ARTICLES: YouTube & Others
Local advice from Mike Miller (Parksville/Qualicum area of Vancouver Island)
Some seeds you should have slipped bags over so they don’t disperse before you can collect them. I like to use the organza bags that come from the Dollar Stores and are meant for treats at wedding and parties. The fine net holds all (other than the very fine seeds), allowing air around them to ripen them well. They come with draw strings of narrow ribbon and last for years.
If you do not have glassine envelopes, you can hold the collected seeds in a carefully folded and taped paper pocket.
Seeds should be stored in a cool dry area. Some people prefer placing them in a plastic bag in the fridge.
How to Save True-To-Type Heirloom Tomato Seeds by OYR Frugal & Sustainable Organic Gardening (YouTube video)
Recommended: Search “Saving Seeds” at youtube.com for many more informative videos.
BOOKS
Below is a short list of some of the many books available from the Vancouver island Regional Libraries. Click the following link to perform a general search in the library system: Seed Saving:
- The Seed Garden: the Art and Practice of Seed Saving / edited by Lee Buttala & Shanyn Siegel ; written by Micaela Colley & Jared Zystro. Book | Seed Savers Exchange 2015)
- Open Sesame : The Story of Seeds (DVD – 2015)
- The Manual of Seed Saving: Harvesting, Storing, and Sowing Techniques for Vegetables, Herbs, and Fruits. Heistinger, Andrea (Book – 2013)
- The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to save Food. Ray, Janisse (Book – 2012)
- The Complete Guide to Saving Seeds: 322 Vegetables, Herbs, Flowers, Fruits, Trees, and Shrubs Gough, Robert E. (Book – 2011)
- Gardening with Heirloom Seeds: Tried-and-true Flowers, Fruits, and Vegetables for A New Generation. Coulter, Lynn (Book – 2007)