Since the dawn of time, plants the world over have been manufacturing the little genetic time capsules that we call seeds. With the precision of a fine watch this bounty has annually triggered the gathering activities of humans and animals alike. Seeds are gathered each year for agriculture, for survival or out of simple fascination with the process of nature. Whatever the reason, every time we pick up a seed and place it in our pocket we engage in an activity that is as old as time its self.

Seed growing, harvest and sales are a major international industry today. You might ask, why should an individual bother to save seeds at all? I believe the following reasons present a good case for saving seeds at the home garden level.

(1). It is cost effective, we save money by using our own seeds in the garden.
(2). It is satisfying to the spirit and allows us to share our favorite varieties with friends.
(3). Plants tend to adapt to the areas where they are grown. In the case of a native plant having the local form is desirable. In the garden, our favorite flowers and vegetable seeds can develop into distinct land races after years of seed saving.
(4). Seeds for many plants are rare and hard to locate while others have become subject to commercial extinction.
(5).The seeds we have saved can become a scrap book of the places we have been and the people we have known. The favorite tomato of a good friend or a tree grown from a seed collected on a vacation can be living memorials to some of our best memories.

For the purpose of seed harvesting we can divide seeds into one of two different groups. Seeds that are found in a wet state and those found dry. Grasses, flowers and herbs are usually taken in the dry, ripe state. At harvest the fixtures that hold these seeds should be nearly dry enough to crush between our hands.

Seeds that are wet harvested will need to be cleaned with water and air dried before storage. Almost all fruit and many of our garden vegetables are harvested in the wet state. Most are ready for harvest when they are in the ripe edible state. Some, like zucchini or cucumber, should be left to mature well past the edible state until they are fully ripe.

Try to harvest seeds from several different individuals of the same variety to keep a good gene pool. When possible we save our seeds from plants that exhibit the best qualities for our purposes. With plants that produce fruits we can leave some of it to ripen for seed while harvesting the rest for the kitchen. Plants like onions, carrots or lettuce we must leave some individuals uneaten in the garden for seed. If you grow different varieties of the same plant expect to see cross pollination unless you take special precautions to prevent it. Sometimes accidental crosses between our plants can yield some very interesting results and new varieties can come about.

Seeds harvested wet like tomato seeds can be washed with water or even lightly fermented to remove the pulp then air dried for several weeks on a non-stick surface. I like to dry wet seeds on glazed ceramic dinner ware. Seeds harvested dry like lettuce or lavender are kept in open paper shopping bags and stored in cool, dry, well ventilated area until ready for cleaning.

Harvesting your own seeds is enjoyable and has its moments of pride. Next time a friend tells you how nice the lunch salad was you will be able to say thank you by giving them some of your lettuce seeds for their own garden.