Washburn's Community Seed Bank
@ the Washburn Public Library
Sponsored by: the Seed Savers Alliance
The seeds you borrow from the Washburn Community Seed Bank are free, and yet they are priceless. We hope you learn a lot as you experience the joys of gardening and seed saving. As you grow as a gardener and experience success in you garden, please consider bringing some seeds back to share the fruits of your labors with the seed bank community.
Choosing Seeds
The seeds that you’ll find in our bank are all open-pollinated or heirloom
varieties, meaning seeds saved from these plants will produce fruit the next season which will be the same as the parent plant. Our seeds are categorized by how difficult they are to save, not grow. Please feel free to try growing any seed that interests you. We all learn by trying new things.
When growing to save seed, please try to match the seed saving difficulty with your gardening expertise. Here are some guidelines for growing plants to save seed.
Easy Seeds
Easy seeds are great for beginners and grow plants that are less likely to cross-pollinate with other plants in that family.
Tip: Stick with one variety of a plant, or separate different
varieties with a taller buffer crop or distance.
Medium Seeds
Medium seeds grow plants that are insect pollinated. These plants are likely to cross pollinate with
other varieties of the same plant to grow a “mystery” plant. They may require some form of isolation—tenting or hand-pollination.
Tip: Choose only one variety from each plant or separate similar plants by placing them a good distance apart, like in the front and back yard.
Advanced Seeds
Advanced seeds grow plants that are wind or insect
Pollinated, are very likely to cross-pollinate with other plant varieties, and are biennial.
Tips: Stick to a single plant variety, stagger growing times, and use tenting or hand pollination techniques to preserve the purity of the seed. It’s also very important to check the botanical name to ensure which plants are related and susceptible to cross-pollination.
Saving and Sharing Seeds
At harvest time, please take some extra steps to save seeds for others to borrow and plant. By returning a portion of seeds you save from your strongest, tastiest, and most vigorous plants, you’ll help keep our seed bank growing.
Dry Seed Processing
For plants with seeds that grow on the outside of the plant.
· Allow the seed to dry on the plant, and collect the seedpods before they break open.
· For plant with seeds that develop in the center of the flower, allow the plant to dry. When the stem holding the seed head turns brown, harvest the seeds.
Tip: Collect dry seeds under dry, warm conditions to
prevent mold and reduce additional drying time.
Wet Seed Processing
For seed that grow inside the fleshy fruit of the plant.
· Rinse off the seeds and dry them thoroughly.
· If the seeds have a gel-like coating, use the fermentation process.
Tip: If you’re not sure if your seeds have a coating, float them in a small amount of water. You’ll be able to see the coating in the water.
Fermentation Seed Processing
For seeds with a gel-like coating.
· Mix the seeds and the seed juice with a little water in a small plastic or glass container with a lid.
· Allow the seeds to ferment for 4-6 days.
· When a layer of mold has formed on top of the water and the seeds sink, the fermentation is complete. Add more water, swish it around, and remove the mold and pulp. The good seed will sink to the bottom, while the bad seeds will float to the top. Remove the bad seeds.
· Drain the water from the seeds and set them out on a plate, screen, or paper towel to dry thoroughly. Once the seeds are completely dry, place them in a moisture-proof container. Label and store seeds.
· Return a few seeds in a labeled envelope to the seed bank.
Tip: Use the fermentation process for seeds from
tomatoes, cucumbers, some squash, and some melons.