How to Save Seeds and Reduce Waste Using Old Produce
With everyone cooking at home these days, you most likely have some fruits and vegetables that are starting to turn before you can enjoy them. In the video below, Amanda, one of our Forest Preschool teachers, will teach you how to save seeds from old produce!
THREE REASONS you should SAVE YOUR SEEDS:
it SAVES MONEY.
Seeds and young plants can be expensive. A package of 50 tomato seeds may cost $3 and a young tomato plant can cost around $6. When you save seeds, you can greatly reduce the startup and maintenance costs of your edible garden. Not to mention, if you harvest from produce that is about to turn, you’re repurposing something that would have gone to waste.
You will Start your own seed bank.
By saving your seeds, you will create a seed bank that you can drawn upon. This means that no matter what happens with commercial crops, you will always have a seed for what you want to grow. You can also create a tradition and lasting legacy! If you consistently harvest your seeds for the following year, you can create generations of seeds to share with your family and future relatives. Just think of your children or grandchildren eating tomatoes and squash from the same genetic line as this fall’s harvest.
Better seeds = Better PLants for less work
Many commercial seeds are sold because they are fairly generic and should grow with proper care and fertilizer under most conditions. BUT, when you save seeds from your best performing plants each year, you are cultivating seeds that you know will thrive in the conditions of your own garden. Using seeds that have adapted to the growing conditions in your garden are lower maintenance and can save you a lot of time. These plants may need require less watering and fertilizer.
