Pushing the envelope on seed saving and planting

15 years ago

I have quite a collection of expensive seeds that I have bought over the years, for heirloom tomatoes. I just received another shipment yesterday, from TomatoFest, which I have yet to break open.

I used to have 100% germination rates, in the early 2000s. In the last couple years, they're essentially zero. But I am heartened to see two baby plants poking their heads up. I planted the seeds on 19 April, so I suppose 12 days is reasonable timing.

Still, I have some questions, which some of the experienced growers might be able to answer:

1) My seeds have sat in their packets in my garage over the last few years. One delivery was in there for one hot autunm only. It gets over 100 degrees F in there in the summer and autumn. Is this utterly unwise? Really?

2) I am planting seed outdoors, in trays with an inch or two of my homemade compost as a medium. This year, my compost is devoid of foreign seeds. Should I be using "planting mix"? There is no visible fungus or other nasty stuff in my compost. It looks great.

3) I added a small quantity of manure to my composter after I drew from the composter for my seed planting. Is this manure bad for my next seeding attempt. It's 10 days old now.

4) The nighttime temps get down to about 50 deg F here, sometimes. Are cold nighttime temps a problem. I wouldn't think so, because I have seen volunteers germinate like "wild" in previous years, when I was less careful.

In my more successful times, I seeded inside the kitchen in February, in a south-facing window box that got a lot of sun. Were the relatively even temperatures of the interior of my house important to my success?

I believe my biggest mistake was keeping the seeds in my garage. From now on, they'll probably go in my basement vault! One extreme to another, I suppose.

Comments invited.

TIA

John

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Comments (4)

rnewste
15 years ago
John,

I am up here in San Jose. I always use 1" diameter starter pellets (not Jiffy pellets) which are a compressed tree bark compound. I bought them at a Hydro shop (guess they have "other" seed starting attributes) and I typically run 85% germination rate. I store my seeds in a ziplock freezer bag in the bottom tray of the refrigerator until I need them again.

I would NOT add manure at seed starting as this will shock the seedlings. Also, a relatively warm environment is better for initial germination (put your tray on top of your refrigerator, as this provides some warmth. Outside at 50 degrees is too harsh. Volunteers have to survive to "make it", but I would think indoor temps will be kinder and more germination will occur.

Raybo
johnpeter
Original Author
15 years ago
My wife has granted me the use of her south-facing kitchen box window. So I have a couple of 2" deep pot-bottoms there, with seed planted 1/4" below the surface. The nighttime temps dip probably to the low 60s, instead of the low 50s as happens outside, and this might just mark a big improvement.

Also, the seeds in the kitchen hatchery are all new.

Years ago, I did the window-box thing in February, when the declination of the sun was low, bringing sunlight onto my germination trays. Not so in early May. But sunlight is needed by the greenery, not the seed itself, so I will deal with this problem in a couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, I have three "babies" outside, where the sunlight is abundant.

I'll probably move the kitchen trays outside, a week after my seeds show some green.

I hope I can get all this going soon enough to pollinate flowers before summer heat kills my pollen.
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Image by: wintersown Hibiscus Seed Capsules Seed saving is a lot of fun and it's easy to do! This is how I do it....and these are general and universal instructions. Mother Nature is pretty easy to figure out if we keep with the idea that SHE needs to keep it simple too. Take a good look at a flower. When the flower fades leave it where it is, do not remove it. Eventually at the base of the flower there will be some swelling. This is where the seeds are forming. Do keep the petals where they are and let them fall naturally...I don't touch it or bother it, I just leave it be. The base of the flower will swell even more and soon you'll notice that the flower stem and the swollen base are turning a papery-brown. This is a very good indication that the seeds are almost fully ripe....in effect the plant has achieved it's goal of reproduction for that flower...it has produced viable seeds and no longer needs to expend energy to keep it alive, so it doesn't sends it's sugars and water up to the stem anymore. That's why it's turning papery-brown. It's no longer being supplied with nutrients and so it's dying back. The drying action will continue and as the swollen pod continues to dry you will see it start to open....some pods will open in a starry design, plants like poppies create a ridge of tiny little circles near the top of the pod....they make themselves into something like a little "salt-shaker" (sorta...but you could imagine it). All flower pods will open in some manner when the seeds are ripe....it's so they can disperse their seeds. When you see that the pods and stems are both brownish in color, AND you notice that the pods are starting to open you can then collect the pods. I place the pods on an open plate or in open bowls in a safe place where they won't be disturbed and let them continue to dry naturally for another week or two. Then I remove the seeds from them. To assure that the seeds are thoroughly dry I let them dry on an open plate for a few more days...I even will stir them every now and then to make sure the bottom layers will get a chance to dry too. Storing the dried seeds is easy. I use paper envelopes. I make my own with my printer, but you could use coin envelopes or even mailing envelopes will do fine too. Label them so you know what's inside. Store them where they'll be away from heat or direct sunlight. I use cardboard file boxes to keep my seeds in and those do just fine. Another good place to keep them is in your dining room drawers. Those are dark places and your dining room is sure to be safe from extreme fluctuations in temperature. Good luck with your seed saving! Trudi
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naturegirl_2007 5B SW Michigan
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Heat, moisture, and changing temps are seed killers. I store mine in airtight containers in the refrigerator. When needed, remove from the refrig, let come to room temp, and only then open the container. This prevents condensation from adding moisture to the seeds. Remove what you need to use and return them to storage. A non-humid room is best when opening up the seeds. Otherwise throw a desicant pack in with them before returning them to storage. I have good germination on tomato seeds that are 15 years old using this easy for me storage method. And no one has mistaken them for refrigerator leftovers yet :)

Storing dry seeds in an airtight container (Mason jar...even a Ziploc bag would help)in your basement should give you several years of good germination. The hot garage (probably also humid and up and down in temps) is definately NOT the way to keep them alive. "Utterly unwise"....I'd say it really is.
elkwc
15 years ago
If you are planting in a tray outside I would put saran wrap or something similar over the top and make a small slit. That is the way many winter sow. And I direct sowed some this year as an experiment and they are doing quite well. Will never transplant them. Prepared the hole before I sowed them. Had great germination on them. I hope your results improve. JD

Pushing the envelope on seed saving and planting

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rnewste

johnpeter
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Pushing the envelope on seed saving and planting

Comments (4)

rnewste

johnpeterOriginal Author

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naturegirl_2007 5B SW Michigan

elkwc

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johnpeter
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