Seed Saving – Why you really should too!

When it comes to raising your own food, Seed Saving is the holy grail. Most of us, as we did, start with store bought seedlings that are already well advanced. For those going to the next level, seeds are purchased from a reputable supplier. Then, for those who dare, seed is saved from your very own plants. There are a number of very good reasons to migrate toward saving your own seed. For home gardeners and homesteaders, seed saving is quickly becoming a matter of high importance.

Not only that, witnessing the process of germination, the shoot breaking the surface of the soil, reaching for the sun while the husk of the seed hangs onto the Cotyledons (first leaves) is a process I never grow tired of.

We listed below our top X reasons why you too should start saving your own seed.

1. Seed Quality: Every garden is its own micro climate. The seed you save from your garden is adapted to your particular climate. As you save it year on year it becomes stronger and more climatized to the environment it has been breeding in.
2. Cost-effectiveness: By saving seeds, home gardeners can avoid the cost of purchasing new seeds every year. This can be particularly beneficial for those who want to grow heirloom or rare varieties that may not always be readily available in seed catalogs.
3. Preserving genetic diversity: When home gardeners save seeds, they are helping to preserve the genetic diversity of the vegetables they grow. This is of particular importance now that large corporations are placing patents on seeds. Genetic diversity can help to ensure that plants are better able to adapt to changes in environmental conditions and resist pests and diseases. We have found that our strongest seeds, saved over many years, produce the strongest most pest resistant crops.
4. Sustainability: Seed saving is a practice that reduces the reliance on industrial agriculture and the vulnerable supply chain. By saving seeds, home gardeners and homesteaders can create a self-sustaining garden that becomes its own closed loop system.
5. Flavour: Many home gardeners believe that saved seeds produce vegetables with better flavour profiles than store-bought seeds. The theory goes that this is because the saved seeds are adapted to the specific growing conditions of your home garden, and can therefore produce more flavourful vegetables.

There are some pitfalls to be careful of however. Plants such as Cucumbers, Pumpkins/Squash, Corn and Peppers will cross pollinate. This can leave you with some pretty bland tasting hybrids. This can happen very easily with Pumpkin/Squash so we recommend growing just one type. Peppers may cross but the results are mostly positive in our experience.

Storage is also an important factor. You have to keep the seed cool and away from light. At Big Little Farm, we built a custom seed rack made specifically for small brown glass bottles with a wadded cap. The glass, combined with the wadded cap keeps the seed fresh while the brown glass helps to further block out light.

Although most seed will last 2-5 years in good storage conditions, we attempt to re-save each season so that we are capturing that improved seed quality every 12 months.

There is also the consideration of how to save seed. There is dry seed and wet seed. Some dry seed can be stored directly off the plant, others require further indoor drying. Then there is wet seed such as tomato, cucumber, pumpkin, asparagus etc. Some ‘experts’ love to make a complicated scientific project out of saving wet seed. It doesn’t have to be that complicated.

To simplify the process for each seed type, we are going to put up a post for each vegetable that we have been saving successfully for over a decade. Everyone can do this, and its of vital importance to the budding and experienced home gardener.

For those who need the information now, we have a simplified Seed Saving series running on Instagram. You can view each using the links below,

Onions – https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp0p50KBby9/

Beetroot – https://www.instagram.com/p/CqKVsCXju-s/

Tomatoes – https://www.instagram.com/p/CqWsLFRjZMS/

Coriander – https://www.instagram.com/p/CqqyFvbBmCu/

Carrots – https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq1VIfGuyiB/

Cucumber – https://www.instagram.com/p/CrLJO4ethY6/

As the posts go up we will include some additional details that we can jam into the Instagram reels. This will also include some of the valuable information provided by some of our followers.

Until then, keep digging.

Brendan and Caitlin