Monday 12 September 2016

Make one small change, save your own seed.

Making one small change at a time can make becoming eco friendly loads easier.  Lots of small changes add up to a big difference.

Make one small change, save your own seed. secondhandsusie.blogspot.com #seedsaving #gardening

Saving seeds from the fruit, vegetable and flowery plants in your garden is good for lots of reasons.  You get seeds for free.  You can share or swap your seeds with your friends.  You help preserve heritage or rare varieties of plants.  By saving seed from plants that are happy in your garden, strong ones with a good crop, you get seed that will be planted and grow up happy in the unique conditions present in your garden.  If you're favourite variety stops being sold, you have your own supply!  You won't be giving you pennies to questionable big agricultural companies.

You can't save seed from plants you've grown using seed labelled F1 or hybrid, you have to buy those kinds every year.  If you want to save seed you need to go for open pollinated or heritage varieties.

There's no better beginners guide to saving seed than the free one available on the Real Seeds website.  So far this year I've saved seed from my chives, and calendula plants!

Do you save seed?

Don't forget to check out my other small changes to help you live a greener life!




4 comments:

  1. This is a great idea Susie, I am actually reading about seeds this week, as I want to go crazy with planing this Spring. I am actually looking into growing my own cotton and saving those seeds. I'm going to start saving all of my milk cartons and cutting the bottom off so that I can use them as planters... Everything should be used at least twice! Right? (I'm thinking you and I would try about 8 times :) ... Have a great weekend! Tammy xx

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    1. Wow, that sounds exciting! Will you collect the cotton up and spin it?

      I've got lots of plans forming in my head for spring planting too, I wish things grew well in winter so there was more gardening time!

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  2. That is a great one. My runner beans this year came from seeds from my own plants last year and those seeds came from my Mum's plant the previous year. Not doing so well this year so not sure I will get any!!!
    My mum has actually got peppers from a pointed red pepper plant she grew from the seeds from a supermarket bought one!! So cool!

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    1. That's so cool! I have some tomato plants that have come from seed from composted tomatoes from my mums compost bin!
      Hope your runner beans have a late spurt of energy and make you some beans!

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