Have you ever grown something in your garden that did really well? Maybe it was the flavor, the growth rate, or maybe it was one of your favorites. I’m sure the thought came to mind about how you could get your other produce to taste THAT good. Well, it’s possible through saving seeds.

If you’re like most people, you either buy plants or seeds for every season. This definitely described us, and we do still buy some seeds, but when we began to save seeds and grow successfully from them, we knew this was something we had to continue and wanted to share.

It important to note that the seed matters. We purchase non-GMO organic and heirloom seeds and sometimes plants. For us, this means that we can actually grow from and save the seeds these plants produce. Its important when saving seeds that the seeds are not hybrids. Hybrids are the by-product of seeds that have been intentionally spliced with another variety of that same plant to increase growth and disease resistance. As a result, the seeds produced are often sterile or cannot produce desired results. Now we are not saying that hybrids are bad. If you can find one that is non-GMO and/or organic, go for it!

Take a look at the collard green plant pictured above. It has bolted and started to flower. This means the plant is done producing for the season. If you look closely, you can see small pods that have started to form on either side of the plant. These pods will continue to grow and become dry. Once dried, there will be tons of collard seeds in each pod! By utilizing these seeds, we will be able to continue to grow collards that have adapted to our soil and our climate. Additionally, we save time because we’re not running around from store to store or waiting for a delivery and money because the plant produces the seeds for us free of charge.

So if your garden produces something that you really enjoy and you would like to grow it again next year, please save the seeds!