1. Saving Seeds
Photo: Stephen Loewinsohn (stephenloewinsohn.com)

2. Why Save Seeds?
Diversity
Landrace crops
Extirpation
Commercial Extinction
History
Thriftiness
Community
Genetics
Memory
Aesthetics
Politics
Botanical
Curiosity

3. Relax!

4. Angiosperms
ƒ Flowering plants
ƒ Most diverse group of land plants
ƒ Together with gymnosperms are the seed- producing
plants
ƒ Began separating from gymnosperms 200 million y/a,
first flowering 140 million y/a, widespread 100
million y/a, dominant trees 60 million y/a
ƒ Distinguished from gymnosperms by flowers,
endosperm within seed, production of fruit

5. Pollination

6. Perfect (Bisexual) Flowers

7. Unisexual Flowers

8. Flowers?

9. Vegetative plant propagation
ƒ Bulbs
ƒ Tuber cuttings
ƒ Division
ƒ Cuttings and
graftings

10. Pollination Methods
ƒ Self-pollinated
– Inbreeders - have enclosed flowers
which almost always self-pollinate.
ƒ Insect-pollinated
– Self-sterile/Self-incompatible
ƒ Insect-pollinated - Honeybees, bumblebees,
sweat bees, wild solitary bees, moths, butterflies,
wasps, flies
ƒ Wind-pollinated
Outbreeders or
cross-pollinators
Perfect
Flowers
Unisexual
Flowers

11. Break
Find examples of perfect and unisexual flowers.
Find examples of crops without readily visible
flowers.
Are there any non-angiosperms in the garden?

12. Scientific names
(Linnaean Taxonomy)
Family
Genus
species
var. variety ‘Cultivar’
Variety - often occur in nature and most varieties are true to type
Cultivar – (CULTIvated VARiety) selected and cultivated by
humans, not necessarily true to type

13. Family Apiaceae Daucus carota var. sativus ‘Scarlet Nantes’
Family Solanaceae Solanum lycopersicum ‘Cherokee Purple’
Family Solanaceae Capsicum annum ‘Charleston Belle’
Family Cucurbitaceae Cucumis sativus ‘Parisian Pickling’
Family Cucurbitaceae Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis ‘Hearts
of Gold’
Family Brassicaceae Brassica oleracea cultivar group Capitata
‘Brunswick’
Family Brassicaceae Brassica oleracea cultivar group Italica
‘Romanesco Italia’

14. Pea Family
(Fabaceae or Leguminosae)
Level: Beginner
Members:
Phaseolus vulgaris – common bean
P. coccineus – runner bean
Pisum sativum – pea
Flower: Perfect
Pollination: Self
Harvesting:
– Dry bean pods on plant
– Split from pod Photo: Stephen Loewinsohn (stephenloewinsohn.com)

15. Nightshade Family
(Solanaceae)
Level: Beginner
Members:
Capsicum annuum – peppers
Lycopersicon lycopersicum – tomato
Solanum tuberosum – potato
Flower: Perfect
Pollination: Self
Harvesting:
– Collect mature fruit
– Semi-wet or wet

16. Sunflower Family
(Compositae or Asteraceae )
Level: Beginner
Members:
Lactuca sativa – lettuce
Cynara scolymus– artichoke
Cichorium endivia – endive
Flower: Perfect
Pollination: Self w. insects
Harvesting:
– Dry seeds on plants
– Hand thresh
– Winnow or screen

17. Gourd Family
(Cucurbitaceae)
Level: Intermediate/Beginner
Members:
Cucumis melo – muskmelon, cantaloupe,
honeydew
Cucumis sativus– cucumber
Cucurbita pepo – acorn squash, zucchini
Flower: Unisexual
Pollination: Insects
Harvesting:
– Commonly hand pollinated
– Collect mature
– Ferment, wash, and dry

18. Parsley Family
(Umbelliferae or Apiaceae)
Level: Intermediate
Members:
Apium graveolens – celery
Anethum graveolens – dill
Daucus carota – carrot
Foeniculum vulgare – fennel
Flower: Perfect, outbreeding
Pollination: Insect
Harvesting:
– Carrot, celery, fennel are biennial
– Collect dry seed heads
– Pick seeds out

19. Goosefoot Family
(Chenopodiaceae)
Level: Intermediate
Members:
Beta vulgaris – beet, Swiss chard
Spinacia oleracea– spinach
Chenopodium quinoa – quinoa
Flower: Perfect, not self
Pollination: Wind
Harvesting:
– Biennials
– Collect dry seeds
– Thresh and winnow

20. Allium Family
(Amaryllidaceae)
Level: Intermediate
Members:
Allium ampeloprasum - leeks
A. cepa – onions
A. Sativum - garlic
Flower: Perfect
Pollination: Insect
Harvesting:
– Biennial
– Usually plant bulbs
– Seeds form on flower in 2nd year of growth

21. Mustard Family
(Brassicaceae or Cruciferae)
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Members:
Brassica juncea – mustard greens
B. oleracea– broccoli, cauliflower,
cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale,
collards, kohlrabi
B. Rapa – turnip, broccoli raab
Flower: Perfect, self-sterile
Pollination: Insect
Harvesting:
– Cool climate biennials
– Collect dry seeds

22. Grass Family
(Poacea or Gramineae)
Level: Advanced for corn
Easy for others
Members:
Zea mays– corn
Triticum aestivum - wheat
Flower: Unisexual
Pollination: Wind
Harvesting:
– Dry on plant
– Thresh
– Winnow

23. Other Families
ƒ Amaranthaceae – amaranth
ƒ Basellaceae – malabar spinach
ƒ Convolvulaceae – sweet potato
ƒ Liliaceae – asparagus
ƒ Malvaceae – okra
ƒ Polygonaceae – Rhubarb, sorrel
ƒ Portulacaceae – miner’s lettuce

24. Break
Find examples of as many crop families as
possible.
Find examples of crops that look different but
are of the same genus or same species.

25. Heirlooms
ƒ A variety/cultivar developed and commonly
grown earlier in history
– how long?
– may or may not have a story
– not used in industrial agriculture?
ƒ Open-Pollinated - The pollination of outbreeding
plants by insects, birds, wind, or other natural
processes.
– self pollination of inbreeders
– controlled pollination to maintain a variety

26. Hybrids
ƒ F1 hybrid - the offspring of a cross between two parent plants
of different varieties
– 'first filial' generation
– creates new desired traits, most notably hybrid vigor
– done under controlled conditions, often by hand, which makes F1
hybrid seed more expensive to produce
– cross the F1 generation with itself you get an F2
– accused of being a form of biotechnology to control seed savers
ƒ Hybrid vigor (heterosis) - If you cross two different varieties of an
outbreeding plant, the offspring may well turn out bigger,
faster-growing, or more productive than either of the parents.
Hybrid vigor may not be passed on to the F2 generation.
ƒ F2s can be saved - you are staring a breeding trial

27. Isolation by Distance
ƒ Isolation Distances – The minimum planting
separation required between two or more
varieties of the same species for the purpose of
keeping seed pure.
ƒ Consult tables
ƒ Isolation distances often for open farmland,
high humidity – may be modified for arid
West and heterogeneous urban locales

28. Advanced Isolation
ƒ Time
ƒ Mechanical
– Bagging
– Blossom taping
– Caging
– Alternate day caging
– Caging with pollinators
ƒ Hand pollination

29. Population Size
ƒ Never < 6 individuals
ƒ Recommended:
– Inbreeders – 20 individuals
– Outbreeders – 100 individuals
ƒ Inbreeding depression - If an outbreeding plant
self-pollinates, the offspring can turn out
weaker and slower-growing than either
parent, and it gets worse with each
subsequent generation.

30. Selection
Trueness-to-type Roguing
Characteristics
ƒ Taste
ƒ Physical characteristics: Color, Size, Shape
ƒ Disease resistance: blight, rust, wilt, …
ƒ Drought tolerance
ƒ Vigor/Performance
ƒ Market concerns: easy harvest, shipability

31. Garden Planning

32. Garden Planning

33. Break
Catalog your current garden or plan a future
plot.
Catalog or plan a section of the student garden.

34. Mature Seeds

35. Processing – Basic Dry Methods
Dry on plant, between screens, or hang inside
Picking seeds – beans, peas, corn, many herbs
Seeds with chaff – lettuce, grains
Winnowing/
Gravity
Threshing Screening

36. Processing – Basic Wet Methods
Pick fully mature specimens
ƒ Semi-wet – peppers
– pick seeds, rinse, and dry
ƒ Wet – tomatoes, melons, squash, cucumber
– ferment, wash, then dry

37. Seed Processing: Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0Uq9E7qruc
By South Bay seed saver Bill Merrill (www.greengardenservice.net)

38. Seed Processing: Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbLpIQrAa_8

39. Seed Processing: Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnpWSfzWCxk

40. Storage
ƒ Store seed at maximum dry weight ≈ 8% seed
moisture. Check for breaking or shattering.
ƒ General rule: sum of temperature and relative
humidity < 100
ƒ Paper envelopes are great to hold and sort seeds
ƒ Containers must be air tight – glass jars, paint cans,
plastic containers w. gaskets. Some people add silica
dessicant.
ƒ Store in a cool, dry, dark location, such as a closet
ƒ Newbie mistake: seed that molds was not sufficiently
dry before storage.
ƒ Consult tables for storage times for viable seed.
Germination rates must remain above 70%.

41. Advanced Storage
ƒ Long term frozen storage at low moisture.
– At home
– Germplasm collections
– Seed vaults
ƒ Overwintering biennials

42. Record Keeping
Metadata is important!! Make sure you label all the containers or packages
with at least the seed variety/cultivar, date collected, and source

43. Bay Area Seed Interchange
Library (BASIL)
BASIL is a free, community-based, urban seed project committed to
disseminating and celebrating local varieties of seed stock and raising
awareness about the importance and relationship between biological and
cultural diversity.
Located in the Ecology Center
2530 San Pablo Ave (near Dwight)
Berkeley, CA 94702
Tuesday - Saturday, 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
www.ecologycenter.org/basil

44. Seed Sources We Like
Richmond Grows
www.richmondgrows.org
Richmond Public Library
325 Civic Center Plaza
Richmond, CA 94804
Pocket Seed Library
www.pocketseedlibrary.com
Hosts picnics and seed swaps
Baker Creek
Heirloom Seeds
www.rareseeds.com
Seed Bank in Petaluma
Seed Savers
Exchange
www.seedsavers.org

45. Further Reading
Free Resources:
McCormack, Jeffrey. (2004). Isolation Distances. Saving Our Seeds.
http://www.savingourseed.org/Survey/IsolationGuideSurvey.html
McCormack, Jeffrey. (2004). Seed Processing and Storage. Saving Our Seeds.
http://www.savingourseed.org/Survey/SeedProcessingandStorageSurvey.h
tml
McDorman, Bill. (1994). Basic Seed Saving. International Seed Saving Institute
http://www.seedsave.org/issi/issi_904.html
Native Seeds|SEARCH. Seed Saving How To.
http://www.nativeseeds.org/how_to/seedsave
If you read one book on seed saving:
Ashworth, Suzanne. (2002). Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing
Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners. Seed Savers Exchange. Decorah, Iowa.

46. Created by Mat Rogers
for Agrariana (www.agrariana.org)