#seedsaving — Public Fediverse posts

A Guide To #SeedSaving, #SeedStewardship & #SeedSovereignty

By The Seed Ambassadors Project

4th edition, January 2010

Copy and Distribute Freely

"If SEED SAVING is collecting seeds for replanting in the future…

Then SEED STEWARDSHIP is the process of saving seeds with the purpose of maintaining or improving that seed’s health and resilience. It also includes the act of saving and selecting a variety over a period of many seasons, with the end goal of passing it on to others in the future.

The ideal of SEED SOVEREIGNTY firmly plants seed saving and seed stewardship in the realm of fundamental #HumanRights. It is the freedom to save seed and determine the foundation on which our food system rests. With the current attacks of industry
hitting at the heart of #FoodSovereignty, the simple act of seed saving becomes a major act of #resistance and social empowerment."

Access via @internetarchive

https://archive.org/details/A_Guide_To_Seed_Saving_Seed_Stewardship_Seed_Sovereignty/mode/2up

#SolarPunkSunday #ResistanceIsFertile #FoodSecurity #GrowYourOwn #Biodiversity #SharingKnowledge #SeedExchange

A Guide To #SeedSaving, #SeedStewardship & #SeedSovereignty

By The Seed Ambassadors Project

4th edition, January 2010

Copy and Distribute Freely

"If SEED SAVING is collecting seeds for replanting in the future…

Then SEED STEWARDSHIP is the process of saving seeds with the purpose of maintaining or improving that seed’s health and resilience. It also includes the act of saving and selecting a variety over a period of many seasons, with the end goal of passing it on to others in the future.

The ideal of SEED SOVEREIGNTY firmly plants seed saving and seed stewardship in the realm of fundamental #HumanRights. It is the freedom to save seed and determine the foundation on which our food system rests. With the current attacks of industry
hitting at the heart of #FoodSovereignty, the simple act of seed saving becomes a major act of #resistance and social empowerment."

Access via @internetarchive

https://archive.org/details/A_Guide_To_Seed_Saving_Seed_Stewardship_Seed_Sovereignty/mode/2up

#SolarPunkSunday #ResistanceIsFertile #FoodSecurity #GrowYourOwn #Biodiversity #SharingKnowledge #SeedExchange

A Guide To #SeedSaving, #SeedStewardship & #SeedSovereignty

By The Seed Ambassadors Project

4th edition, January 2010

Copy and Distribute Freely

"If SEED SAVING is collecting seeds for replanting in the future…

Then SEED STEWARDSHIP is the process of saving seeds with the purpose of maintaining or improving that seed’s health and resilience. It also includes the act of saving and selecting a variety over a period of many seasons, with the end goal of passing it on to others in the future.

The ideal of SEED SOVEREIGNTY firmly plants seed saving and seed stewardship in the realm of fundamental #HumanRights. It is the freedom to save seed and determine the foundation on which our food system rests. With the current attacks of industry
hitting at the heart of #FoodSovereignty, the simple act of seed saving becomes a major act of #resistance and social empowerment."

Access via @internetarchive

https://archive.org/details/A_Guide_To_Seed_Saving_Seed_Stewardship_Seed_Sovereignty/mode/2up

#SolarPunkSunday #ResistanceIsFertile #FoodSecurity #GrowYourOwn #Biodiversity #SharingKnowledge #SeedExchange

A Guide To #SeedSaving, #SeedStewardship & #SeedSovereignty

By The Seed Ambassadors Project

4th edition, January 2010

Copy and Distribute Freely

"If SEED SAVING is collecting seeds for replanting in the future…

Then SEED STEWARDSHIP is the process of saving seeds with the purpose of maintaining or improving that seed’s health and resilience. It also includes the act of saving and selecting a variety over a period of many seasons, with the end goal of passing it on to others in the future.

The ideal of SEED SOVEREIGNTY firmly plants seed saving and seed stewardship in the realm of fundamental #HumanRights. It is the freedom to save seed and determine the foundation on which our food system rests. With the current attacks of industry
hitting at the heart of #FoodSovereignty, the simple act of seed saving becomes a major act of #resistance and social empowerment."

Access via @internetarchive

https://archive.org/details/A_Guide_To_Seed_Saving_Seed_Stewardship_Seed_Sovereignty/mode/2up

#SolarPunkSunday #ResistanceIsFertile #FoodSecurity #GrowYourOwn #Biodiversity #SharingKnowledge #SeedExchange

A Guide To #SeedSaving, #SeedStewardship & #SeedSovereignty

By The Seed Ambassadors Project

4th edition, January 2010

Copy and Distribute Freely

"If SEED SAVING is collecting seeds for replanting in the future…

Then SEED STEWARDSHIP is the process of saving seeds with the purpose of maintaining or improving that seed’s health and resilience. It also includes the act of saving and selecting a variety over a period of many seasons, with the end goal of passing it on to others in the future.

The ideal of SEED SOVEREIGNTY firmly plants seed saving and seed stewardship in the realm of fundamental #HumanRights. It is the freedom to save seed and determine the foundation on which our food system rests. With the current attacks of industry
hitting at the heart of #FoodSovereignty, the simple act of seed saving becomes a major act of #resistance and social empowerment."

Access via @internetarchive

https://archive.org/details/A_Guide_To_Seed_Saving_Seed_Stewardship_Seed_Sovereignty/mode/2up

#SolarPunkSunday #ResistanceIsFertile #FoodSecurity #GrowYourOwn #Biodiversity #SharingKnowledge #SeedExchange

How to Save Vegetable Seeds

Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener
July 23, 2025

Excerpt: "When Is a Seed Ripe?

From a plant’s point of view, ripeness is when the seeds are viable, which does not always coincide with when the plant is most edible and ready for harvest.

- Peas and beans are ready when the pods turn brown on the vine and shrink against the seeds.
- Pepper seeds are ripe when peppers are at their full color—depending on variety, this could be black, orange, purple, red, or yellow—and start to shrivel.
- Tomato seeds are ripe when fruit are firm but tender. If you press them, they have some give, unlike the hard feel of green ones. Like peppers, they will also have reached their full color.
- Cucumber seeds are ripe when the cuke turns fully yellow—overripe for eating. Harvest it and put it in a safe place for another 20 days.
- Winter squash seeds are ripe when the skin turns hard.
-Summer squash seeds are ripe when the squash is past the edible point, with a hard rind. Then treat the same as winter squashes.
- Watermelon seeds are ripe when the tendril directly opposite the stem turns from green to brown and becomes dry.
- Cantaloupe and muskmelon seeds are ripe when the stem turns brown and dries, and the melon readily separates from it.

When Is a Seed Dry?

Proper drying is a key to saving seeds. Here’s how to test if seeds are fully dried:

- Squeeze one seed with pliers or hit it with a hammer.
- If it’s dry, it will shatter.
- If it crushes or feels soft or spongy, then your seed needs more air-drying before being stored away."

Learn more:
https://www.almanac.com/how-save-vegetable-seeds

#SolarPunkSunday #SeedSaving #HomeGardens #HierloomSeeds #GrowYourOwn

#SeedSavingExchange - Seed Saving

Whether you’re new to seed saving or want to brush up on the time-honored practice, these seed-saving basics are a smart place to start

Excerpt: "Seed maturity notes for several common crop types

Beans & Peas: Pods should be brown, dry and brittle before harvest, and the seeds inside should be hard as rocks. If it is a particularly wet fall or you’re expecting an early frost, you may pull up entire plants and move them to a garage or basement to finish maturing and drying.

Corn: Husks should be brown, dry and brittle, the silks should be dark and dry, and the kernels should be extremely hard.

Cucumbers: Fruits must be left on the vine until they begin to turn yellow and their skin becomes tough. Seeds inside should be plump and firm.

Eggplant: Fruits should be left on the plant until they begin to turn yellow and their skin becomes tough. Seeds inside should be plump and hard (or crunchy if you’re chewing on them).

Lettuce: Two to three weeks after the lettuce flowers have opened, the seeds should be mature. Look for feathery parachute-like structures (think dandelions) before harvesting.

Melons and Watermelons: Harvest fruits as you would for eating and simply reserve some of the seeds or leave the fruits on the vine until they soften slightly (this may improve seed quality, but you won’t want to eat the melons at this point). Seeds inside should be plump and firm.

Okra: Pods should be brown and dry, and they will begin to split open when seeds are ready for harvest. The seeds should be very hard.

Peppers: Seeds are ready when the pepper fruit has matured to its final color.

Radishes: Pods should be brown, dry and brittle before harvest, and the seeds inside should be extremely hard.

Squash: Fruits should be left to mature on the vine until the skin has become extremely hard. Harvest fruits before first frost and store up to two months in cool conditions (50-60 degrees) to allow the seeds to mature further. Seeds should be plump and firm.

Tomatoes: Seeds are ready when the tomato is ready to be eaten.

Remember to allow seeds to dry completely before storage. Any moisture in or around the seeds can cause mold and problems with germination."

Learn more:
https://seedsavers.org/learn/seed-saving/#know-your-plants

#SolarPunkSunday #SeedSaving #HomeGardens #HierloomSeeds #GrowYourOwn

#UMaineExtension - Bulletin #2750, An Introduction to Seed Saving for the #HomeGardener

By Mark Hutton, Extension Vegetable Specialist, University of Maine Cooperative Extension

"Seed saving is an ancient art that enabled humans to cease being hunter-gatherers. Up until the end of World War II, home gardeners typically saved their own seeds, because high-quality seeds at affordable prices were generally not available. However, seed saving declined with the development of the commercial seed industry, which made low-cost, high-quality vegetable and flower seeds readily available. Presently, renewed interest in heirloom, unique, and locally adapted vegetable and flower varieties is sparking a resurgence in seed saving.

Seed-saving is a natural next step for passionate gardeners. Saving seeds not only allows home gardeners to save money; it provides them with an opportunity to express their creativity! This is because saving seed is a form of selection—the very basis of plant breeding. When choosing which plants to save seed from, a gardener must decide which plants have the most desirable characteristics in terms of meeting their goals for plant size, yield, fruit quality, maturity date, attractiveness, etc., thus helping to improve the offspring. When you save seed from your garden, you can create a cultivar uniquely suited to your location, your aesthetic sensibilities, and culinary tastes. Saving seeds takes time, planning, and attention to detail. Here are some basics to get you started on your seed saving adventure."

Learn more:
https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/2750e/

#SolarPunkSunday #SeedSaving #HomeGardens #HierloomSeeds #GrowYourOwn

Six Ways to Screen and #Winnow #Seeds

Simple Tools for #Threshing Seeds

by BC Farms & Food, October 2, 2025

"Gardeners who save seed, or grow and harvest grains, know that separating seeds from their pods or husks can be a time-consuming job. While large industrial growers use machines to thresh and winnow seed crops, home seed savers can look to a number of simpler tools to accomplish the task. Once cleaned, seeds stored in moisture-proof containers can last for several years.

Here are six devices for separating seeds from debris and chaff:

#LowTech Ways for Separating Seeds

• #Pillowcase or #ClothSack – Perhaps the most common method of #HandThreshing, place seed pods in the sack and thrash (“thresh”) it against a hard surface to break the seeds from their coverings.

• Boards – Place harvested seed pods between two boards and apply gentle pressure to crack open the pods. Take care not to press so hard you split the seeds.

• #Screens or #Strainers – Screens with meshes of varying sizes provide a quick way to separate debris from seeds. Even using a single screen is a vast improvement over hand picking. Screens work especially well for seeds (such as lettuce) that do not have pods. A set of graduated screens will cut out about 80 percent of the hand work. You can build screens yourself or buy them pre-built.

• Wind Power – Outside on a breezy day, drop seed from one container into another and let the wind blow away the unwanted chaff.

• #ElectricFan – While wind can be fickle and blow your chaff in unexpected directions, a fan set on low will produce a steady stream of air for winnowing.

• Gravity – This works well for round seeds. Use gravity to help roll seeds down a newspaper into a container. The heavier seeds roll down, while the chaff remains behind." (Heh. We used that method when cleaning seeds out of cheap homegrown weed).

Learn more:
https://bcfarmsandfood.com/six-ways-to-screen-and-winnow-seeds/

#SolarPunkSunday #SeedSaving #GrowYourOwn #HierloomSeeds #SeedCollection #ScreeningSeeds #WinnowingSeeds #SeedCleaning

So you rinse it, seal it in a bag with barely damp sphagnum, and set it at the back of the refrigerator for ninety to a hundred and twenty days. In spring you plant it an inch down in a deep pot. Five to seven years later, fruit no corporation ever priced.

Bi socair — be still.

What are you growing that won't pay off for years?

#Foraging #Pawpaw #Gardening #SeedSaving #NativePlants #Herbalism #FoodAsMedicine #Gàidhlig #MastoDaoine #Druid #Folklore #Solarpunk #Cooking
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So you rinse it, seal it in a bag with barely damp sphagnum, and set it at the back of the refrigerator for ninety to a hundred and twenty days. In spring you plant it an inch down in a deep pot. Five to seven years later, fruit no corporation ever priced.

Bi socair — be still.

What are you growing that won't pay off for years?

#Foraging #Pawpaw #Gardening #SeedSaving #NativePlants #Herbalism #FoodAsMedicine #Gàidhlig #MastoDaoine #Druid #Folklore #Solarpunk #Cooking
2/2

So you rinse it, seal it in a bag with barely damp sphagnum, and set it at the back of the refrigerator for ninety to a hundred and twenty days. In spring you plant it an inch down in a deep pot. Five to seven years later, fruit no corporation ever priced.

Bi socair — be still.

What are you growing that won't pay off for years?

#Foraging #Pawpaw #Gardening #SeedSaving #NativePlants #Herbalism #FoodAsMedicine #Gàidhlig #MastoDaoine #Druid #Folklore #Solarpunk #Cooking
2/2

So you rinse it, seal it in a bag with barely damp sphagnum, and set it at the back of the refrigerator for ninety to a hundred and twenty days. In spring you plant it an inch down in a deep pot. Five to seven years later, fruit no corporation ever priced.

Bi socair — be still.

What are you growing that won't pay off for years?

#Foraging #Pawpaw #Gardening #SeedSaving #NativePlants #Herbalism #FoodAsMedicine #Gàidhlig #MastoDaoine #Druid #Folklore #Solarpunk #Cooking
2/2

So you rinse it, seal it in a bag with barely damp sphagnum, and set it at the back of the refrigerator for ninety to a hundred and twenty days. In spring you plant it an inch down in a deep pot. Five to seven years later, fruit no corporation ever priced.

Bi socair — be still.

What are you growing that won't pay off for years?

#Foraging #Pawpaw #Gardening #SeedSaving #NativePlants #Herbalism #FoodAsMedicine #Gàidhlig #MastoDaoine #Druid #Folklore #Solarpunk #Cooking
2/2

So you rinse it, seal it in a bag with barely damp sphagnum, and set it at the back of the refrigerator for ninety to a hundred and twenty days. In spring you plant it an inch down in a deep pot. Five to seven years later, fruit no corporation ever priced.

Bi socair — be still.

What are you growing that won't pay off for years?

#Foraging #Pawpaw #Gardening #SeedSaving #NativePlants #Herbalism #FoodAsMedicine #Gàidhlig #MastoDaoine #Druid #Folklore #Solarpunk #Cooking
2/2

So you rinse it, seal it in a bag with barely damp sphagnum, and set it at the back of the refrigerator for ninety to a hundred and twenty days. In spring you plant it an inch down in a deep pot. Five to seven years later, fruit no corporation ever priced.

Bi socair — be still.

What are you growing that won't pay off for years?

#Foraging #Pawpaw #Gardening #SeedSaving #NativePlants #Herbalism #FoodAsMedicine #Gàidhlig #MastoDaoine #Druid #Folklore #Solarpunk #Cooking
2/2

So you rinse it, seal it in a bag with barely damp sphagnum, and set it at the back of the refrigerator for ninety to a hundred and twenty days. In spring you plant it an inch down in a deep pot. Five to seven years later, fruit no corporation ever priced.

Bi socair — be still.

What are you growing that won't pay off for years?

#Foraging #Pawpaw #Gardening #SeedSaving #NativePlants #Herbalism #FoodAsMedicine #Gàidhlig #MastoDaoine #Druid #Folklore #Solarpunk #Cooking
2/2

So you rinse it, seal it in a bag with barely damp sphagnum, and set it at the back of the refrigerator for ninety to a hundred and twenty days. In spring you plant it an inch down in a deep pot. Five to seven years later, fruit no corporation ever priced.

Bi socair — be still.

What are you growing that won't pay off for years?

#Foraging #Pawpaw #Gardening #SeedSaving #NativePlants #Herbalism #FoodAsMedicine #Gàidhlig #MastoDaoine #Druid #Folklore #Solarpunk #Cooking
2/2

So you rinse it, seal it in a bag with barely damp sphagnum, and set it at the back of the refrigerator for ninety to a hundred and twenty days. In spring you plant it an inch down in a deep pot. Five to seven years later, fruit no corporation ever priced.

Bi socair — be still.

What are you growing that won't pay off for years?

#Foraging #Pawpaw #Gardening #SeedSaving #NativePlants #Herbalism #FoodAsMedicine #Gàidhlig #MastoDaoine #Druid #Folklore #Solarpunk #Cooking
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