Methods to save your own seeds, and contribute to the EPL's Seed Library (which you can borrow from too.)

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Q I have some tomatoes this year that I am really enjoying. I would like to save some of the seeds from these varieties. Can you give me some tips on how to save the seeds?

A We have addressed this in the past but it’s been quite a few years and is worth revisiting the topic.

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First, determine if the plant you’re saving the seeds from is an open-pollinated variety. Open-pollinated simply means it’s a variety that grows true from seed. If it’s not an open-pollinated type then the seeds will not produce the same type of plant. If you know the variety, you can simply check online to see if it’s the open-pollinated type.

Saving the seeds can be done as follows:

Having said all this there’s an alternative method that involves simply drying the tomato seeds. My father would simply pick the seeds out with a knife onto a paper towel and allow the seeds and towel to dry for a few weeks. He would then fold the towel with the seeds and store it in an envelope. The main difference between the drying and fermentation methods is that the seeds that are dried have a shorter shelf life than those fermented.

The dried seeds will keep for a year or perhaps two while the fermented ones last longer. My father always had a good germination success rate using the dried method so the choice is yours and it might be a fun experiment to try both methods.

The Edmonton Public Library has started a pilot project involving seeds. The project is in its first year and The Seed Library is a community project led by the EPL in partnership with local organizations to help connect Edmontonians with seeds and information on gardening.

The collection offers free seeds that you can borrow, grow, and share with others, while also contributing back some of the seeds you grow. Seeds are available to browse and sign out at the Stanley A. Milner Library on the second floor near the Makerspace. 

All of the seeds are donated to the library and include vegetable, flower and herb seeds, as well as seeds from some native plants. There are some excellent links on the website for more information on a variety of gardening books at the library but also books on saving seeds at epl.ca/seeds.

Learn more by emailing your questions to filipskigerald@gmail.com, reading past columns in the Life section at edmontonjournal.com or my book Just Ask Jerry. You can also follow me on Twitter @justaskjerry01.

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