Saving your own seed

Saving your own seed is easier than many think – and has several advantages: you save money, preserve your favourite varieties and become more independent. From year to year the plants also adapt better to your garden. The best start is with a few uncomplicated crops.

Important: only open-pollinated varieties produce true-to-type offspring – with F1 hybrids it is not worthwhile.

What is suitable?

Saving seed is easiest with self-pollinators such as tomatoes, beans, peas and lettuce – they barely cross and stay pure. Cross-pollinators such as pumpkin, cucumber, cabbage or carrot cross easily with other varieties; here larger distances or some experience are needed.

Dry and wet seeds

Dry seeds (beans, peas, lettuce) are left to ripen on the plant; harvest the dry pods/heads and shell out the seeds. Wet seeds (tomato, cucumber) sit in the flesh: for tomatoes, let the pulp with the seeds ferment in a little water for one to two days, then rinse and dry – this removes the germination-inhibiting layer.

Harvest, dry, store

Let the seeds dry completely (they must be hard and snap) before storing them. Keep them cool, dark and dry – for example in paper bags or jars. Always label with variety and year. Stored correctly, many seeds stay viable for several years.

Frequently asked questions

How long is home-saved seed viable?
Depending on the species 2–5 years, tomatoes and beans often longer. A germination test on moist paper gives certainty.

Why do the offspring sometimes look different?
Then it was either an F1 variety or a cross occurred – with self-pollinators and open-pollinated varieties this rarely happens.

If you prefer to get going straight away, reach for strong young plants – you will also find special, open-pollinated varieties with us.