How Do You Save Seeds For Planting?
Most gardeners love to save money while growing the tastiest possible vegetables. You can do both if you save seeds for planting next year. Start with some of the easier veggies. As you gain experience and confidence, you’ll be eager to experiment with many different kinds. Choose an “heirloom” or “open-pollinated” variety that will give you similar plants year after year. Don’t bother saving seeds from hybrid varieties, which have been cross-bred for traits like disease resistance or faster ripening. Seeds from a hybrid plant will often revert back to one of its “grandparent” plants, so they’re not suitable for saving. The original seed packet may say “hybrid,” “cv” (for “cultivated variety”) or “F1” or “F2.” Start with the easiest seeds to deal with: tomatoes, peppers, beans and peas. Lettuce has tiny seeds that are hard to handle. Cucumbers, squash and pumpkins require careful growing throughout the season. Since they may cross-pollinate with each other in your garden, they’re not a
