It's Time to Save Your Seeds!

You've worked hard this summer and you've had some beautiful and delicious plants because of it. Don't let all of that work go to waste! Take steps now to harvest and save your seeds for next year. Not only is it a great way to be more involved in your garden (and allow you, if you're brave, to try and create your own varieties), but it will also save you money on seeds next go 'round.

Saving seeds is especially important if you're growing heirloom fruits, vegetables, or flowers. Heirloom plants are growing ever closer to extinction and by you saving (and hopefully sharing) your seeds, you can personally keep that from happening. Some of the varieties we have today have been saved from extinction by single families! You may not feel like a hero, but you can be one by planting, harvesting, and sharing heirloom seeds.


Not all seeds were created equal, so some of them require special care, but for the most part basic steps are the same. Be sure to check one of the guides below before harvesting your seeds. We don't want you to waste your time and not do it properly.

The Basics:

1. Cut open the vegetable or fruit.
2. Remove the seeds. 
3. If the seeds are large enough, clean them with water in a colander or a wire mesh sieve. If they are very small (like tomato seeds), you may need to soak the seeds in water for a few days first, to discourage bacteria. The goal is to remove all plant matter that is not part of the seed.
4. After the plant matter has been removed, dry the seeds in a towel, paper towel, or on a paper plate for a few days until they are dry. 
5. Put the dry seeds into a paper container (like the ones you would receive seeds in when you purchase them). Label the container with the type of seed and the date. After seeds are more than one year old, the yield rate drops drastically and you'll have to use many more seeds to achieve the same results.
6. Finally, put the seeds into the freezer or refrigerator. You need to keep them dry and cold.

Watch this great video from Cliff Middleton about how to save tomato seeds:

Tips!

• Don't save hybrids! Hybrids are unpredictable and you don't know what you'll get the next year. To be safe, use only heirloom seeds.
• Save seeds from plants that are ripe, but not overly so. If the plant is over-ripe, the seeds may already be germinating. If the plants are not ripe enough, the seeds won't be ready.
• Choose the absolute best-of-the-best from your garden to save. These are the ones whose qualities you'll want to pass on to the next generation. If you pass on eating it now, you'll have even better ones to eat next time.
• If the plant has suffered blight or any other wilting disease and has survived and produced a beautiful fruit or vegetable, it's okay to save seeds from that plant. Don't worry, nature is tough!

Here are some good guides for saving seeds:

How to Save Bean Seeds

How to Save Cucumber Seeds

How to Save Eggplant Seeds

How to Save Lettuce Seeds

How to Save Melon Seeds

How to Save Pepper Seeds

How to Save Pumpkin Seeds

How to Save Summer Squash Seeds

How to Save Tomato Seeds

How to Save Winter Squash Seeds

REMINDER: 

It's time to plant for the fall. Why not try some heirloom seeds from our friends over at Southern Exposure Seed Exchange?

PT(K) - Planting the Knowledge - DIY Soaker Hose

Remember last summer? Remember the drought? No one wants their garden to look like this:

 From: fromdamascustoemmaus.com

No one wants a garden to look like that, but with the high heat in the Southeast, coupled with a disappointing lack of rain, it's hard to have a good looking garden (and can be quite expensive to use traditional watering methods).

Now, there's a better way to water your garden: Soaker or Drip Hoses. These hoses deposit water directly on top of the soil, under the leaves, so the sun doesn't evaporate as much and it takes less water (and less money) to get the same job done.

You can't run soaker/drip hoses up and down your whole yard for your grass, but you can use it for your flower beds, raised bed gardens, and shrubs that you want to keep looking lush and healthy.


What you'll need:

• Drinking Water Safe Hose* (About $18 for 50ft at Walmart, but check a local supply store first)
• OR for ornamental plants, that you do not intend to eat, just grab the oldest hose in your garage to save money!
• Drill Bit and Drill Set
• Hose Cap/ End Cap
• Tape Measure

How to do it:

1. Purchase a "Drinking Water Safe" hose (as approved by the FDA) whatever length you need. Or, if you have an old hose that is "Drinking Water Safe", use that to save money! Do not use an old hose that is not "Drinking Water Safe"!*
2. Lay out your hose against your extended tape measure. 
3. Mark every 3 inches for drilling. Or, find out where the base of each plant is and only mark those distances to save even more money.
4. Using a 1/16 drill bit, drill a hole all-the-way-through.
5. Attach the hose cap/end cap so that you're not wasting water out the end and so that it drips properly. 
6. Lay your hose in your garden making sure to align the holes with the base of plants. Remember to keep the hose close to the plants so that you don't waste any water unnecessarily. 
7. Run the water at a trickle for about thirty to forty-five minutes and you're all finished!

*Traditional water hoses are often made from reprocessed materials from the automotive industry and can contain up to 100 times the amount of lead designated as safe to drink by the Environmental Protection Agency. Be sure to use only "Drinking Water Safe" hoses approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Good luck and happy gardening!

It Costs How Much?! How Expensive are Fruits and Vegetables

We all know that food prices have gone up. In addition, more and more people are becoming concerned about how our food is grown. Home gardening isn't just a popular trend, it's a great way to save money and eat the most delicious food you've ever tasted.

When was the last time you had a home-grown tomato? 

When was the last time you had a tomato from the store that tasted as good as a home grown tomato?

How much did you spend on fresh groceries last month? 

Here's a chart from the Economic Research Service for the United States Department of Agriculture:

How Expensive Are Fruits and Vegetables?

(To make a long article short: Fresh food is actually often cheaper per serving than frozen or canned!)

(Now think how much more you can save if you pay only a dollar or two for a pack of seeds!)