Seed saving is the process of collecting and storing seeds from plants that you have grown in the current season. In turn, these seeds will be used to produce a new crop of plants for future seasons. When people save flower and vegetable seeds it is a way to save money and increase the variety of plants in your garden. Saving your own seeds ensures that you'll have the same flowers and vegetables year after year.

Saving seeds can educate children about gardening and science, as they can help you collect and plant them. Additionally, you can give the seedlings away as gifts to friends, family members, or neighbors.

Here are six more reasons why it is great to experiment with seed saving:

Save Favorite Heirlooms

Saving heirloom seeds is a way to save the legacy of plants. The seeds have been in families for generations, and they are often best suited for regional climates and geographies. These seeds are also resistant to local diseases and insects. In saving these seeds, we can return to a time where people were more in touch with their food sources, as well as the land they lived on. Seeds not only provide us with sustenance but also offer us a connection to our pasts as well as futures.

Save Genetic Diversity

It is a good idea to save seeds that you have had difficulty finding or ordering in order to help preserve their genetics. You might find fruits and vegetables are disappearing, and we should all try to do our part in saving them for the future. The Norwegian government established a Seed Vault to store seeds in the event of a global catastrophe. Individuals, associations, and other plant enthusiasts can contribute seeds to the seed vault allowing storage of a diversity of seeds. For more information, visit this link

Connect With Your Garden

Seeds can hold a connection to the future and the past. Maybe your Grandfather had a favorite flower and he passed it down to your Mom, and now they have passed the seeds to you. Saving these seeds lets you have stories about the plants and give us a connection to our family's history and culture that enhances your sense of self.

Self-Sufficiency And Satisfaction

A great reason to save seeds is to have them readily available for next spring. With the increased interest in growing your own vegetables due to the pandemic, it has been more difficult to find seeds.  Saving a stash of your favorite seeds reassures you will be ready for next year.

Maintain A Unique Variety Of Seeds Not Commercially Available

There are many great plant varieties that never appear in a commercial seed catalog. These unique plants only exist in the hands of one or two gardeners. It is important to save seeds that are in danger of disappearing!

Build Community

One of the wonderful things about seed saving is that you can share your seeds. Try sharing them with a neighbor or give away seeds to a community garden. You can mentor a new gardener, give them seeds and show them how to collect them so they can share seeds too.

So, if you have not tried saving seeds, why not give experiment with it. If you do save your seeds, let us know if you save your seeds and which ones you save!

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