[ back ]
Plant Savers
(by Alexandra Heath - March 04, 2008)
Everyday, it seems, there are news reports about the number of plants and animals that are nearing extinction, or are threatened because of loss of habitat or environmental contaminants. To preserve what is possible of plant biodiversity, an international group of scientists has created a “doomsday” seed bank deep underground in Norway. Although work on such a monumental scale is important, everyday gardeners can share in this vital work by becoming seed savers.
Before tackling this in your own garden, you need to know what kinds of seeds to save. For purposes of simplifying this, there are two kinds of seeds—hybrid and open pollinated. Hybrid seeds are basically genetically manipulated to grow plants that have preferable features from two (or more) different varieties of the same plant. So, for example, a hybrid tomato might be low-acid, have an unusual color (white, orange, black), set fruit early and continue to blossom for the entire growing season. While one variety of tomato may not have all of these features, by combining the genetic material from two varieties, seed producers develop a “better” tomato, or at least better for some applications, such as growing tomatoes on an apartment patio balcony.
The difficulty with hybrid plants is that the seed from the mature plant will not produce true to type. In other words, subsequent plantings from seeds saved from a hybrid will revert to the parent types, or some other less-than-desirable alternative. So if you are considering seed saving, you will need to avoid hybrids for this purpose.
Open pollinated seeds breed true season after season; however, what you see is what you get. In general, so-called heirloom seeds are open-pollinated. These varieties have been grown in small gardens and on family farms for generations and are proven producers. Nonetheless, you can find really interesting open pollinated plants, many from other cultures. Most of the big name seed catalogs list a few varieties of heirloom seeds, although they make their reputations and profits from ever more exotic hybrids of common flowers, vegetables and herbs.
Perhaps you have an unusual plant in your backyard that you haven’t seen elsewhere or that originated from some seeds or plant stock that was provided by a relative from some other place. Alice Walker, the famous African American author, has a pecan tree growing at her northern California home that is the genetic offspring of the pecan tree growing at her childhood home in the South. These kinds of plants are treasures to be shared with future generations.
Seed saving is a very basic procedure. You will first need to identify those plants in your garden that are highly desirable—either they are out-producing other plants of the same variety or they have remarkable features, such as frost hardiness or pest deterrent capabilities. From this group, select up to four plants that you will allow to mature and set seed. When the flowers reach full bloom, cut the seed head from the stalk, place it in a paper bag, and hang in a cool, dry area. Usually when the plant is entirely dry, the seeds will release from the seed head and fall into the bag. The trick to successful seed saving is to make sure that the seeds are COMPLETELY dry before storing them.
Although there are any number of way to store your seeds—glass jars, small jeweler’s tins, plastic containers and bags—keeping them in paper will ensure that any residual moisture will filter through the paper and prevent mold. Moldy seeds are essentially useless. I buy small brown paper coin envelopes from an office supply store to store my seeds.
Label and date your seed envelope. Taking a photo and attaching it to the envelope is a nice touch and will remind you what the plant looks like when mature. (Kind of hard to do when you’re just looking at the seed.)
If you would like to share your seeds with others, you might look at the United Plant Saver’s website, www.plantsavers.org. Here you’ll find lots of information, educational opportunities, internships and links to other organizations.
[ back ]
