Fall means seed collecting

[pokeyt]

Hopefully i have been doing this correctly . I have been saving some of our seeds so as we dont have to purchase what we grow next season , or so we can select what we liked from this season to have again next . Now all i have been doing is when a pepper ripens , i cut out the membrane rub the seeds off onto a plate label the plate and let them dry . Is this correct , how do i know if my seeds are mature enough to grow next season or if the peppers were mature enough , is it that the pepper just needs to be ripe , or do you let it stay on the plant for a bit after it has ripened ? sorry for all the questions , we just have a few strains we really like and want for next year .
thanks for any advice and help it is all greatly appreciated

 

[Pam]

Well, let's back up a bit. Apologies if I'm telling you something you already know. Are the varieties that you want to save seed from hybrids? If they are, the seed probably won't breed true. Then, if you didn't do anything to isolate the pepper flowers from other peppers, there's a good chance they may have cross pollinated with other peppers in the garden, and the seeds once again won't produce a plant true to the parent.

To get viable seed, it's best to leave the pepper on the plant until it's almost over-ripe. If you want to check the viability of the seeds you have, take one or two and wrap them in a damp paper towel. Keep it in a warm place and see if they sprout.

 

[pokeyt]

cool , great info , and no need to apologise i kinda figured they would cross pollinate and so on for sure as no i didnt keep em seperated , and figured they wont be just like the parents ( will have to order some ) but basically just the method of saving them , and you have helped with some of my qualms . greatly appreciated thanks again