As I was cleaning up the vegetable garden, I noticed some new spinach seedlings coming up. These were not planted but are "volunteers" and are a result of allowing the spinach in the garden go to seed in the early summer then the seeds dropped to the ground, germinated and are now growing. Many vegetable and flower plants will form seeds. Some gardeners like to collect their own seeds, store them over the winter and plant them next spring. This works well for many plants with the exception of hybrids because you are not guaranteed to get the same plant that you are collecting from. A hybrid plant is the result of hand pollinating from two distinctly different plants of the same species to create a new third plant that carries the best traits of both the parent plants. In order to get these same traits the following year, you need to hand pollinate from the same types of parent plants, so collecting seeds from F1 hybrids will not give you the same plant you now have growing.
When collecting seeds, the seeds need to be mature. Seeds mature by being left on the plant. For flowers, the finished flower is not removed but left on the plant so that it can produce a seed pod and then allow the seeds to ripen and mature. For vegetables, such as beans, peas, tomatoes, squash, etc., the vegetable is left on the plant to ripen to allow the seeds within the vegetable to grow and mature. Other vegetables, such as spinach, lettuce, etc., will bolt and form seed heads.
Collecting seeds is done towards the end of the season. You want them to be as dry as possible, so choose a sunny afternoon. An easy way to collect many of the seeds is to tie a paper bag around the seed pod so that the seeds will fall into the bag or cut the stem with the seed pod off the plant and bring it inside and hang it upside down so the seeds fall into the bag. To collect seeds from tomatoes, cut the ripe tomato open and squeeze out all the seeds. Using a fine colander, wash all the excess flesh off the seeds, so that they are clean and then place the sift containing the seeds in a warm, dry, sunny location where there is good air circulation for a few days so the seeds are completely dry before storing them.
It's important when storing seeds over the winter months to keep them dry and clean. If they are not dry enough, they could germinate too soon or become mouldy. When the seeds are dry, put them in a well-sealed glass jar or tin can (don't forget to put labels on the containers.) To prevent moisture in the container, pour 8-10 ml of silica gel wrapped in tissue paper in the jar along with the seeds. Silica gel packets are often found in new shoes, purses, etc., and these can be used. Another option is to use powdered milk or corn starch. Store beans or peas in a paper bag or container that has ventilation so the seeds can breathe. These should be stored in a cool dark place such as a fridge where temperatures are 5-10 C.
There are seeds that are hardy enough to remain outside over the winter months and germinate in the spring. Plants such as Columbine, Jacob's ladder, poppies, Arctic iris, Bachelors Buttons, and Violas, are known as easy self-sowers and if left to form seed, the seeds will fall on the ground and will form new plants the following spring.
