Part of learning homesteading and be self-sustaining, is learning new skills.
There are SO MANY different skills to learn, it can seem overwhelming and you just don’t know where to start.
One of the easiest to start with, and probably one of the most necessary, is seed collecting and saving.
It’s no secret that our food supply has been compromised.
Everything from GMO to supply chain shortages, there may come a day when the grocery store shelves are completely empty.
And you may think that just you can just buy from a seed company each year.
Well, think again. Last year, many seed companies sold out of their seeds.
Seed saving has become critical, plus, it’s totally free.
Who doesn’t like that!
Here are are few tips for collecting and saving seeds:
1. Avoid patented and hybrid varieties: Technically, you can save the seeds, but they won’t don’t grow true to type, meaning you’re likely a plant that produces very different food the second time around (if the seeds grow at all). Heirloom seeds are open-pollinated seeds that have been carefully selected from the healthiest, most productive plants and passed down through generations.
2. When saving seeds from the plants in your garden, select the healthiest, best producing plants to save seeds from. Just like humans and animals, plants take on the characteristics of their parents, so if you want to produce strong, healthy, high-yielding offspring, start with strong, healthy, high-yielding parent parent plants.
3. All seeds should be completely dry before storing. They should be kept in a paper envelope or paper bag to ensure they are well aerated and won’t go moody if there’s any hint of moisture left in or around them. However if they are really dry, you can store them in a Mason jar or even a plastic ziplock bag.
I’ve made a short video for you so that you can see how I collected some mustard green seeds.
