No doubt you are just as eager as I am for spring to arrive! Seed catalogs have been shopped and seeds have been delivered…waiting to be sown. In fact, in just a few days, I’ll begin sowing seeds for the various heirloom vegetable plants that we offer for sale.
While I love pouring over seed catalogs each winter and selecting new (to me) heirloom or open pollinated varieties to try in my garden, I do a fair amount of seed gathering and saving from the vegetables I grow.
In addition to cost savings (those $2.50 seed packets add up!!), I’m carrying on a tradition that helps to keep our seed diversity alive and well.
Plus seed saving is fun and easy! But, like anything, there are a few things you need to know in order to obtain “true-to-type” seed. The most important is to make certain you are saving seed from open pollinated plants and not hybrids. Of course you know all heirlooms are open pollinated, but not all open pollinated plants are heirlooms!
You’ll also want to start with “easy to save” plant types — those that have perfect, self-pollinating flowers, like peas, beans, tomatoes and peppers. Unless of course, you’re growing a variety of tomato or pepper with an exserted stigma — then you’ll have to bag and tag for T3 seeds!
I’m I losing you? Really, it’s quite easy…and you can learn all the basics of seed saving from your own garden at The Seed Saving Class that I am presenting through the University of Idaho Extension/Kootenai County Idaho Masters Gardeners on March 10th.
Registration fee is just $10 (but it must be paid in advance of the class). You can download the PDF registration form here. Please note this class will be held at the Kootenai County Admin Building, 451 N Government Way, Coeur d’Alene. Enter next to Vehicle Licensing Dept.
In addition to learning basic seed saving techniques — including a live demos — you will receive a packet of heirloom tomato seeds so you can start saving seeds from your garden this year.
Hope to see you on March 10th, 2018!
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