Seeds from beans, carrots, corn, onions, peas, herbs, and most flowers require a dry collection method. Leave the seeds to dry on the plant as long as you can. Then collect them and spread the seeds in a single layer on a screen or paper towel in a safe, dry location with good ventilation. If seeds are too small and light to be dried on a screen, you can either use a paper towel or place the seed heads in a paper bag. Seeds will fall to the bottom of the bag as they dry, and you can eventually remove the other plant debris.
Seeds from fleshier fruits and flowers, such as cucumbers, melons, squash, tomatoes, and roses, require a wet collection method. Scoop the seeds from the fruit and place in a jar or bucket with a small amount of warm water and soak for two to four days, stirring daily.
At the end of the two to four days, the viable seeds you should keep will have sunk to the bottom of the container. Seeds that are not viable and should be discarded will float to the top of the container, along with other plant debris. Spread the viable seeds from the bottom of the container in a single layer on a screen or paper towel. Store your seeds in a safe, dry location that gets good ventilation as they continue to dry. Whether you use a wet or dry collection method, allow the seeds to dry out completely before moving them to a glass jar or envelope for storage.
Label the seeds with the plant type and the date. Freeze your container for two days to kill any garden pests that may be hitching a ride. Move them to a cool, dry place like your refrigerator for long-term storage. Seeds can be stored for up to three years, but seeds from some types of plants must be used within one year.
Refer to our Seed Life Chart to find out how long you can expect a particular kind of seeds to last. Hybrid seeds are the result of cross-breeding two plants that are not genetically similar. The male plant or pollen parent pollinates and fertilizes the female plant seed parent , which sets f1 seeds. Hybrid plants are named for the genus followed by an x and the name given to the hybrid variety. For example, a hybrid air plant might be named Tillandsia x Redy.
As with all seeds, heirloom seeds can last from one to three years, depending on the type of plant the seeds came from. If you want a specific estimate for how long you can expect a particular type of seeds to last, you can refer to our Seed Life Chart.
All heirloom plants are open pollinated, but the terms do not have the same meaning, and not all open pollinated plants are heirloom.
A plant that is open pollinated has been permitted to be pollinated by natural means, such as insects, wind, or birds. Heirloom plant varieties have been passed down through a family or community. The f1 and f2 generations are names given to certain generations when breeding plants.
The first set of parent plants is the P, or parent, generation. The F1 generation stands for first filial, and this generation includes all offspring of the parent plants. The F2, or second filial, generation includes all the offspring of the F1 plants. Gardeners report many advantages to using hybrid seeds in the garden. Hybrid plants are reportedly easier to grow and grow more quickly than their non-hybrid counterparts.
Gardeners also say that hybrid plants bounce back from stressful situations more readily. Hybrid plants are often cultivated to have characteristics gardeners may find desirable, such as disease resistance, larger fruit, higher yield, or more durability in shipping.
While hybrid varieties are bred to have certain benefits, this hands-on cultivation tends to let other qualities fall to the wayside. For example, gardeners note that hybrids tend to be more expensive, less nutritious, and less flavorful than heirloom varieties.
Hybrids also tend to be sterile, and those that are not sterile do not produce true to type, so seed-saving is impractical with hybrid plants. That means new seed must be bought at the beginning of each season.
The genetic uniformity of hybrid plants also can be problematic in the face of certain challenges, such as extreme weather conditions or the introduction of a new disease or garden pest. Seeds that are open pollinated come from plants that have been pollinated via natural means, such as birds, wind, or insects. Heirloom plants have a variety of benefits that lead some gardeners to choose heirloom seeds for their gardens.
Heirloom vegetables are open-pollinated as opposed to the selective crossbreeding that creates hybrids and have been handed down among members of a family or community. Many gardeners choose to grow heirloom varieties because they say heirloom fruit and vegetables are more flavorful than hybrids. Heirlooms are also often more nutritious than their hybrid counterparts.
An F1 hybrid is a plant in the first filial generation of selective crossbreeding to create a hybrid, which are the offspring of the parent plants P generation.
Offspring of two F1 plants are referred to as the F2 generation. F2 is the second filial generation of plants, the offspring of the F1 generation. F1 are the offspring of the parent plants, the P generation. As hybrids, the F2 generation is the result of selective crossbreeding. F1 stands for first filial, as the F1 generation encompasses all plants that are offspring of two particular parent plants the P generation.
Open pollinated plants rely on natural means of pollination, such as wind, insects, or birds. All heirloom plant varieties are open pollinated. Heirlooms are varieties that have been handed down among members of a community or family for generations.
Great article -thank-you. I still have one other important question when I use hybrid seeds what is the effect if any on the decline of biodiversity. Since it takes two OP plants in order make a hybrid, does it not take a good bank of open pollinated seeds for a successful hybrid breeding program? Kc tomato. February 15 at pm. Some genes when in homologous pairings found in OP result in negative traits. When expressed in heterozygous pairings hybrid state these effects are diminished or eliminated.
Examples would be nematode resistance and one form if fusarium resistance in tomato. Those genes result in negative traits in the fruit which can effect marketability. March 4 at am. Thank you for your comment. I would have to look up all the words that you wrote, but I feel that heirloom seeds not hybrids are the more healthy, natural way to eat. If I am misinformed please let me know. Nothing really unhealthy about making a hybrid in a conventional manner.
They happen in nature. Hybrids that occur can be the source of new genetic diversity. One can actually "save" them if they look at saving the two parents used to create it are crossed to produce seeds every so often. I find it unfortunate that some have equated it to some kind of evil mad scientist thing.
What is cool, and I hope others catch onto, is that in some cases the "right" pairing if parents can create hybrid vigor for flavor.
This is what I have been doing and seeking in my work for 20 years. Example: two heirloom parent tomatoes are crossed and the resulting F1 hybrid has outstanding, WOW! It doesn't happen all the time but when it does the result is incredible. The interesting thing is that when one tries to "de-hybridize" them over the next several generations, the really big jump in flavor degrades from the hybrid.
Thing is stay open to such a possibility. As long as the parent lines are open sourced lines that are stable - the hybrid can go on. February 5 at am. The great thing is that I can save seed from both of them!
Sign in close. We've sent you an email with a link to update your password. No account yet? Create an Account Login. Herb collection tins Pollinator friendly. Flower mixes Flower bulbs Pollinator friendly Flower collection tins Zodiac flower packets. Tools Soil amendments Cover crops Seed saving Clothing. Who we are Request free catalog Garden blog Want to grow seed? Donation program Contact us. There are numerous kinds of seeds available out there. Among the many important decisions every traditional gardener makes is the choice between OPV open pollinated varieties , Hybrid and the very artsy-sounding Heirloom Seeds.
In the simplest sense, the main distinction among these types is that growers or seed-savers can save and replant seeds coming from OP and heirloom varieties, but definitely not hybrids. Open-pollination is when those cute little insects, birds, you, me not including Dupree , wind, or other natural instrument creates pollination. Because open-pollination is uncontrolled and unrestricted on the movement or flow of pollens between individuals and plants.
Open-pollinated plants are usually more genetically diverse. This causes an amazing variation within plant populations, which ultimately allows them to adapt to local growing conditions and climates every year. Think of corns that has multiple colors of corn kernel per cob.
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