Growing Heirloom Seeds

June 24, 2008 by: Josh

Join me on this article as I discuss the basics of growing and saving heirloom seeds.

I can remember growing up on my grandfather’s farm in eastern Kentucky. At the beginning of every gardening season, he would go into the basement and pull out jars of seeds that he saved from the previous year. This was more than just saving seeds so he wouldn’t have to buy new ones, it was tradition. He always enjoyed replanting what he had harvested before. Throughout the growing season he would pick the best looking vegetables and save their seeds. In his last year before passing, the seeds were lost. This year, I’m picking up my grandfather’s tradition and I hope to pass it on to my children.

There are many definitions for heirlooms. The most basic is: heirlooms are any garden plant/vegetable that has a history of being passed down within a family. The majority of definitions state that heirlooms are older than 50 years and heirlooms are usually planted in small-scale agriculture.

Saving Your Seeds
Open pollination is the key to seed saving. Plants that reproduce through natural means tend to adapt to local conditions, and evolve as reliable performers, particularly in their localities. The first step in saving your seeds is to make sure the seeds are ready to be picked. You usually pick seeds once they have crossed the eating stage. You want to make sure the seeds are ripe. Second step is to pick the seeds. Most plants you can use common sense on how to extract the seeds. Some of the trickier plants such as tomatoes and squash require a different method. Remove the seeds along with the plant gel. Place in a cup of water and after a few days the seeds will separate. After you remove the seeds, make sure to dry completely. I like to place on a paper towel for about 5 days. After your seeds are dried, place in an air-tight container away from moisture. I like to use food saver bags and remove all the air.

Testing Your Saved Seeds
Since heirlooms are not as productive as the hybrid seeds, you want to test your seeds before you plant them. The easiest way to do this is, place 20 seeds in a moist paper towel. You want to keep the paper towel moist for 5 to 10 days. You can do this by putting it in a sealed tupperware or jar. Keep everything at room temperature, with no major temperature fluctuations. Between 7 and 10 days, take the towel out and count the seeds that germinated. If more than 75% of the seeds germinated, you should be good to plant the seeds at their normal spacing. If 50% to 75% of the seeds germinated, plant the seeds a little thicker than normal. If less than 50% of the seeds germinated, you probably have bad seeds.

One of my favorite places to buy heirloom seeds, is from the Seed Savers Exchange: http://www.seedsavers.org/

Now, go out there and start making family traditions!