Saving seeds

If you are planning to save seeds and want the same variety next year, it’s best to grow just one variety of chilli pepper:

• Cut open a ripe fruit and remove and wash the seeds (Wearing gloves is advisable for this to avoid getting the juice on your fingers as this can irritate the skin)
• Leave seeds to dry in a warm place for a few days
• The seeds are ready once they break, rather than bend, when tested with a fingernail

Chives

Chive flowers produce masses of tiny seeds which dry quickly on the plant:

• As soon as the seeds turn black, collect seed heads in an egg box
• Alternatively place a paper bag over the top of the plant and cut the seed heads into the bag
• Shake out the seeds and store in a cool, dry place in a labelled envelope

Lettuce

Seeds can be collected from lettuces that have deliberately been left to go over:

• Shake the fluffy seeds into a bag or bucket once they have ripened – usually a couple of weeks after flowering
• Separate seeds from white plumes and chaff in a sieve
• Ensure the lettuce plants grown for seed are at least 8m away from other varieties as lettuce can cross-pollinate

Peas

Dried pea pods which have been missed and not picked are great to harvest for seeds:

• Remove pods when they begin to rattle
• Shell the peas and dry them for a few days in a warm place
• If frost is forecast, bring the pods inside to dry
• Peas are generally self-pollinating and should produce seeds that are true to type

Runner beans

As runner beans are likely to cross-pollinate with other plants up to 800m away, it’s important to isolate them and pollinate by hand:

• Cover the flowers with fleece or insect-proof netting
• Ideally leave the beans in situ to ripen in their pods
• Shell and dry further indoors
• In wet weather, remove pods and leave in a warm place until completely dry

Tomatoes

Tomatoes can cross-pollinate but are most likely to grow true to type:

• Squeeze the seeds and flesh from a ripe tomato into a bowl
• Leave for a few days until the mixture begins to ferment
• Stir into a jar of water and save the seeds that sink to the bottom
• Rinse them thoroughly before placing in a warm spot to dry
  

Storing the seeds

• Seeds can be saved in envelopes labelled with the date and variety name
• They should then be stored in an airtight container with a couple of sachets of dried silica gel and placed in a cool, dry cupboard or the fridge.
• The seeds should remain viable from two years to over five years, depending on the crop