Saving your Seeds Every year, gardeners prepare to save seeds from heirlooms because of it's rich tradition and the different varieties it presents. When saving your seed, make sure to harvest seed from the best plants. Try and choose disease free plants and always look for the most favorable fruits or the most beautiful flowers. Seeds that you save from your own garden are accustomed to your climate and growing habits and are adapted to pets in your region. Seeds from hybrids are different because it produces a mix of offspring, which many of them have different characteristics than the parent plant. Harvesting seeds Make sure to harvest mature seeds. Seeds are mature or ripe when their flowers have faded and dried or have tops that are puffy. Collect the seeds when most of them are ripe, do not wait for everything on the seed to mature because you may lose the seeds to insects or birds. Advanced garden planning will make a lot of things easier and it will save you a lot of time. Spacing is also important if you plan to save seeds from your garden. The point of saving seed and growing them is to preserve your fruit and vegetables in their truest forms. If you plant your seeds too close to each other, your plants will become cross pollinated between varieties. Cross pollination creates a plant that is similar but not the same as the parent plants. Cross pollination creates a plant that is a mixture of both parent plants. Seed Storage Storing your seeds is another task that will help you preserve the taste and freshness of your plants. Make sure the seed is completely dry and place them in an air tight container such as a jar. Store them in a cool, dark place. The best time to plant your seeds is a year after you've stored them. Seed saving can become a hobby, and your not alone. They're many organizations that will list, share and trade their seeds. After years of saving your seeds, the heirlooms that will be planted can mark the start of something special for you and your family.
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