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seeds How and when do you collect and store seeds for next year?

robisc

robisc

I assume you need to wait until the pods are ripe, then do you let them dry out and how? Naturally air dried, oven, dehydrator? Then hows the best way to store seeds for next year, can you freeeze themand do they need to be airtight in ziploc bags? Thanks in advance.
 
I find the best looking ripe pod on the plant.  I then cut out the seeds, and place them on a paper towel in a dry out of the way place.  I let them sit for 1 - 2 weeks there to dry out.  After that, I place them in a labeled baggie and store them in a dry, dark, and cool place until I'm ready to plant them.
 
About freezing seeds: I've heard differing opinions.  Some people say not to do it, while others have said that they've done it and the seeds have been viable.
 
Other methods definitely vary, but I take ripe pods and air dry them (sometimes I split them if they are thicker flesh to avoid rotting).  After a couple days I separate seeds from any bits of placenta and continue to dry in a container lined with paper towels.  When they are dried out, I roll up the towel and toss in a Ziploc or envelope.
 
I HAVE used unripened pods (they were given to me) and had a good germination rate.. maybe it was just luck.  I don't freeze them.
 
I have read that dehydrator can be used if it's not set too hot.
 
Good luck!
 
Yes, pick the ripest pods to collect seeds from. I use two methods, depending on what I'm doing with a given pod. If using it fresh, I first give them a bath of 10:1 water and hydrogen peroxide to kill any hidden nasties, then I place the seeds on a paper towel or even a plate and just leave them out to dry. If I'm going to dehydrate the pods, however, I dehydrate the seeds along with the pods at a low temperature (90F is the lowest my dehydrator goes.) It takes longer to dry the pods this way, but the seeds remain viable. If you dehydrate too high, though, the seeds will cook.
 
And yes, I'm one who laughs at those who say dire things about freezing seeds. Seeds freeze in nature, although some people will swear up and down that they don't. To prove a point, I used seeds from pods that had been in my freezer at least 6 months and germinated them - and got 100% germination from them. They were all from ripe pods, of course. But just as you may not have 100% success with seeds that have never been frozen, you might not get 100% success from frozen pods - it just depends on your total germination conditions and the original viability of the seed. Clearly if your seed was not viable before being frozen, it's not going to be viable after, either. So if freezing pods is best for your circumstances, feel free to leave the seeds in them, if you want. 

... and regardless of where your seeds came from, always give them a bath in a mix of hydrogen peroxide and water at the start of your germination process to kill off any hidden nasties. This includes seeds you purchased.
 
I basically use comp's method.  Get your seeds from the most awesome pods!!!
 
Also... this gives me an opprotunity to bring up something that I experimented with between last season and this season... and that is saving the placenta with the seeds...  it my be that my "home-made" seeds were more fresh and that is the reason for their exceptional germination rate... but i thought it could have had to do with the fact that there was a lot of placenta stored and planted with the seeds.  (you see... I saved the seeds from all of the biggest and best ButchT pods form last year by simply ripping out the whole chunk of seeds and placenta and placicng them in a bowl...adding seeds as the good pods came in... They were left to dry out on their own.. never put in bags or the dark... just left on a shelf until a few months later when I decided to plant them.... at that point I just poured warm water into the bowl and let it soak over-night....  So my plan was to grow out the seeds that I purchased (60 varieties) as my main crop at my house... and i would grow out all of those hundreds of Butch T seeds at my grandparents' farm.  The thing is... my germination rates with the purchased seeds were not very spectacular at all... while my home-grown seeds probably had near 100% germ... )  What do you guys think?  It seems like the placenta could aid in a couple of things... firstly, it may contain micro nutrients for young seedlings... I also speculate that the acidic nature may help in breaking down the seed coat.... also, because of its acidity, i wonder if it may also be somewhat of an antibiotic... 
 
Actually it starts before the pod forms ! -- For seed saving it is best to select a flower bud or a few and cover them before they bloom to keep them from getting cross pollinated - then mark the pod in some fashion so you know which ones you selected for seed saving and let those pods fully ripen on the plant - once picked cut open and remove the seeds and place in a dry warm place to dry.
 
compmodder26 said:
I find the best looking ripe pod on the plant.  I then cut out the seeds, and place them on a paper towel in a dry out of the way place.  I let them sit for 1 - 2 weeks there to dry out.  After that, I place them in a labeled baggie and store them in a dry, dark, and cool place until I'm ready to plant them.
 
About freezing seeds: I've heard differing opinions.  Some people say not to do it, while others have said that they've done it and the seeds have been viable.
Click to expand...
 
I do this as well....  I have also recently started to isolate as JDFan stated.
 
I just cut open pods save seeds from the best ones. I take them put them in a plain white mailing envelope label it leave it open and set them to the side to dry out. They dry fine in there and that way I do not get them mixed up with other seeds as some times I am doing several different types at once. works great for me. Do this with fresh pods before they hit the dehydrator.

Jason
 
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