How to Harvest Heirloom Seeds

Harvest your own heirloom flower and vegetable seeds.

Heirloom vegetable and flower seeds provide a valuable glimpse of history while delivering old-fashioned flavor and texture. Our farming ancestors routinely harvested seeds along with their crops for the next year's planting season. Harvest your own seeds from heirloom tomatoes, herbs and flowers for next year's garden. Harvested heirloom seeds, presented in marked envelopes, make a thoughtful gift for a gardening friend.

Things You'll Need

• Heirloom vegetables, herbs and flowers
• Cheesecloth
• Large jar with lid
• Paper towels
• Silica gel
• Plastic bag

Instructions

1. Choose a plant branch that has unopened flower buds and cover it with cheesecloth to avoid cross-pollination by insects and wind when selecting heirloom flowers. For vegetables, select the most perfect specimens of individual vegetables for seed harvesting. The seeds from heirloom tomatoes, beans, peas, chervil, chives, lettuce, Lima beans, poppies, marigolds and zinnias will deliver the best results.

2. Cut vegetables in half and pull out the seeds with your fingers. Rinse and place the moist vegetable seeds on paper towels. Let them dry for several days. Harvest flower seeds by placing seedpods in a closed paper bag and shaking the bag to remove the seeds.

3. Place the vegetable or flower seeds in a large, air-tight jar with a lid and store them in a dark, cool location, such as a basement stairway, closet or the back of the refrigerator. Add silica gel to the jar if you live in a humid area.

4. Test the seeds for viability before planting by inserting the seeds between two damp paper towels. Place the seeds and towels in a perforated plastic bag and place the bag in a warm, dark place. Check the seeds daily and keep the towels damp. Germination should begin in about a week.

References

• Fine Gardening: Make Your Own Seed Packets
• International Seed Saving Institute: Seed Saving Instructions for Beginners