The Thrifty Gardener - Seed Saving Tips

Gardeners tend to be thrifty by nature. From capturing rainwater in barrels, to recycling food scraps for nutrient rich compost, gardeners are constantly looking for new ways to be resourceful. One of their easiest money saving tricks is saving seeds from year to year.

Seed saving has been practiced by gardeners for generations who proclaim, “Why buy seeds when you can grow your own!” As today’s seed prices are increasing and seed counts decreasing, many new “seed savers” are turning to this self-reliant system.

For those new to seed saving, master gardeners suggest saving the seeds from bean, lettuce, pea, pepper or tomato plants for a first attempt. These veggies offer beginners the best chance for successful seed saving. The five varieties not only produce seed the same season as planted, but are mostly self-pollinating, minimizing the need to protect from cross-pollination.

Want to learn more? On April 20th, from 1-4 pm, the experts from Seed Savers Exchange (Seedsavers.org) will lead a hands on seed saving workshop held at Wellspring Organic Farm and Education Center. Wet and dry seed saving techniques will be taught in addition to a discussion on the importance of saving seed and preserving our food crop heritage. By the end of the workshop, participants will have the skills to begin saving their own seeds from season to season. 

A seed swap willing also take place following the workshop. Feel free to bring any untreated seeds to share with the group and expect to go home with some new varieties regardless! This will be a great opportunity to mingle with other local food enthusiasts, and gardeners as well!

Wellspring is located at 4382 Hickory Rd. West Bend, WI 53090. For more details and to register, please visit www.wellspringinc.org or call (847) 946-5565. 

Wellspring is a certified Organic Farm and CSA as well as a not-for-profit Education and Retreat Center whose mission is to inspire and teach people to grow, prepare and eat healthy food.