An important part of high calorie gardening is
growing those staple crops that are easy for you to grow. Part of this will
involve saving your own seeds. I personally follow the five year rule for
plants and animals. That rule states that I do not know if a plant or animal is
adapted to my location until I have raised five consecutive generations. To do
this with plants I have to save seeds. I do not raise all my seeds and roots
but that is a topic for another conversation.
So for a part of a high calorie garden you will
need to know the basics of saving seeds. I got my start from my Grandpa Ernie
when I was young. I learned more as an adult from attending garden presentations
and from buying books before the Internet was the place to go. I still highly recommend
Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques
for Vegetable Gardeners, 2nd Edition by Suzanne Ashworth, David Cavagnaro and
Kent Whealy
For a free kindle book
Seed Saving For Beginners: Save Time and Money Preserving Rare Heirloom And Organic Seeds by Frank Xavier (Sep 4, 2014)
Seed Saving For Beginners: Save Time and Money Preserving Rare Heirloom And Organic Seeds by Frank Xavier (Sep 4, 2014)
So how do I get started saving seeds.
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Before you can save it you have to have the seed
to grow.
Look for local seed exchanges in your area.
Below are some sites to help you find seeds you
can save.
The Millennium Seed Bank Partnership is the
largest ex situ plant conservation program in the world.
Mother Earth Magazine seed and plant finder
PlantScout - Dave's Garden website
Does a good job at finding sources for plants and seeds
Does a good job at finding sources for plants and seeds
http://davesgarden.com/products/ps/#b
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Here are some of the major seed saving
organizations.
These are great places to get started and learn.
They also sell seed saving supplies.
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange offers more than
700 varieties of vegetable, flower, herb, grain and cover crop seeds. We
emphasize varieties that perform well in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast,
although gardeners and farmers from all over the country grow our seeds.
You will find products to dry and store seeds and information on saving seeds at their site.
http://www.southernexposure.com/
You will find products to dry and store seeds and information on saving seeds at their site.
http://www.southernexposure.com/
Their mission is to promote sustainable,
ecological, organic vegetable seed production in the Mid-Atlantic and South.
Saving Our Seeds provides information, resources, and publications for
gardeners, farmers, seed savers, and seed growers.
http://www.savingourseeds.org
http://www.savingourseeds.org
Organic Seed Alliance
Check out their new organic plant breeding manuals that walk farmers through the methods of breeding new seed varieties on their farm. The publications include an introduction to on-farm organic plant breeding and three crop-specific breeding manuals covering carrots, sweet corn, and tomatoes.
http://www.seedalliance.org
Check out their new organic plant breeding manuals that walk farmers through the methods of breeding new seed varieties on their farm. The publications include an introduction to on-farm organic plant breeding and three crop-specific breeding manuals covering carrots, sweet corn, and tomatoes.
http://www.seedalliance.org
Seed Savers Exchange
Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and sharing heirloom seeds. Since 1975, our members have been passing on our garden heritage by collecting and distributing thousands of samples of rare garden seeds to other gardeners.
http://www.seedsavers.org
Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and sharing heirloom seeds. Since 1975, our members have been passing on our garden heritage by collecting and distributing thousands of samples of rare garden seeds to other gardeners.
http://www.seedsavers.org
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Below are sites that have information on seed
saving.
These are sites I picked because the interested
me.
Some are high level and some are written for the
lay person.
Guidelines for Successful Seed Storage & How
to Make A Miniature Home Seed Bank, PDF format
A. Yoshinaga, Center For Conservation Research And Training- June 2005
http://kohalacenter.org/docs/resources/hpsi/mini_seed_bank_guidelines.docx
A. Yoshinaga, Center For Conservation Research And Training- June 2005
http://kohalacenter.org/docs/resources/hpsi/mini_seed_bank_guidelines.docx
The real seed catalog
This link has instructions for drying seeds with rice.
Very old school but it still works well.
http://www.realseeds.co.uk/Drying.html
http://www.realseeds.co.uk/Drying.html
Basic information from PSU showing effects of
moisture content in seeds.
http://extension.psu.edu/agronomy-guide/cm/tables/table-1-3-1
http://extension.psu.edu/agronomy-guide/cm/tables/table-1-3-1
Basic information on the effects of temperature
and seed moisture levels on seed storage.
Seed moisture level and temperature are the two
biggest factors in seed viability of stored seed.
http://depts.washington.edu/ehuf473/ehuf473/seedmoisture.htm
http://depts.washington.edu/ehuf473/ehuf473/seedmoisture.htm
Manual of Seed Handling in Genebanks, PDF file
http://www.bioversityinternational.org/uploads/tx_news/Manual_of_seed_handling_in_genebanks_1167_01.pdf
Bioversity International: research for development
in agricultural and forest biodiversity
This is their link to seed saving information.
This is their link to seed saving information.
http://www.bioversityinternational.org/fileadmin/bioversity/publications/Web_version/188/begin.htm#Contents
Equilibrium Relative Humidity as a Tool to Monitor
Seed Moisture
By measuring relative humidity you can make
predictions on the seed moisture levels.
http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_p062/rmrs_p062_045_047.pdf
Storing Vegetable and Flower Seeds
Nice chart showing the average years a seed package should be good.
Nice chart showing the average years a seed package should be good.
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07221.pdf
Longevity of Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) Seeds
Stored at Locations Varying in Temperature and Relative Humidity, PDF format
Seeds can be damage by extremely low moisture content.
Science papers that address different aspects of this.
http://www.bioversityinternational.org/fileadmin/bioversity/publications/Web_version/243/begin.htm#Contents
Storage of Seeds
Dr. Bonner is a scientist emeritus at the USDA
Forest Service’s Southern Research Station,
Mississippi State, Mississippi -
this is a PDF file
Principles and practices of seed harvesting,
processing, and storage: an organic seed production manual for seed growers in
the Mid-Atlantic and Southern U.S. – PDF file
http://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/SeedProcessingandStorageVer_1pt3.pdf
http://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/SeedProcessingandStorageVer_1pt3.pdf
The Millennium Seed Bank Partnership is the
largest ex situ plant conservation program in the world.
http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/millennium-seed-bank
http://www.kew.org/discover/blogs/millennium-seed-bank
The Ohio Seed Exchange is a non-profit
organization, whose goal is to provide home gardeners with a medium through
which they can find and communicate with other gardeners in their area who
would like to exchange open pollinated or heirloom seeds.
http://www.ohioseed.org/
