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Friday, October 19, 2012

Biochar Works in the Garden

Biochar enhances plant growth and is ideal for short-season gardens.  In my experimental garden bed, biochar added an extra two weeks to my harvest schedule. For many of us who grow in challenging regions, that can be more than 10 percent of our growing season.

Biochar is reported to improve the development and growth of plants. Most of the benefits have been reported through anecdotal evidence so I decided to conduct as scientific an experiment as I could to prove or disprove the claims. I've written about biochar before and about the beginning of this experiment (see my article "Using Biochar in the Garden", June 4, 2012).

I was convinced by others on the internet that biochar could improve my garden, but I wanted to prove it to myself, and others looking for statistical analysis. With a calendar, metric ruler, and scale, I set out to document the effectiveness of biochar. I must acknowledge that a new friend, the daughter of very good friends, is a strong advocate of biochar and is a director at Soil Reef Biochar, a company selling and marketing the product. That had no effect on my analysis.

Using 100 percent biochar from Soil Reef Biochar, I amended the soil in one half of a four feet by eight feet raised bed. As a control effort, the other half of the bed remained unamended, aside from an addition of compost that the entire bed received one year earlier. As mentioned in my earlier article, I inoculated the biochar with beneficial bacteria. After amending the soil I let the bed rest for three days, keeping the bed's soil moist in the process.

Amending with biochar

In each four feet by four feet half I placed 24 'Straight Eight' cucumber seeds at the recommended depth, spaced approximately six to eight inches apart in a grid. 'Straight Eight' is a common slicing cucumber that I've had success with in the past. Normal germination ranges from 3 to 10 days with about eight days being the norm. Maturity is reached in about 50-75 days with about 60 days being the norm.

The growing season in my garden at 7500' elevation (2285m) is short, typically ranging from 110 to 130 days. Late frosts are common in spring and delay sowing and planting of warm season plants. My seeds were sowed on May 30, 2012, and I began the diary of plant development at that point.

The first obvious difference in the biochar side of the bed began with the germination time and rate. On June 3, five seedlings broke the soil surface. That is four days after placing in the soil, half of the typical germination time. The first non-biochar seedling appeared on June 4, but the biochar germination rates exceeded the other half. Here are the results for the germination of each side:

                                Biochar seedlings                               Control group seedlings
June 3  (Day 4)                     5                                                               0
June 4  (Day 5)                    13                                                              1
June 5  (Day 6)                    19                                                             13
June 6  (Day 7)                    23                                                             16
June 7  (Day 8)                    23                                                             18
June 8  (Day 9)                    23                                                             19

All of the biochar seeds sprouted earlier than the expected germination time. After nine days, 23 of the 24 seeds sprouted on the biochar side, a 96% germination rate. Only 19 of the 24 in the control group sprouted, a 79% rate. The soil was kept consistently moist on both halves and no pest damage was evident. There is no clear reason for the lower germination rate of the control group.

Seedlings on the biochar side

It's obvious that the biochar plants got an earlier start than the control group and that advantage carried through for the rest of the experiment.

On June 25 (Day 26), I measured the height of all the plants. The average height of the biochar cucumber plants was 7.53 cm. The average height of the control group was 5.34 cm. In an effort to avoid skewed numbers, I deleted the measurement of the smallest and tallest plants in each group before averaging. The biochar plants were 41% taller than the control plants.

Measuring a seedling

At this point I thinned the plants to 14 in each half of the bed. Each section's plants were staggered in four rows spaced about one foot apart. This spacing is closer than commonly recommended, but not out of the ordinary. It does add a minor stress factor.

All of the plants were watered at the same rate and received addition of a balanced liquid fertilizer on days 26 and 37.

On July 6 (Day 37), I measured the plants again. The biochar plants averaged 16.2 cm and the control plants measured 12.22 cm. The biochar plants were 33% taller than the control plants at this point.

The test bed with biochar on the right

The first flower appeared on a biochar plant on July 15. The first flower in the control group appeared on July 21; eight flowers were on biochar plants at that time. That six-day difference continued the trend of accelerated growth in the biochar plants.

All of the fruit was harvested when it was at least 18 cm (7 inches) long. The average in both groups was 19 cm (7.5 in) at the time I picked them. I harvested the first fruit on a biochar plant on August 10 (Day 72). The first fruit on a control plant was harvested on August 22, 12 days later.

A cucumber from the biochar experiment

The accelerated growth in the biochar bed allowed me to begin enjoying juicy cucumbers almost two weeks earlier than a standard garden bed in my garden. I harvested four biochar cucumbers before I picked the first one in the control group.

It should be noted that the maturity/harvest point of the biochar cucumbers was at 72 days, at the high end of normal maturity and past the expected 60 days. The control group reached maturity/harvest at 84 days, well past expected maturity. This isn't unusual in a high-altitude garden. Our summer nights are cooler than gardens at lower elevations and this temperature variation delays maturity of many warm season plants.

Test bed nearing harvest

I expected that the biochar cucumbers would be bigger and more robust that the control group, but that wasn't the case. The average biochar cucumber was 19.14 cm long and weighed 272.2 grams. The average control cucumber was 19.02 cm long and weighed 279.1 grams. The control group cucumbers were about 2.5% heavier, but that isn't statistically significant with my measurement methods. Basically, the cucumbers in both groups were about the same size at harvest.

Ultimately I harvested 13 cucumbers from the biochar plants and 12 from the control ones. The stress of growing the plants close together reduced the potential number of fruit, but that was partially intentional so I wasn't overrun with cucumbers to measure. I was also on vacation for 10 days during the middle of the experiment and our house sitters enjoyed a few cucumbers that weren't measured.

I had the first frost damage to my garden in the middle of September at about 110 days into the growing season. Though I covered the cucumber bed with plastic and was able to keep the plants alive for a few more weeks, the cooler weather effectively ended new growth and flower and fruit development. There were still a number of cucumbers, of varied sizes, on the vine when I let them succumb to the climate.

I think the results of this experiment are clear. Biochar speeds and enhances germination in cucumbers. The earlier germination and effect of biochar in the soil leads to greater plant growth rates. This enhanced growth results in earlier flowering, fruiting, and harvest in biochar-amended garden beds.

Biochar offers a clear advantage to gardeners like me who have concerns about short growing seasons. For gardeners in warmer climates and more gardener-friendly regions, two weeks of extra harvest time may not seem like much, but for me it's substantial. My tomato beds are almost always two weeks short of reaching full maturity.

We can infer that the results of this experiment with cucumbers can be carried over to other plants in the garden. I've started another experiment using biochar in one bed of cool season plants and no biochar in another bed of the same plants. The biochar plants are already larger than the others.

Next year I'll add biochar to my tomato beds and I anticipate bigger growth and earlier harvests. I plan experiments to determine if the ultimate harvest amounts of biochar beds is larger than non-amended ones.

Biochar adds an exciting component to gardening. As advertised, it does influence the growth of plants in a very positive way. Currently about 10 percent of my garden is amended with biochar. I look forward to the day when all of it is enhanced.


Link to my article "Using Biochar in the Garden"
Link to Soil Reef Biochar


Biochar enhances plant growth and is ideal for short-season gardens.  In my experimental garden bed, biochar added an extra two weeks to my harvest schedule. For many of us who grow in challenging regions, that can be more than 10 percent of our growing season.

Biochar is reported to improve the development and growth of plants. Most of the benefits have been reported through anecdotal evidence so I decided to conduct as scientific an experiment as I could to prove or disprove the claims. I've written about biochar before and about the beginning of this experiment (see my article "Using Biochar in the Garden", June 4, 2012).

I was convinced by others on the internet that biochar could improve my garden, but I wanted to prove it to myself, and others looking for statistical analysis. With a calendar, metric ruler, and scale, I set out to document the effectiveness of biochar. I must acknowledge that a new friend, the daughter of very good friends, is a strong advocate of biochar and is a director at Soil Reef Biochar, a company selling and marketing the product. That had no effect on my analysis.

Using 100 percent biochar from Soil Reef Biochar, I amended the soil in one half of a four feet by eight feet raised bed. As a control effort, the other half of the bed remained unamended, aside from an addition of compost that the entire bed received one year earlier. As mentioned in my earlier article, I inoculated the biochar with beneficial bacteria. After amending the soil I let the bed rest for three days, keeping the bed's soil moist in the process.

Amending with biochar

In each four feet by four feet half I placed 24 'Straight Eight' cucumber seeds at the recommended depth, spaced approximately six to eight inches apart in a grid. 'Straight Eight' is a common slicing cucumber that I've had success with in the past. Normal germination ranges from 3 to 10 days with about eight days being the norm. Maturity is reached in about 50-75 days with about 60 days being the norm.

The growing season in my garden at 7500' elevation (2285m) is short, typically ranging from 110 to 130 days. Late frosts are common in spring and delay sowing and planting of warm season plants. My seeds were sowed on May 30, 2012, and I began the diary of plant development at that point.

The first obvious difference in the biochar side of the bed began with the germination time and rate. On June 3, five seedlings broke the soil surface. That is four days after placing in the soil, half of the typical germination time. The first non-biochar seedling appeared on June 4, but the biochar germination rates exceeded the other half. Here are the results for the germination of each side:

                                Biochar seedlings                               Control group seedlings
June 3  (Day 4)                     5                                                               0
June 4  (Day 5)                    13                                                              1
June 5  (Day 6)                    19                                                             13
June 6  (Day 7)                    23                                                             16
June 7  (Day 8)                    23                                                             18
June 8  (Day 9)                    23                                                             19

All of the biochar seeds sprouted earlier than the expected germination time. After nine days, 23 of the 24 seeds sprouted on the biochar side, a 96% germination rate. Only 19 of the 24 in the control group sprouted, a 79% rate. The soil was kept consistently moist on both halves and no pest damage was evident. There is no clear reason for the lower germination rate of the control group.

Seedlings on the biochar side

It's obvious that the biochar plants got an earlier start than the control group and that advantage carried through for the rest of the experiment.

On June 25 (Day 26), I measured the height of all the plants. The average height of the biochar cucumber plants was 7.53 cm. The average height of the control group was 5.34 cm. In an effort to avoid skewed numbers, I deleted the measurement of the smallest and tallest plants in each group before averaging. The biochar plants were 41% taller than the control plants.

Measuring a seedling

At this point I thinned the plants to 14 in each half of the bed. Each section's plants were staggered in four rows spaced about one foot apart. This spacing is closer than commonly recommended, but not out of the ordinary. It does add a minor stress factor.

All of the plants were watered at the same rate and received addition of a balanced liquid fertilizer on days 26 and 37.

On July 6 (Day 37), I measured the plants again. The biochar plants averaged 16.2 cm and the control plants measured 12.22 cm. The biochar plants were 33% taller than the control plants at this point.

The test bed with biochar on the right

The first flower appeared on a biochar plant on July 15. The first flower in the control group appeared on July 21; eight flowers were on biochar plants at that time. That six-day difference continued the trend of accelerated growth in the biochar plants.

All of the fruit was harvested when it was at least 18 cm (7 inches) long. The average in both groups was 19 cm (7.5 in) at the time I picked them. I harvested the first fruit on a biochar plant on August 10 (Day 72). The first fruit on a control plant was harvested on August 22, 12 days later.

A cucumber from the biochar experiment

The accelerated growth in the biochar bed allowed me to begin enjoying juicy cucumbers almost two weeks earlier than a standard garden bed in my garden. I harvested four biochar cucumbers before I picked the first one in the control group.

It should be noted that the maturity/harvest point of the biochar cucumbers was at 72 days, at the high end of normal maturity and past the expected 60 days. The control group reached maturity/harvest at 84 days, well past expected maturity. This isn't unusual in a high-altitude garden. Our summer nights are cooler than gardens at lower elevations and this temperature variation delays maturity of many warm season plants.

Test bed nearing harvest

I expected that the biochar cucumbers would be bigger and more robust that the control group, but that wasn't the case. The average biochar cucumber was 19.14 cm long and weighed 272.2 grams. The average control cucumber was 19.02 cm long and weighed 279.1 grams. The control group cucumbers were about 2.5% heavier, but that isn't statistically significant with my measurement methods. Basically, the cucumbers in both groups were about the same size at harvest.

Ultimately I harvested 13 cucumbers from the biochar plants and 12 from the control ones. The stress of growing the plants close together reduced the potential number of fruit, but that was partially intentional so I wasn't overrun with cucumbers to measure. I was also on vacation for 10 days during the middle of the experiment and our house sitters enjoyed a few cucumbers that weren't measured.

I had the first frost damage to my garden in the middle of September at about 110 days into the growing season. Though I covered the cucumber bed with plastic and was able to keep the plants alive for a few more weeks, the cooler weather effectively ended new growth and flower and fruit development. There were still a number of cucumbers, of varied sizes, on the vine when I let them succumb to the climate.

I think the results of this experiment are clear. Biochar speeds and enhances germination in cucumbers. The earlier germination and effect of biochar in the soil leads to greater plant growth rates. This enhanced growth results in earlier flowering, fruiting, and harvest in biochar-amended garden beds.

Biochar offers a clear advantage to gardeners like me who have concerns about short growing seasons. For gardeners in warmer climates and more gardener-friendly regions, two weeks of extra harvest time may not seem like much, but for me it's substantial. My tomato beds are almost always two weeks short of reaching full maturity.

We can infer that the results of this experiment with cucumbers can be carried over to other plants in the garden. I've started another experiment using biochar in one bed of cool season plants and no biochar in another bed of the same plants. The biochar plants are already larger than the others.

Next year I'll add biochar to my tomato beds and I anticipate bigger growth and earlier harvests. I plan experiments to determine if the ultimate harvest amounts of biochar beds is larger than non-amended ones.

Biochar adds an exciting component to gardening. As advertised, it does influence the growth of plants in a very positive way. Currently about 10 percent of my garden is amended with biochar. I look forward to the day when all of it is enhanced.


Link to my article "
Using Biochar in the Garden"
Link to Soil Reef Biochar


Friday, October 5, 2012

How to Save Plant Seeds, Part 3

After seeds have been gathered from garden plants, it's time to remove them from the stem, flower, pod, husk, pulp, or shell that protects them from nature's destructive elements. If left in place, the forces of wind, sun, snow, rain, and insects and animals will separate a seed from the withered plant, drop it to the ground, and gradually wear down a seed's covering so it is ready to germinate and sprout. For gardeners saving seeds, we can separate the seeds in a controlled manner so they're ready to grow for us as soon as we sow them.

This is the most time-consuming aspect of collecting and saving seeds. But it is a necessary part of the process.

The simplest and most common way to separate dry seeds from the plant parts holding them is to pinch the dried pieces between your fingers until the seeds fall out. Besides allowing them to mature, permitting the seeds to dry out before collecting them makes this effort easier.

Collecting Marigold seeds

This method is very effective for many annual and perennial flowers. For these plants, the dried flower head is bursting with seeds. The same parts that you're deadheading are the ones that hold the seeds. Some, like Marigolds and Zinnias, maintain their flower shape as they dry. Gently squeezing the dried flower heads releases the seeds.

In the vegetable garden, big seeds tend to be the quickest to collect. Crush a pod of peas or beans and the dried, hard seeds inside separate easily from the thin exterior shell. These kind of seeds are sturdy and you can grab a bunch and roll them in your hands until the dried pods are pulverized, leaving behind the seeds.

Collecting green bean seeds

The same procedure works for smaller dry seeds too. A pinch of the fingers separates the seeds from the plant pieces. Usually the color of the seed is different from the rest of the plant so you can tell which is which.

Some seeds are easy to separate
One of the biggest issues with separating seeds this way is that you're left with a lot of small, broken plant pieces when you only want the seeds. A second step is necessary to separate the seed from the chaff. Again, it's easier with big seeds.

I separate my seeds on a blank sheet of paper. It's a piece of cake to see the seeds, move aside the chaff, and put the seeds in a clean, dry container. I remove big seeds from the paper with my fingers and leave behind the small bits. Then I lift the sheet and pour the remains into my compost bucket.

It's the opposite for most small seeds. I collect the seeds on the sheet of paper, remove the larger pods or plant pieces, and pour the seeds into the clean container.

Pouring seeds in a jar

I like to work in small batches that give me control over collecting as many seeds as possible. Working on a few pieces at a time, I separate the seeds, remove the waste, and clean off the paper.

You can put a large amount of pods, stems, or dried flowers in a bowl or bucket and crush the mass to shred it. When the protective shells break apart, the dried seeds will fall to the bottom for collecting. You can also put the seeds and plant pieces in a paper or cloth bag and roll it around to crush what's inside.

To me, this tends to create a big mess and it takes just as much time to separate the seeds from the pulverized plant pieces because so much of the pile is waste material. Also, regardless of how much you pound it, there are always some of the seeds clinging to pods and stems and you still need to comb through the mass to separate and collect all of the seeds.

You can try a few methods to separate the chaff from the seeds if you choose to do a mass crushing method.

Pick out as many of the larger pieces of chaff as you can and place the remaining material in a bowl. Shake and roll the bowl. Seeds tend to be heavier than small chaff and will sink to the bottom. It's like panning for gold where swirling the mixture separates heavy and light pieces.

Separating dill seeds in a bowl

This method can work well for medium size, sturdy seeds that can be easily detected. Particularly when the seeds are bigger than the plant material, separating a lot of seeds this way may be preferable. For seeds that grow in umbrellas, like cilantro, dill, and parsnips, there is little plant material with many seeds and the bowl fills quickly with seeds.

I find there are always stem pieces that are the same size as or smaller than the seeds so a secondary separation is still required. Putting the mixture on a sheet of paper and picking out the seeds from chaff still works well. Tweezers may be necessary when fingers are too bulky.

For some seeds that are definitely heavier than the pulverized chaff, a little breeze can help. While leaving them in the bowl or while slowly pouring them out, gently blow across the surface so that the chaff is blown away and the seeds fall to a collecting mat. If you're mechanically inclined, a small fan set on low may achieve the same effect. Depending on the strength of the air, the chaff can be blown around quite a bit and create a widely-distributed mess.

For small seeds, a screen, colander, or sieve can be beneficial. When you place the chaff and seed inside and crush it all, the small seeds will drop through the holes leaving larger pieces behind. This is an efficient way to separate the big pieces, but you still have small chaff mixed with the small seeds.

Using a colander to separate dill seeds

For most wet seeds, the process is easy and straight-forward. Scoop the seeds out of the fruit and separate them from the pulp. Many wet seeds are large so they're easy to work with. Washing the seeds and pulp in a bowl of water works well to separate the seeds with your fingers.

Scooping out squash seeds

Squash and pumpkin seeds are a breeze. Pull them from the flesh of the fruit and place the seeds on a paper towel or sheet of newspaper to dry. You want all of your seeds to be dry before storing so you don't have rot or mold problems.

Drying squash seeds

Other wet seeds that are encased in a very wet, fleshy pulp, like tomatoes and cucumbers, need to be fermented before drying the seeds. This helps break some of the protective covering and encourages better germination later on. For these types of fruits, place the seed and pulp in a bowl and leave them alone for three to five days. They'll ferment and a mold will develop on top. At that point scoop as much of the mold and pulp off as you can, then add water and mix it all up.

Watery pulp like cucumbers may need fermenting

Viable seeds will sink to the bottom while bad ones will float. Gently pour off the water and unnecessary pulp. Add more water and agitate until you have separated the clean seeds from the rest of the residue, being careful not to pour out the good seeds. Place the seeds in a sieve with smaller holes than the size of seed and rinse well. Then place the seeds on paper to dry out.

Don't try to accelerate the drying time by putting seeds in the oven or near a heat source. Just let them air dry naturally. Larger seeds will take longer than smaller ones. In a week or two the seeds will be dry. Have patience.

When the seeds you've collected are dry, they're ready for storage. Choose a clean, dry container as your storage vessel. Many gardeners use paper envelopes. They're easy to write on which makes it easy to identify the type of seed and the date you saved it, both important things to know when you're ready to sow later on.

I like to use small, glass jars and bottles. I label them with a strip of masking tape. It's a good way to recycle household items. I also think jars do a better job of maintaining a dry environment; exposure to liquids will soak an envelope and the seeds inside. Seeds are alive and need some exposure to air, but the amount in a jar should be enough.

Some of the containers I use

You want to store seeds in an environment that is free from moisture and relatively cool. Moisture can ruin a batch of seeds. A refrigerator is a good place to maintain the proper conditions. A cool garage or shed works well too.

Most seeds can remain viable for three to five years after collecting, though they'll do best the sooner they're used. Proper storage conditions, like in a refrigerator, extends the storage time. It's best to keep seeds from different years separated in storage. That's another reason to label them. You'll know which ones are oldest and can choose to sow those first or discard them if the viability is in question.

Allowing plants to produce seeds and then collecting them is totally natural and easy to do. By adding this task to your annual gardening list you can establish a seed bank of your own and enable yourself to sow next year's garden from this year's or last year's crop. This makes your garden self-sustaining and will save you big bucks over time. I like those options.

Check out my previous articles for the entire process for saving seeds.



After seeds have been gathered from garden plants, it's time to remove them from the stem, flower, pod, husk, pulp, or shell that protects them from nature's destructive elements. If left in place, the forces of wind, sun, snow, rain, and insects and animals will separate a seed from the withered plant, drop it to the ground, and gradually wear down a seed's covering so it is ready to germinate and sprout. For gardeners saving seeds, we can separate the seeds in a controlled manner so they're ready to grow for us as soon as we sow them.

This is the most time-consuming aspect of collecting and saving seeds. But it is a necessary part of the process.

The simplest and most common way to separate dry seeds from the plant parts holding them is to pinch the dried pieces between your fingers until the seeds fall out. Besides allowing them to mature, permitting the seeds to dry out before collecting them makes this effort easier.

Collecting Marigold seeds

This method is very effective for many annual and perennial flowers. For these plants, the dried flower head is bursting with seeds. The same parts that you're deadheading are the ones that hold the seeds. Some, like Marigolds and Zinnias, maintain their flower shape as they dry. Gently squeezing the dried flower heads releases the seeds.

In the vegetable garden, big seeds tend to be the quickest to collect. Crush a pod of peas or beans and the dried, hard seeds inside separate easily from the thin exterior shell. These kind of seeds are sturdy and you can grab a bunch and roll them in your hands until the dried pods are pulverized, leaving behind the seeds.

Collecting green bean seeds

The same procedure works for smaller dry seeds too. A pinch of the fingers separates the seeds from the plant pieces. Usually the color of the seed is different from the rest of the plant so you can tell which is which.

Some seeds are easy to separate
One of the biggest issues with separating seeds this way is that you're left with a lot of small, broken plant pieces when you only want the seeds. A second step is necessary to separate the seed from the chaff. Again, it's easier with big seeds.

I separate my seeds on a blank sheet of paper. It's a piece of cake to see the seeds, move aside the chaff, and put the seeds in a clean, dry container. I remove big seeds from the paper with my fingers and leave behind the small bits. Then I lift the sheet and pour the remains into my compost bucket.

It's the opposite for most small seeds. I collect the seeds on the sheet of paper, remove the larger pods or plant pieces, and pour the seeds into the clean container.

Pouring seeds in a jar

I like to work in small batches that give me control over collecting as many seeds as possible. Working on a few pieces at a time, I separate the seeds, remove the waste, and clean off the paper.

You can put a large amount of pods, stems, or dried flowers in a bowl or bucket and crush the mass to shred it. When the protective shells break apart, the dried seeds will fall to the bottom for collecting. You can also put the seeds and plant pieces in a paper or cloth bag and roll it around to crush what's inside.

To me, this tends to create a big mess and it takes just as much time to separate the seeds from the pulverized plant pieces because so much of the pile is waste material. Also, regardless of how much you pound it, there are always some of the seeds clinging to pods and stems and you still need to comb through the mass to separate and collect all of the seeds.

You can try a few methods to separate the chaff from the seeds if you choose to do a mass crushing method.

Pick out as many of the larger pieces of chaff as you can and place the remaining material in a bowl. Shake and roll the bowl. Seeds tend to be heavier than small chaff and will sink to the bottom. It's like panning for gold where swirling the mixture separates heavy and light pieces.

Separating dill seeds in a bowl

This method can work well for medium size, sturdy seeds that can be easily detected. Particularly when the seeds are bigger than the plant material, separating a lot of seeds this way may be preferable. For seeds that grow in umbrellas, like cilantro, dill, and parsnips, there is little plant material with many seeds and the bowl fills quickly with seeds.

I find there are always stem pieces that are the same size as or smaller than the seeds so a secondary separation is still required. Putting the mixture on a sheet of paper and picking out the seeds from chaff still works well. Tweezers may be necessary when fingers are too bulky.

For some seeds that are definitely heavier than the pulverized chaff, a little breeze can help. While leaving them in the bowl or while slowly pouring them out, gently blow across the surface so that the chaff is blown away and the seeds fall to a collecting mat. If you're mechanically inclined, a small fan set on low may achieve the same effect. Depending on the strength of the air, the chaff can be blown around quite a bit and create a widely-distributed mess.

For small seeds, a screen, colander, or sieve can be beneficial. When you place the chaff and seed inside and crush it all, the small seeds will drop through the holes leaving larger pieces behind. This is an efficient way to separate the big pieces, but you still have small chaff mixed with the small seeds.

Using a colander to separate dill seeds

For most wet seeds, the process is easy and straight-forward. Scoop the seeds out of the fruit and separate them from the pulp. Many wet seeds are large so they're easy to work with. Washing the seeds and pulp in a bowl of water works well to separate the seeds with your fingers.

Scooping out squash seeds

Squash and pumpkin seeds are a breeze. Pull them from the flesh of the fruit and place the seeds on a paper towel or sheet of newspaper to dry. You want all of your seeds to be dry before storing so you don't have rot or mold problems.

Drying squash seeds

Other wet seeds that are encased in a very wet, fleshy pulp, like tomatoes and cucumbers, need to be fermented before drying the seeds. This helps break some of the protective covering and encourages better germination later on. For these types of fruits, place the seed and pulp in a bowl and leave them alone for three to five days. They'll ferment and a mold will develop on top. At that point scoop as much of the mold and pulp off as you can, then add water and mix it all up.

Watery pulp like cucumbers may need fermenting

Viable seeds will sink to the bottom while bad ones will float. Gently pour off the water and unnecessary pulp. Add more water and agitate until you have separated the clean seeds from the rest of the residue, being careful not to pour out the good seeds. Place the seeds in a sieve with smaller holes than the size of seed and rinse well. Then place the seeds on paper to dry out.

Don't try to accelerate the drying time by putting seeds in the oven or near a heat source. Just let them air dry naturally. Larger seeds will take longer than smaller ones. In a week or two the seeds will be dry. Have patience.

When the seeds you've collected are dry, they're ready for storage. Choose a clean, dry container as your storage vessel. Many gardeners use paper envelopes. They're easy to write on which makes it easy to identify the type of seed and the date you saved it, both important things to know when you're ready to sow later on.

I like to use small, glass jars and bottles. I label them with a strip of masking tape. It's a good way to recycle household items. I also think jars do a better job of maintaining a dry environment; exposure to liquids will soak an envelope and the seeds inside. Seeds are alive and need some exposure to air, but the amount in a jar should be enough.

Some of the containers I use

You want to store seeds in an environment that is free from moisture and relatively cool. Moisture can ruin a batch of seeds. A refrigerator is a good place to maintain the proper conditions. A cool garage or shed works well too.

Most seeds can remain viable for three to five years after collecting, though they'll do best the sooner they're used. Proper storage conditions, like in a refrigerator, extends the storage time. It's best to keep seeds from different years separated in storage. That's another reason to label them. You'll know which ones are oldest and can choose to sow those first or discard them if the viability is in question.

Allowing plants to produce seeds and then collecting them is totally natural and easy to do. By adding this task to your annual gardening list you can establish a seed bank of your own and enable yourself to sow next year's garden from this year's or last year's crop. This makes your garden self-sustaining and will save you big bucks over time. I like those options.

Check out my previous articles for the entire process for saving seeds.