Saving local seeds is vital to the security of our food supply

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Seeds are magical. Each tiny packet contains the blueprint for a complete plant. Astonishingly, seeds also retain information about environmental conditions experienced by previous generations, and how those plants adjusted and survived. From this epigenetic information, each germinating seed gets a boost in life from its predecessors. 

In a time of climate change, when plants face new environmental conditions, epigenetic information is especially important, and saving local seeds is vital to the security of our food supply. Yet today just four giant companies control nearly sixty percent of the world’s commercial seed market. Meanwhile, global treaties are strengthening plant breeder’s legal protections for proprietary seeds in ways that curtail the traditional practice among small-scale farmers and growers of collecting and saving their own seeds.  

These challenges make saving locally adapted seeds (thereby safeguarding the biodiversity they embody) an act of quiet revolution for any gardener. Fortunately, it’s a bloodless revolution and one that is fun and easy to join. 

Start with seeds from open-pollinated plants.  These plants are pollinated naturally by insects or the wind but usually with their own pollen or pollen from another plant of the same variety. Such seeds can be purchased online or at Seedy Saturday events in Ottawa and around the region.  These plants “breed true” –  their seeds will produce plants with only minor differences from generation to generation. 

Less desirable are hybrid seeds that result when a plant receives pollen from a different species or variety. They do not breed true – the next generation will likely have different and unpredictable characteristics. 

The easiest food seeds to save come from plants that fertilize themselves and produce seeds in the first year.  Self-fertile plants typically have closed flowers containing both male and female parts. Examples include peas, beans and tomatoes. Because pollen is rarely transferred from one plant to another, there is a good chance that seeds from these plants will breed true even if there are several varieties growing close together. In contrast, plants in the cucurbit family – squash, cucumbers, melons and zucchini – have separate male and female flowers. These are known as “promiscuous” veggies because they cross pollinate so easily.  In these cases, special techniques are required to hand-pollinate the female flower and then gently seal it closed so pollen from a different species or variety cannot be introduced. 

Tomato and cucumber seeds are both enclosed in a jelly that impedes germination. To collect them, smear the jelly and seeds onto a paper towel. Wait until it dries and then pick out the seeds. 

Most of our food plants are annuals, producing flowers, fruit and seed in a single year. However, some take two years to produce seed. These include members of the carrot family (parsley, celery and parsnips), the brassica family (kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower) and beets and onions. This longer timeframe requires more effort, including noting the best specimen from which to collect seed. 

When you save your own seed, you can breed for specific characteristics. Always select seed from the nicest specimens and make sure the fruit is over-ripe, or completely dried in the case of beans and peas. Never save seed from a diseased plant because susceptibility to disease can be transmitted across generations. 

We may know a lot about the genetics of most commercially valuable plants, but much less about ornamental species, and next to nothing about wildflowers. Here, observation, trial and error are our best teachers. 

Today many gardeners are responding to the biodiversity crisis by redesigning their gardens to support wildlife and planting native plants. I spoke to Mélanie Ouellette, founder and chair of the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library (OWSL), a grassroots organization that promotes gardening with native plants. OWSL offers free seeds and gardeners are asked to reciprocate by sharing their seed bounty.  

Ouellette strongly encourages ethical seed collection in the wild. Get permission from the landowner before collecting on private property. Don’t take seeds from either the first or last clump you see, ensure there is a large population (more than twenty-five specimens) and harvest no more than 10% of the seeds.   

Native plants that bloom in different seasons tend to have different germination strategies, which also affects seed collection. The “fluffy” seeds of late-season plants such as fall asters (Symphyotrichum spp.), Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium maculatum) and goldenrod (Solidago spp.) are amongst the easiest to collect. Seeds of spring bloomers like bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) and Canadian ginger (Asarum canadense) are more challenging and need to be sowed promptly. Either way, seeds are generally ready about six weeks after the flowers have bloomed. 

How ever you chose to start your seed saving adventure, make sure to clean and thoroughly dry seeds before storing them in a cool, dry place. Have fun, and welcome to the revolution! 

Rebecca Last is a volunteer with Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton.