Saving Seeds this Fall

As the crisp fall air sets in, we begin to harvest and preserve as many seeds as we can from the rooftop garden. 

The seeds we use in the garden are open pollinated and of heirloom varieties. Open pollination is when pollination occurs by insect, bird, wind or human hand - it also means that when you save the seed from the same area they’re grown in, they’re better suited to the growing conditions of which they are used to. Heirloom varieties have been around for a very long time and are stable in production; by saving seeds of open pollinated varieties, we conserve the genetic diversity of garden vegetables and prevent the loss of unique varieties in the face of dwindling agricultural biodiversity.

HOW TO SAVE YOUR SEEDS!

Step one:
pick the seeds from the vegetables, flowers or herbs that thrived in your garden. We recommend saving seeds on a bright and sunny day -  you don’t want to take a seed from a wet plant. 

Step two:
you want to remove the seed from the plant or the pod and store it in a paper bag. Let it hang out in the paper bag for a couple of weeks to ensure there is no moisture left in the seeds.

Step three:
put the seeds in a glass jar and store them in a cool, dark and dry area. Properly stored seeds can last for years.