a labeled glass jar for at least a week to kill and weevils. When taking the jar out of the freezer, don't open it for 24 hours to prevent condensation inside the jar. 
• Share some:  Consider donating some seeds to your seed library or share with friends. Make sure they are well labeled. ​