How to prepare seeds for planting yourself: tips

By planting seeds bought in stores, summer residents get a completely different result than that shown on a colorful bag. Purchased seeds often germinate poorly and not at the same time, and, conversely, plants from seeds obtained by their own hands grow stronger and bear fruit better. And this is not as difficult as it seems.

The collection of seeds depends on the type of fruit. Fleshy fruits such as melons and eggplants need to be soaked before drying, and beans can be root dried. Planting material is harvested from completely healthy plants, with medium-sized fruits and characteristics characteristic of the variety. Hybrid varieties (obtained by crossing two or more varieties) are not used for seed collection because they may not germinate or produce fruits that differ significantly from those obtained previously. Packages with such seeds are marked with F1. Then the collected seeds need to be dried: spread out on a saucer or cling film and put in a dry warm place so that they dry completely. But the future crop may stick to napkins or paper towels.

Tomatoes

It is necessary to select the fleshy ripe fruits from the most productive bushes, cut and scrape the seeds along with the pulp. Place the “prey” without rinsing into a glass jar with a little warm water, let it ferment for three to four days. Shake or stir the contents daily to speed up the fermentation process. Viable seeds will sink to the bottom, while pulp and empty shells will float to the surface. Remove mold and dirt from the top layer of the jar and carefully drain the liquid, rinse the seeds and lay them out to dry in a dry, well-ventilated area.

cucumbers

Leave the vegetable in the garden until the skin becomes thick, yellow-brown in color with cracks. Then cut and let sit in the shade to soften the fruit. Select seeds, rinse well and dry. But the neglected fruits left on the lashes significantly inhibit the ripening of new cucumbers. It is possible to collect seed cucumbers without waiting for complete overripening, in this case they will lie “until ready” for up to two weeks.

Cucumber seeds, harvested on their own, it is advisable to use only in the second or third year. One-year-old seeds sprout well, but bear little fruit.

Pepper

It is even easier to preserve them: choose fully ripe fruits until they are covered with wrinkles. Cut the peppers, remove the seeds, spread and dry.

Eggplant

Vegetables for seeds are supposed to be picked very overripe, when they are hardened and no longer fit for human consumption. The eggplant must be cut into four parts and with a spoon, select the pulp with seeds, pour over water – full seeds will settle to the bottom, they must be washed and dried well.

Zucchini, squash, watermelon, pumpkin

Pumpkin seeds are cleaned, washed in plenty of water, and then dried. From ripe melons, watermelons, seeds can be harvested immediately, in the summer, after the juicy sweet pulp has been eaten. From the fruits of squash and pumpkin, full-fledged seeds are obtained immediately from the garden.

Beans, peas and other legumes

Dried on the vine and the collection of pods for seeds is carried out a month after harvest. Seed pods are dry, brown, shriveled and brittle. If there is a threat of frost, the plant must be uprooted and suspended in a cool, well-ventilated place. Then collect the pods and spread them out in a dry, enclosed area for at least two weeks. They should dry completely. Remove the pods and shells by hand, or leave the seeds in the pods until planting.

How to store homemade seeds

· In tightly closed glass containers or paper bags, in a cool and dry place at a temperature of 0- + 10 ° C, humidity 60%.

· The ideal place for storing seeds is a home refrigerator.

· The main enemy is humidity. You can add some silica gel from shoeboxes to the storage containers to keep the seeds from damp. This will help keep the seeds dry until spring.