In this short video, farmer Don Tipping explains some basic parameters to help shed light on how to store seeds and know which sees in your personal stash may still be viable versus those that may have lost their viability
Seed Saving Details for Beginners:
|
Vegetable (Genus species) |
Cycle |
Polli-nation |
Polli-nator |
Isolation |
Seed Life |
Notes |
|
Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) |
A |
Self |
Self |
100’ |
3-5 yrs |
Looses vigor in time. Let dry in field. |
|
Beet/Chard (Beta vulgaris) |
Bi |
Cross |
Wind |
1 mile |
3-5 yrs |
Beets cross w/ Chard |
|
Broccoli, Kale, Cabbage, Collard Cauliflower Brassica oleracea |
Bi |
Cross |
Insect |
1/2mile |
3-5 yrs |
Many types of Brassica exist within the same species. |
|
Carrot Dacus carrota |
Bi |
Cross |
Insects |
½ mile |
2-3 years |
Crosses w/ wild carrot |
|
Celery (Apium graveolens) |
Bi |
Cross |
Insects |
½ mile |
2-3 years |
Attracts beneficial insects, gophers love to eat roots! |
|
Corn (Zea mays) |
A |
Cross |
Wind |
½ mile |
4-5 years |
Min. 200 plants. Let dry on stalk. |
|
Cucumber Cucumis sativus |
A |
Cross |
Insects |
¼ mile |
5-10 years |
Mature to big & yellow. Ferment pulp water Process. |
|
Eggplant (Solanum melonega) |
A |
Self |
Self |
150’ |
3-4 years |
Let mature to yellow. Water process |
|
Onion & Leeks Allium cepa & Allium porrum |
Bi |
Cross |
Insects |
¼ mile |
1-2 years |
Pull onions & replant in fall. Leave leeks. |
|
Lettuce (Latuca sativa) |
A |
Self |
Self |
50’ |
2-3 years |
Needs long season, easy. |
|
Melon (Cucumis melo) |
A |
Cross |
Insects |
¼ mile |
5-10 years |
Won’t cross w/ watermelon. Seed ripe when fruit’s ripe. Water process. |
|
Mustard (Brassica rapa & Brassica juncea) |
A |
Cross |
Insects |
½ mile |
3-5 years |
2 species B. rapa & B.juncea (spicy types) won’t cross. |
|
Peas (Pisum sativum) |
A |
Self |
Self |
50’ |
2-3 years |
Weevils a problem. |
|
Pepper (Capsicum annum) |
A |
Both |
Insects |
500’ |
3-5 years |
More isolation between hots and sweets is necessary. |
|
Radish (Raphanus sativus) |
A |
Cross |
Insects |
¼ mile |
3-5 years |
Beware of wild species. Plant early. |
|
Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) |
A |
Cross |
Wind |
½ mile |
2-3 years |
Males make no seed. |
|
Squash/Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo, C. maxima, C. moschata) |
A |
Cross |
Insects |
¼ mile |
2-5 years |
3 species won’t cross with each other. |
|
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) |
A |
Self |
Self |
25-100’ |
5-10 years |
Potato leaf types cross more readily. |
Comments (0)