DIY Network

Harvesting Seeds Harvesting Seeds From "Fresh from the Garden" episode DFFG-105

Harvesting seeds from your watermelons and okra is easy -- read on for tips and how-to....

Pick seeds on a warm, dry day to prevent mold and be sure to mark your seed plants as soon as you decide you will be harvesting from them. Seeds should remain in their natural pod or husk until dry, hard and brittle. Small seeds should be stored in a fine mesh bag or paper bag. Don't use plastic bags because it advances mildew. You can also spread the seeds on newspapers or fine screen to increase ventilation.

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	Drying seeds
	Storing dried seeds

After collection, dry seeds for a week before storage. Here's another tip for keeping the seeds dry. You can add little packs of silica inside the jars. Silica packs are the same ones you find inside shoeboxes. You can buy the silica gel at most garden centers. The silica draws any moisture that might get into the jar away from the seeds. Just remove the silica gel after one week and the seeds will be nice and dry.

Put seeds you have collected yourself in plain envelopes; label each one with date and vegetable type and seal it. You can leave commercial seeds in their original packets taped shut and marked with the year you bought it. Place the envelopes and packets in a container, such as a jar with an airtight top, and store them in a cool dry location.