GROWING your own plants using seeds saved from the previous year has several benefits. It is free, easy and you already know if these plant varieties grow well in your garden.
You can also branch out, if you have been coveting any of your neighbours鈥� flowers, by asking them if they could donate a few flower heads once they have set seed. I have acquired some tall ornamental grasses by taking a few seeds from some striking specimens at my local park.
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Bear in mind that some hybrid 鈥淔1鈥� varieties of fruits and vegetables shouldn鈥檛 have their seeds stored. These hybrids have been created by crossing one variety of plant with another, so that their offspring have just the right mix of characteristics. Plants from the next generation, however, will be more variable. Instead, save seeds from varieties that are marketed as heirloom or open-pollinated, the offspring of which should be more similar to their parents.
For flowers and grasses, you may have to watch the plants carefully as their seeds ripen over the summer to make sure you strike at the right time. Too early and the seeds will be immature; too late and the seeds could blow away in the breeze. With fruits, such as tomatoes, just pick them when they seem ripe.
Planting time is usually late winter or very early spring, which means your seeds will need to be dried out so they can be stored for several months without rotting.
Drying options include keeping the seeds in a sealed jar for a week alongside packets of silica gel, which I get by storing the sachets that come with some purchases. Or you can use dehydrated rice, which can be made by drying rice in an oven at 100掳C (212掳F) for several hours, according to the UK charity Garden Organic. I have previously had success by simply storing flower heads in a large, open paper bag and leaving them in a warm shed for a month.
Tomato seeds are unusual for requiring an : you must first get rid of their surrounding jelly, which contains compounds that inhibit seed germination. Squeeze the seeds and their juice into a jam jar, cover with plastic wrap with a couple of holes in it, and leave to ferment at room temperature for about three days. Then discard the resulting goo 鈥� which is, frankly, mouldy and smelly 鈥� rinse several times, and dry as for other seeds.
With some plants, such as grasses, you may need to remove any seed casings or husks. Do this by rolling them between your fingers, then get rid of the 鈥渃haff鈥� by picking it out, sieving or gently blowing it away, a process known as winnowing.
Once ready, seeds can be kept in paper envelopes in a jar at the back of the fridge over the winter, ready to be sown in small growing trays or pots in early spring. Then the growing cycle can begin again.
What you need
Paper bags and envelopes
Jars
Plant pots
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