Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange
Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [seed-saving]

Keeping and re-using seed

Use this tag for questions about keeping seed from one season to the next. This will generally be from plants, but might also include left-over purchased seed.

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How do professionals save hybrid seeds?

You can buy hybrid seeds anywhere in large quantities and the plants all turn out about the same, but when you save seeds, they all turn out different. How do the professionals save the seeds? If I could do it I would save a lot of money.
J. Musser
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Is it possible to get a plant that is just a genetic dud?

Is it possible that an instance of a plant could just be a dud. As in even with great care it is never healthy?
startoftext
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How viable will 5 year old or 25 year old bush bean seeds be?

My Grandfather bred a bush bean for my Grandma. They've been gone for years, but I would like to try and keep the breed alive for heirloom purposes. I've got two sources of seeds, 1 source is about 5-8 years old, and the other source is 25+. What…
thomasw_lrd
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Can I save broad bean seeds before they're dry?

My broad bean plants are near end of their life. I planted them in autumn, and now we are half way through our first summer month. Many have been blown over by strong spring winds. The bean pods are hard but most are still green, and still a ways…
Graham Chiu
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What should I do with unplanted narcissus/daffodil onions outside of planting season?

I have 4-5 "new" narcissus onions on hand, but the planting season is over now (beginning of March). They should be sprouting now. Here is the exact variety. What should I do with them? Will I confuse their cycles if I plant them now, so should I…
bbozo
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Should I cut the top off of this bolting lettuce?

My garden is on a roof top in the South Bronx. I get a lot out of a little space, but I tend to only have one or two of each type of plant. Most advice I find is for terrestrial gardens with rows and rows of the same plant. I also find that my…
futurebird
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Can I make my Schlumbergera truncata (Thanksgiving cactus) produce seeds?

I would like to grow fruit on my thanksgiving cactus (also holiday cactus) so that I can save seeds, but I can never get them to start growing. How do I get my cactus to grow fruit?
J. Musser
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Will sunflower seeds that have been left out all winter germinate?

I forgot to remove a large sunflower before winter and after the snow hit I was unable to get to it. The seeds were left in the head all winter but the plant is high enough that it wasn't buried in snow. The head also drooped so the seeds are…
OrganicLawnDIY
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What should I consider before vacuum-sealing seeds for storage?

This year I have harvested more seeds than I will use next spring. I plan to vacuum-seal them and I want to know if, except for drying them really well, I should consider anything in particular. These seeds were harvested from plants that belong to…
Alina
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How do I collect annual Dahlia seeds?

I have an annual Dahlia and I would like to save some seeds for next year. I've heard it is easy, but I don't know how to do it. Most of the flowers have dropped their petals. The plants are about 8" tall. What do the seeds look like and how do I…
J. Musser
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Can I save the berries from a Big Blue Liriope (Liriope muscari) and plant them next spring?

I have a big blue liriope (Liriope muscari) in my yard, and the flowers have changed to berries. I imagine the normal propagation method is to split the adult plant after it grows large enough, but if I don't care about time, could I take the…
The Flash
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How do you collect and keep cucumber seeds for planting the next year?

So I see there are seeds in cucumbers. But they're always so soft that I don't notice them when I eat the cucumbers. I'm assuming that means the seeds are just young and not ready to be collected yet (kind of like how watermelon seeds start soft…
The Flash
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How to prevent heirloom varieties from weakening?

I was told that heirloom varieties will start to 'weaken' after 3 or 4 seasons. I interpreted this as the plants will be weaker and produce less fruit season after season. What can be done to prevent such weakening? How do we have healthy…
Om Patange
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Can I harvest and plant vegetable seeds in the same season?

I have some plants (cilantro, lettuce) that have already gone to seed. Am I able to plant these seeds immediately or would I need to wait until next season? My question is not about the length of the growing season, but more about the "seed…
Learning2Thumb
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Do wild asters cross with domestic ones?

I would like to save seeds from my double lavender asters, I would like them to be pure, but I do not know if they will pollinate with wild ones. The nearest wild patch is about 100' from the plant. Bees go to all of the flowers. Do they cross…
J. Musser
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