Indoor Seed Starting & Saving

Get a Head Start on Spring

Heirloom vs Hybird

• Heirloom • Hybird

Seed Saving

• With a little extra work you can save your own seeds and save a little money, and have more control over your garden

Easy Seeds to save

• Beans, Lettuce, Peas, Peppers, and Tomatoes.

• These vegetables offer the beginning seed saver the best chance for successful seed saving. They produce seed the same season as planted and are mostly self-pollinating, minimizing the need to be mindful of preventing cross-pollination.

Ideal Spacing to prevent cross

pollination Spacing between different varieties

Beans 150’ cross pollination is rare

Peas 50’ cross pollination is rare

Peppers 50’ to 400’ research differs some bees will cross pollinate these if other options are not available.

Lettuce 20’

Tomato

Beans • HARVEST: Allow pods to dry

brown before harvesting, about six weeks after eating stage.

• If frost threatens, pull entire plant, and hang in cool, dry place until pods are brown.

• PROCESS: Small amounts of pods can be opened by hand. Remove large chaff by hand or fork.

Peas • HARVEST: Allow pods to dry brown before

harvesting, about four weeks after eating stage. If frost threatens, pull entire plant, root first, and hang in cool, dry location until pods are brown.

• PROCESS: Small amounts of pods can be opened by hand. Remove large chaff by hand or fork.

Peppers • HARVEST: Harvest mature, fully-ripe peppers. • If frost threatens before peppers mature, pull entire

plant and hang in cool, dry location. • PROCESS: • Dry method is adequate for small amounts. Cut the

bottom off the fruit and carefully reach in to strip the seeds out.

• Wet Process, cut off the tops just under the stem, fill a blender with peppers and water and carefully blend until good seeds are separated and sink to bottom. Pepper debris and immature seeds will float to the top where they Spread clean seeds on paper towel and dry in cool location until seed is dry.

Lettuce

• Stop harvesting leaves

• HARVEST: Allow seed heads to dry 2-3 weeks after flowering. Individual heads will ripen at different times making the harvest of large amounts of seed at one time nearly impossible. Wait until half the flowers on each plant has gone to seed. Cut entire top of plant and allow to dry upside down in an open paper bag.

• PROCESS: Seed can be shaken daily from individual flowering heads. Rub with hands to remove remaining seeds. If necessary, separate seeds from chaff with screens.

Tomato Spacing

• PLANT: Separate varieties with short styles (most modern varieties) by at least 10 feet.

• Varieties with long styles (heirlooms and older varieties) need at least 100 feet to ensure purity. If solitary bees are prevalent, separate all varieties at least 100 feet and place another flowering crop between.

Tomatoes • HARVEST: If possible, allow tomatoes to completely

ripen before harvesting for seed production. Unripe fruits, saved from the first frost, will ripen slowly if kept in a cool, dry location. Seeds from green, unripe fruits will be most viable if extracted after allowing the fruits to turn color.

• PROCESS: Cut the tomato into halves, opening the vertical cavities that contain the seeds. Gently squeeze out from the cavities the jelly-like substance that contains the seeds. If done carefully, the tomato itself can still be eaten or saved for canning, sun-drying or dehydrating

Place the jelly and seeds into a small jar or

glass. (Add a little water if you are processing only one or two small

tomatoes.) Loosely cover the container and place in a warm location, 60-75° F. for about three days. Stir once a day.

A layer of fungus will begin to appear on the top of the mixture after a couple of days. This fungus not only eats the gelatinous coat that surrounds each seed and prevents

germination, it also produces antibiotics that help to control seed-borne diseases

• After three days fill the seed container with warm water. Let the contents settle and begin pouring out the water along with pieces of tomato pulp and immature seeds floating on top.

• Viable seeds are heavier and settle to the bottom of the jar.

• Repeat this process until water being poured out is almost clear and clean seeds line the bottom of the container

• Pour these clean seeds into a strainer that has holes smaller than the seeds.

• Let the excess water drip out

• Dump onto paper towel plate or piece of newspaper.

• Allow the seeds to dry completely ( a day or two). Break up the clumps into individual seeds, label and store in a packet or plastic bag.

Tips for Drying • Use old Window Screen

• Gentle Fan on Low

• Dry in cool area

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Indoor Seed Starting

• Clean Trays

• Use old plastic containers

• Start with good soil fresh clean sterile soil

Proper Soil

Buy a good quality seed starting mix

Make your own with 3 parts soil , 1 part Perlite

Make sure soil is sterile

Other Mixes

Make your own: 2 part potting soil + 1 part peat moss +1 part

Vermiculite or Perlite 1 part compost + 1 part builders sand +1 part potting

soil You can add fertilizer if you choose. not too much ! • I prefer to buy a good quality mix ready to go !

Problems • Damping-off is a term used

for a variety of fungal problems that lead to sudden seedling death.

• The pathogens attack the

tender stems and roots of the seedlings. Some seedlings look pinched at the base of the stem.

Prevent Damping Off

Sterilizing mix

Commercial seed starting mix isn’t necessarily sterile, especially once the bag has been opened.

You can sterilize potting mix in the oven, using pans or roasting bags.

heat the mix in a 200 degree (F) oven to an internal temperature of 180-200 degrees (F) for 30 minutes

Prevent Damping Off

microwave, mix must be moist.

Additions : extra perlite will help Clean Pots If you’re reusing containers, clean

them first with soapy water and bleach.

Good air circulation helps prevent dampening off. Do not cram as many plants as possible into a small space, overcrowding limits air flow.

Fan placed near your plants helps to keep the air moving.

Watering or misting seedlings with an antifungal solution

One tablespoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide per quart of water

You can also brew strong chamomile tea and add an ounce or two per quart of water. One-time dusting: cinnamon or powdered charcoal on the soil surface can also be used as an antifungal agent.

Adding a top layer of chopped sphagnum moss, sand, or chick grit may help discourage fungi from growing on the surface

Now we are ready • Fill Pot or tray with Mix

• Fill to about ¼” from top

• Wet mix before planting

Planting

• Put 2 or 3 seeds in each pot

• Check seed pack for planting depth

• Bigger seeds get planted deeper

Mark Your Pot !

Water

• Best to water from Bottom

• Or Mist with Water from Top

What Your Seeds Need

• Water , Heat & Light

• Seeds are Dormant until they are ready

• Water , Heat , and Sometimes light make seeds break dominancy

• Keep it warm , wet , and have good air flow

Transplanting

• As plants roots outgrow their plugs its time to transplant.

• Use good quality potting mix, but less of a concern than new seeds.

• Push plants up from bottom, do not grab stems.

Transplanting

• If roots are bound loosen them up .

• Fill larger pot 1” from top

• Make sure soil is loose

• Water in

To be Continued

• Check Planting Charts for Outdoor Planting Dates

• Cabbage always has a heart; Green beans string along. You're such a Tomato, Will you Peas to me belong?

• You've been the Apple of my eye, You know how much I care; So Lettuce get together, We'd make a perfect Pear.

• Now, something's sure to Turnip, To prove you can't be Beet; So, if you Carrot all for me Let's let our tulips meet.

• Don't Squash my hopes and dreams now, Bee my Honey, dear;

• Or tears will fill Potato's eyes, While Sweet Corn lends an ear.

• I'll Cauliflower shop and say Your dreams are Parsley mine. I'll work and share my Celery, So be my Valentine.