In order to save seed and, more to the point, be a good steward of the health and success of open-pollinated varieties, it’s important to take a few precautions.
Perhaps the most challenging one, particularly for (sub)urban gardeners, is that of observing some isolation distances. Isolating plants is a way of preventing the pollen of two closely related varieties from mixing, thus ensuring a relatively stable and pure strain of seed.
A pure strain of seed? Didn’t we want genetic diversity? Well, yes, but not too much. There is a balance to be struck: We want enough diversity to maintain a healthy and well adapted variety, but not so much that the heirloom cabbage you love doesn’t resemble that same cabbage anymore. Seed saving and seed stewardship are a blend of art and science, but don’t be terrified or put off by that. You alone will not irrevocably destroy your favorite variety of cabbage.
Of course, if your whole ambition is to produce a totally different variety by throwing everything into the pot and seeing what comes out, plant with abandon, but please don’t share your resulting seed and promise it’s going to be the original. And be considerate of your neighbors, and any plans they may have for their own gardens.
First steps in planning your summer gardening and seed-saving activities:
- Assess your site. Understand the space you have available to grow your crops and the light the site receives.
- Identify the crops you want to grow.
- Learn your plants’ scientific names, and which other plants share that scientific name. That means both parts of the name: the genus and the species (not the part in single quotation marks). It’s especially important if you wish to grow cucurbits (squash, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins) or brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, collards, kale, to name a few).
- Depending on the size of your property and your proximity to your neighbors (especially critical if you grow in a community garden), learn:
- What your neighbors’ plans are for their summer gardens, if any.
- Whether anyone in your vicinity is a beekeeper.
The topic is a big one to grasp (bigger than I realized when I set out to research the issue), so I’ll break down an example in my next post.