Seeds are the promise of future harvests as well as how plants guarantee their survival from generation to generation. Your grandparents kept seeds from year to year not just because they were frugal but also because it was difficult to get specific varieties that were adapted to their location. Saving seed is still a common practice on the farm and around the world.
Seeds or seed products are a big part of our diet and the Saskatchewan economy – the bread and pasta we eat (flour ground from wheat seed), the oil we cook with (pressed from canola seed), the peas on our plates (green immature seed), the delicious sweet, juicy corn served at summer barbecues (immature seed) and the sunflower seeds we snack on. They come in an array of colours, shapes, sizes and flavours. What they have in common is they are embryonic plants with a bundle of stored energy (usually starch or oil) covered in a protective skin. These characteristics allow seeds to remain dormant until conditions are ideal for their germination and growth.
Mature seeds are dry and need to stay dry to remain viable and dormant. Dormancy is a complex process, but once all the internal chemical dormancy mechanisms have broken down, a lack of water is the main mechanism maintaining dormancy. However, dormant doesn’t mean completely inactive. There are chemical and metabolic processes occurring, albeit at a very low rate. Warmer temperatures, and oxygen availability help drive these processes and can cause seeds to deteriorate with viability loss, lower germination rates, and reduced seedling vigour. In addition, since seed is essentially a stored energy reserve, they can be a food source for bacteria, molds, insects, rodents and other animals.
So how does this information translate into storing garden seed for the next season?
Collect seed from mature fruit and remove any pulp. Some crops require special treatment (e.g. ferment tomato seeds to remove the gelatinous cover). Discard damaged, undersized or misshapen seed. Note: seed collected from hybrid seed (usually sold as an F1 variety) will not produce true-to-type seedlings. Only collect seed from heirloom or open-pollinated varieties.
Allow seeds to air dry at room temperature in a shallow layer for at least a couple of weeks in a dry location. Stir occasionally. Inspect them periodically for mold or insect activity. Note: spoilage organisms are likely already present on or in the seed and some species of insects develop inside seeds or are present as eggs.
Once dry, store the seed in a sealed container (plastic, glass, metal). If using plastic re-sealable bags, squeeze out as much air as possible. If you’re using a glass or metal container, choose one in which the seed barely fits to reduce air space (glass and metal are excellent barriers against rodents and insects). Small quantities of seed can be stored in envelopes, but bundle these together and store them as above in a sealed container. Label your seeds with the crop, variety and date.
Store them in a cold, dark, dry space. A freezer is ideal as this slows down metabolic and chemical processes, restricts mold and bacteria growth, and slows down or kills many insects. If not stored in the freezer, inspect them periodically for spoilage and insect activity.
Keep your seed dry. Tip: include one or two silica packs such as those often used with packing materials and pills.
For information on preparing specific types of seeds for storage (e.g. tomato, squash, bean) check out the resources available from the Saskatoon Seed Library (www.saskatoonseedlibrary.ca/), Seeds of Diversity (www.seeds.ca) or your local library.
Erl gardens in Saskatoon and tweets about it on occasion (@ErlSv).
This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com ). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events: Friday, Sept. 28 and Saturday, Sept. 29, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Canadian Prairie Lily Society - Annual Fall Lily Bulb Sale at Lawson Heights Mall, 134 Primrose Dr., Saskatoon; Saturday, Sept. 29, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Prairie Peony Society Peony Root Sale at Victoria Square Mall, Regina.
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