Washburn's Community Seed Bank
@ the Washburn Public Library
Sponsored by: the Seed Savers Alliance
Nightshade Family plants are self-pollinating
Some General Information on the Nightshade Family:
Seed Saving Tips
Quoted from the online Guide to Saving Vegetable Seeds
Peppers
Self- or insect-pollinated, pepper varieties of the same species will cross-pollinate. There is no crossing between varieties of different species, however. You can safely grow one hot or sweet pepper (C. annuum) and one Tabasco pepper (C. frutescens) without danger of their crossing.
Peppers within the same species can be safely isolated by 500 feet of separation, or they can be caged since the plants are not overly large. Allow peppers to ripen and dry fully on the plants before harvesting the pods. Wash your hands thoroughly with soapy water after harvesting hot pepper seeds, since the residues will burn eyes and lips for some time after contact!
Pepper seeds will keep for 2 or 3 years if properly stored.
Organic California Wonder Bell Pepper
California Wonder is a large, blocky, thick-walled stuffing pepper introduced by Burpee’s in 1928 and still a hit today. Upright, everbearing habit keeps fruit high on 24-30” plants. Forms glossy, six oz. green fruit that turns red quickly under a range of conditions. Size falls right between King Crimson and Jupiter. Good for both shipping and freezing. Shows strong resistance to Tobacco Mosaic Virus. (Capsicum annuum)
Seed Planting Depth: 1/4 inch
Seed Spacing: n/a
Days to Germination: 8-12
Plant Spacing After Thinning: 12 inches
Plant Height: 12-18 inches
Days to Maturity: 68-80
Seed Saving Difficulty: Easy
Organic Hungarian Hot Wax Pepper
A long banana-shaped waxy pepper used for frying, stuffing, or as colorful pickled peppers. Ripens from pale yellow to deep golden orange to cherry red. Can be harvested at various maturities. Heat varies among strains; HMS strain is medium, but others can be very hot. SHU - 10,000 (Capsicum annuum)
Seed Planting Depth: 1/4 inch
Seed Spacing: n/a
Days to Germination: 8-12
Plant Spacing After Thinning: 12 inches
Plant Height: 12-18 inches
Days to Maturity: 59/84
Seed Saving Difficulty: Easy
Organic Black Cherry Tomato
One of the only round, black cherries available with a characteristic dark purplish color. One inch fruits average 1-1 1/2 oz, and are great with the sweet, rich, full flavor common to all of the Russian black tomatoes. A striking addition to cherry tomato mixes. Very productive plants. Indeterminate (Lycopersicon esculentum)
Seed Planting Depth: 1/4 inch
Seed Spacing: n/a
Days to Germination: 7-14
Plant Spacing After Thinning: 18-24 inches
Plant Height: 2-3 ft
Days to Maturity: 64
Seed Saving Difficulty: Easy
Organic Cosmonaut Volkov Tomato
This Ukrainian tomato wins taste test after taste test. Perfect blend of sweet and tart, with a rich complexity. Fruits can range from 8-12 oz and are slightly flattened with a healthy red color and moderately green shoulders. Prone to cracking in wet conditions, but not nearly as much as Brandywine. Produces high yields even in cool conditions. Works well in low tech tunnels. (Lycopersicon esculentum)
Seed Planting Depth: 1/4 inch
Seed Spacing: n/a
Days to Germination: 7-14
Plant Spacing After Thinning: 18-24 inches
Plant Height: 2-3 ft
Days to Maturity: 68
Seed Saving Difficulty: Easy
Organic Rose de Berne Tomato
HEIRLOOM Dark rose-pink hue and well-loved heirloom flavor that is not too tart, nor too sweet. A tomato taste test topper at Phillies Bridge Farm Project in New Paltz, New York as well as in the HMS trial gardens. Round fruits are 4-8 oz with meaty flesh perfect for slicing. Soft-skinned, but not overly fragile and holds up well against cracking. (Lycopersicon esculentum)
Seed Planting Depth: 1/4 inch
Seed Spacing: n/a
Days to Germination: 7-14
Plant Spacing After Thinning: 18-24 inches
Plant Height: 2-3 ft
Days to Maturity: 75
Seed Saving Difficulty: Easy
Tomatoes
Almost all modern tomatoes can be safely grown without isolation and will not cross—'currant' tomatoes (such as Cherry Tomatoes), and 'potato-leafed' tomatoes (such as Brandywine) are possible exceptions and may cross other currant or potato-leaf varieties. Grow as many standard tomatoes as desired, but grow only one currant tomato or one potato-leaf tomato at a time to ensure purity (or cage them, or separate varieties by 500 feet). Currant and potato-leaf tomatoes will not usually cross with common tomato varieties.
It's best to not plant all a valuable variety's seeds in one season until you are sure it doesn't cross with any other varieties you grow.
Allow tomatoes to ripen thoroughly on their vines to at least the eating stage before harvesting them to collect their seeds. Upon harvesting, tomato seeds are best fermented in order to remove a germination-inhibiting gel which covers the seeds, and to kill diseases. In nature, fermentation of fallen ripe fruits removes this gel, and this process is imitated when preparing tomato seeds. See Fermenting Seeds and follow the directions.
If fermenting tomato seeds seems too much trouble, they will still germinate if the slippery gel surrounding the seeds is carefully rubbed off while you're cleaning them. Seeds treated this way will germinate, but they will not have had the protection of the fermentation process killing disease organisms. If you noticed any problems with your plants (leaves spotting or dying, inexplicable wilting, etc.), the extra trouble of fermentation will be well worth the effort.
Dry your tomato seeds on a piece of glass or a shiny plate—the wet seeds will stick to paper and be difficult to remove without damaging them.
Tomato seeds will store safely for 4 or more years after being properly dried and stored.