seeds A few seed saving questions

[Bold Badger Sauces]

I feel stupid posting about what is mostly common sense, but there are a few little picky things I've been wondering about.  So first of all, I've always read you should save the seeds from the first pods to reach maturity.  Is there really anything to that?  Any idea what kind of differences you could expect from an early seed plant vs a late seed plant?
 
Another thing, my friend swears that the best way to go is to cut out the placenta of the pepper and let the whole thing dry out, then separate the dried seeds and save them.  This seems unnecessary to me so I usually put on some rubber gloves, cut open the peppers, and use my fingers to scrape the seeds off the placenta.  This does equate to me manhandling them a bit while they're fresh and soft.  Could that be causing harm?  I haven't really had any problems germinating them later doing it my way.
 
And one more.  What's the best way to store the seeds?  I've been keeping them in the fridge in an airtight jar with a little paper satchet full of dry rice to absorb any excess moisture.  Is it better to store them in the fridge, or even the freezer?  I'm concerned mainly about longevity, but if the colder temps could just result in the seeds growing into crappy plants, that would obviously be something to consider as well.  I have way too many pepper varieties that I'll probably never get around to growing, but it would be nice to keep my options open for as many years down the road as possible.  I wonder how they store the seeds in those doomsday vaults, like do they replace them with new ones once they get to a certain age?
 
 

 

[Hawaiianero]

In my limited experience, the first round of pods off a new plant tend to look a little "different" from the original pod you got the seeds from even if it didn't get cross-pollinated.
later sets tend to stabilize and look more like the pods you hoped to get.
 
Dry them in the pod or take out first doesn't make any difference for me. They all germinate once they're dry enough.
 
I store mine in little zip-lock pouches in an air-tight container with a bunch of dessicant packages in it, keep in a cool place and I can still get 75% germ rates on 5 year old seeds.
That's how long I've been saving seeds so not sure how long my technique will work.

 

[Immolated]

I feel stupid posting about what is mostly common sense, but there are a few little picky things I've been wondering about.  So first of all, I've always read you should save the seeds from the first pods to reach maturity.  Is there really anything to that?  Any idea what kind of differences you could expect from an early seed plant vs a late seed plant?
 
Another thing, my friend swears that the best way to go is to cut out the placenta of the pepper and let the whole thing dry out, then separate the dried seeds and save them.  This seems unnecessary to me so I usually put on some rubber gloves, cut open the peppers, and use my fingers to scrape the seeds off the placenta.  This does equate to me manhandling them a bit while they're fresh and soft.  Could that be causing harm?  I haven't really had any problems germinating them later doing it my way.
 
And one more.  What's the best way to store the seeds?  I've been keeping them in the fridge in an airtight jar with a little paper satchet full of dry rice to absorb any excess moisture.  Is it better to store them in the fridge, or even the freezer?  I'm concerned mainly about longevity, but if the colder temps could just result in the seeds growing into crappy plants, that would obviously be something to consider as well.  I have way too many pepper varieties that I'll probably never get around to growing, but it would be nice to keep my options open for as many years down the road as possible.  I wonder how they store the seeds in those doomsday vaults, like do they replace them with new ones once they get to a certain age?
 
 

Not a stupid question at all. Don't overthink it. I've been doing this for five summers and It doesn't matter whether you choose the first pods or the last. As long the pods are ripe, and the seeds look healthy, you should be good.

As far as what your friend said, I do that too sometimes and sometimes I don't - depends on how lazy I'm being. I think you're fine either way. Comes down to personal preference.

I don't store mine in a fridge. I worry about moisture - water is not a seed's friend until you're ready to germinate. I keep them in small baggies and then keep the baggies in another larger sealed bag or container. I haven't noticed any issues with viability of the seed.

Again, I think people overthink the seed saving. Btw, I only dry them out overnight, two nights at most. Hasn't mattered one bit.

 

[SmokenFire]

I feel stupid posting about what is mostly common sense, but there are a few little picky things I've been wondering about.  So first of all, I've always read you should save the seeds from the first pods to reach maturity.  Is there really anything to that?  Any idea what kind of differences you could expect from an early seed plant vs a late seed plant?
 
Another thing, my friend swears that the best way to go is to cut out the placenta of the pepper and let the whole thing dry out, then separate the dried seeds and save them.  This seems unnecessary to me so I usually put on some rubber gloves, cut open the peppers, and use my fingers to scrape the seeds off the placenta.  This does equate to me manhandling them a bit while they're fresh and soft.  Could that be causing harm?  I haven't really had any problems germinating them later doing it my way.
 
And one more.  What's the best way to store the seeds?  I've been keeping them in the fridge in an airtight jar with a little paper satchet full of dry rice to absorb any excess moisture.  Is it better to store them in the fridge, or even the freezer?  I'm concerned mainly about longevity, but if the colder temps could just result in the seeds growing into crappy plants, that would obviously be something to consider as well.  I have way too many pepper varieties that I'll probably never get around to growing, but it would be nice to keep my options open for as many years down the road as possible.  I wonder how they store the seeds in those doomsday vaults, like do they replace them with new ones once they get to a certain age?

 
The thought behind the premise of saving early pods is that because those are the first pods, they are the ones most unlikely to have been pollinated from another nearby pepper.  In theory it makes sense, and if you're not deliberately isolating seed stock it makes sense to try and harvest seeds from the first pods.
 
That said there's no real harm or problem with saving seeds from any pepper, especially provided you've chosen one of the best examples that's come off the plant.  
 
Seeds stores with or without placenta - it doesn't matter at all imo and none of the seed vendors I've purchased from around here have ever made sure to take that extra step.  I have never had a seed not grow true from a vendor I purchased from on THP.  
 
Best way to store?  Away from light and moisture.  I do not freeze or refrigerate my seeds.  Instead I put them into bags w a bit of paper towel, separate by type and then into bigger bags that are sealed and go into the basement.  They stay in the cabinet till next year I pull em all out and decide what I really want to grow that year.

 

[Bold Badger Sauces]

Hrm, I hadn't considered the fact that the earlier pods would be less likely to have gotten crossed.  I was thinking maybe the plant would put more energy into the first pods, then take it easy on the rest.  Like hey, my biological imperative is fulfilled, time to party.
 

 

[DontPanic]

Last year was my first year saving seeds.


I'm a good example that you can screw this up! 


I didn't really pay much attention to how I dried and preserved my seeds, and the results show this.


Some seeds seem to be indestructible (Yay! My Cayenne came through fine).  But my favorite plants had horrible germination rates.


When I use the ziplock paper towel method for germination, they all turn into black furry balls, or even explode into a purple blotch.


There's probably not much involved in drying and saving your seeds, but I'll attest that it is possible to do less than is necessary. 

 

[Bold Badger Sauces]

lol, ouch.  I usually put them on paper plates and leave them sitting out for a few weeks, then into the fridge as I mentioned.  I bought a box of those tiny manila envelopes from Office Depot to keep them separated.  I think they're referred to as "coin envelopes".  I always germinate in soil too, I never bother with the moist paper towel method, but I do soak them for a few hours before planting.

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

I believe the most important issue in saving viable seeds is maturity,  International Seed Saving Institute (For Beginners).
 
Harvest mature, fully-ripe peppers for seed. 
 
Just my 2¢.