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Save seed

Saving seed from open-pollinated varieties cuts costs and, over years, selects plants adapted to your site. Hybrid seed does not breed true.

How

1. Start with easy self-pollinated crops: beans, peas, lettuce and tomato. Michigan State notes these need little or no separation.
2. For cross-pollinated crops, isolate varieties or grow only one variety per year. MSU lists suggested distances such as about 400 m (1,300 feet) for squash and melons and about 800 m (2,600 feet) for cabbage family, carrots and onions, or use insect-proof cages.
3. Save only from open-pollinated, not F1 hybrid, varieties, as NMSU explains.
4. Process wet-seeded crops (tomato, cucumber, melon) by removing, washing and drying the seed; ferment tomato seed with a little water for 2 to 3 days first, as NMSU describes.
5. Dry seed below about 35 degrees C (95 degrees F) until it snaps when bent.
6. Store in a cool, dry, dark place, ideally below about 10 degrees C (50 degrees F) and 50% humidity or less; NMSU says most good seed stays viable at least 3 to 5 years.
7. Label with variety, year and source.

Sources

1. Distance matters when saving seed. Michigan State University Extension, accessed 2026-11
2. Saving Vegetable Seeds (Guide H-262). New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension, accessed 2026-11

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