Grow Better Vegetables By Seed Saving
How do I save seeds from my heirloom tomatoes?
I encourage everyone to try and save some of their own seeds this year. There are whole books devoted to the art and practice of seed saving (my favorite: The Seed Garden), but I’ll give you a brief summary for tomato seeds, which happens to be one of the easiest places to start.
I’ll start with the assumption that your aim is to save seeds that will grow “true to type,” meaning the seed you save from your Cherokee Purple tomato will grow Cherokee Purple tomatoes when you plant them next year. For tomatoes, that means your Cherokee Purple plants need to be at least 10-20 feet from any other tomato varieties. Otherwise, cross-pollination may occur. Note, if you are starting with a hybrid (F1) tomato variety, you are also unlikely to produce a true-to-type fruit from saved seeds.
Select tomatoes only from the plants that survive common diseases, or plants with the best tasting fruit, or whatever traits are most important to you. This is how you can carry good genetics forward and maintain, or even develop, a variety. The fruit for seed saving needs to be fully mature, perhaps even overripe. I often mark the fruit with a permanent marker or ribbon tied around the stem so no one accidently harvests it.
The next stage is fun and easy. The fresh seeds are slimy. You’ll need to break down the slime so that you can save a clean, dry seed. The easiest way to break down the slime is by fermentation. Here are the simple steps:
1) Cut the fruit in half and scoop the insides into a jar.
2) Depending on the juiciness of the insides you may need to add a small amount of water (just barely covering the seeds).
3) Rubber-band a coffee filter or cotton cloth over the jar to keep out flies but allow air transfer.
4) Wait 24-72 hours. The length of fermentation depends on temperature, water content and variety. It should start to look and smell funky.
5) Pour seeds and liquid through a sieve; retain the liquid.
6) Rinse the seeds under a tap. Seeds should not feel slimy to the touch. If they are, put them back in the fermentation goo for another 24 hours and repeat.
7) Spread the clean seeds out to dry. I use coffee filters, but avoid paper towels because they stick to the seeds. Run a fan and keep out of direct sunlight.
8) Store dried seeds in a cool, dark and dry location in a labeled container. Paper packets or mason jars work well.
9) Next year, plant your own seeds and rejoice at reaching new levels of regional based and sustainable food systems.
How do I know when to harvest my sweet corn?
Sweet corn has a very narrow harvest window, but there are number of investigative tools you can employ to help you pick the perfect ear.
1) Sweet corn varieties can range from 60-100 days to harvest. Check the variety you are growing and use that number as a guide.
2) The husk of a ripe ear will be a healthy green and the silks will start to turn brown and die back. If the silks are still wet and silky, you’re too early.
3) The ear should feel plump and full to the touch. The end should be rounded, not pointy.
4) If the ear passes the above tests then go ahead and peel back the end of the husk. Puncture a kernel with your fingernail. It should be full and milky. If it is watery let it keep growing, if it is a thicker, pasty texture, it’s over-ripe.
Harvested sweet corn quickly converts sugars to starches, so be ready to eat or preserve it straight away. Harvesting in the morning when it is still cool and transferring straight to a refrigerator can help preserve the sweetness. Sweet corn can be blanched and frozen with pretty good results.
About the author: Chris Smith is the community coordinator for Sow True Seed, an Asheville-based company that specializes in open-pollinated, heirloom, and organic seeds. sowtrueseed.com.