Creating your own seed bank is a skill all gardeners should know. Saving seed can protect your precious crops from year to year, yield larger produce, and provide greater diversity when seed companies reduce inventories and selection. Saving seed is critical in our world of GMO's and sterile seed, find out how to save seed in the attached presentation.
1. Creating a Seed Bank
Full PDF โ Seed Bank โ How to Series
2. How to Create Your Own Seed Bank
What is in a seed? A viable seed is a tiny living plant surrounded by a small but essential quantity of nutrients.
3. What makes one seed bank different from another?
Intent Every gardener has a seed bank, whether they recognize it by that name or not.
โข
Have any leftover seed from last year?
โข
Did you buy any packets at the end of the season during a closeout sale?
โข
Are you saving heirloom seeds from any produce you have grown?
โข
Even weed seeds in the soil, lying in wait for who ever knows what constitutes a seed bank. Every seed bank has a distinct purpose and it is managed accordingly.
4. Why keep a seed bank?
Why not just buy fresh seeds every spring
โข
Changes in the seed industry
โข
Consolidation of companies
โข
Discontinue what is regarded as unprofitable
โข
You cannot count on your favorite variety being available in the future
โข
If you have heirloom varieties, you can save your seed for years to come
โข
Hybrid seeds will not produce true to form, they must be purchased each year.
โข
Saving seed that produced well under your climate conditions will insure healthier plants in the future years for your growing conditions
5. Goal for Storage
โข
Not to encourage germination
โข
Store in a cool dry location (how do I know it is a good place to store them?)
โข
Use the 100 rule NO BATHROOMS โ TOO MOIST
โข
Temp is 70 degrees
โข
Humidity is 30%
โข
70 +30=100
โข
Seeds in Ziplocยฎ bags are okay, but glass jars are better
โข
If you have heirloom varieties, you can save your seed for years to come
โข
Hybrid seeds will not produce true to form, they must be purchased each year.
โข
Saving seed that produced well under your climate conditions will insure healthier plants in the future years for your growing conditions
6. โข
Seeds Must Be Dry
โข
Silica Gel โ little packets labeled โdo not eatโ
โข
Save from electronics, vitamins, and other things that you purchase
โข
Can absorbs 20% of itโs own weight in water
โข
Absorbs ethylene gas which is a waste product of the seeds respiration
โข
Protect Seeds From Pets
โข
Mice โ especially in the fall
โข
Moths and Weevils
โข
Susceptible during drying
โข
Freeze (10 days)
โข
Can store in the freezer
7. For Freezer Storage
โข
Moisture content must be low
โข
Dry enough to snap instead of bend
โข
Commercial seed is dried to about 8%
โข
Drying seed to 1-3% can extend the life of the seed 4-16 times
โข
100 degrees F for six hours, you will bring seed down to about 8% moisture.
โข
Place in your glass jar with the silica gel
โข
Purchase silica gel which changes color when it absorbs moisture
โข
http://www.theruststore.com/Silica-Gel-Packets-C97.aspx
โข
Can regenerate silica gel in the oven โ No Microwaves
โข
Recommended clasp lid jars in place of canning style jars
โข
Canning jars will allow some moisture in eventually, even if you draw a vacuum on the jar with your vacuum sealer
Come here my pretties
8. Hardening of the Seed
โข
Larger Seeds โ Squash
โข
Can be damaged by extreme desiccation
โข
Hard Seed โ Beans and Peas
โข
May require longer germination period
โข
Usual garden varieties will germinate within 2-3 weeks with higher humidity
โข
If you have hard seed, you can expose it to moisture for several weeks before planting to improve its germination.
โข
Test for Germination
โข
You can test seeds for germination rates by placing ten seeds on a damp paper towel. Keep them damp and warm. The number of seeds that sprout is your germination rate: if 5 seeds sprout, that is a germination rate of 50 percent. A germination rate of 50 percent is about the minimum you want - below that and you might not want to plant that seed at all.
9. Labeling
โข
Label bags and jars used for storage
โข
Use scientific names whenever possible
โข
Place labels inside the jars, outside labels peel off
โข
Include manufacturer that you originally purchased seed from
โข
Manufacturers very with their seed collection procedures
โข
If you saved seed from you own produce, also include details of the growing season
โข
If you grow the same varieties over several years, rotate your stock keeping it current
10. Decision Time
โข
Why are you saving seeds?
โข
Good Hobby
โข
Profit
โข
Just in case
โข
Insurance against crop failure
โข
Sustainable thing to do
โข
Partial (or total) societal collapse You can only save and store open-pollinated, non-hybridized, non-GMO seeds
11. GMO or Hybridized Seeds
โข
Frequently have sterile first generation off spring, sometimes referred to as F1. If you save seeds from your produce, the second planting with saved seed will not look like the first year produce.
โข
If they are sterile, you will receive nothing for your effort. The companies want you to buy more of their seeds every year.
13. Reason for saving seeds will dictate your seed stock
โข
Playing it safe for the first year
โข
Collect self pollinating seeds - tomatoes, beans, lettuce, peas, chicory, and endive. No muss no fuss
โข
More adventuresome
โข
Wind and insect pollinated - corn, cucumber, radish, spinach, and squashes
โข
Biennials
โข
onions, carrots, cabbages, beets, Swiss chard, turnips, celery, leeks
14. Special Cases - Tropics
Recalcitrant seeds (sometimes known as unorthodox seeds) are seeds that do not survive drying and freezing. Recalcitrant seeds cannot be dried for storage and must be planted immediately. Tropical plants such as mangoes, coconuts, and tea are recalcitrant. Intermediate seeds can take some drying for short-term storage, but they are not viable options for a personal seed bank. Intermediate seeds can take drying for a short storage period, but are not really suited for seed bank storage. Examples of intermediate seeds include coffee, papaya, and others.