Seeds from vegetables

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bomeo Newton, NC Jul 04, 2008

Can I use seeds from vegetables I grow, to plant for the next season.

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Potagere Jul 04, 2008

bomeo, of course you can! But you may not get what you expect. If anything you grew this year was a hybrid (F1 or F2), the seeds you save will not breed true. You may get something resembling one or both of the parents, or resembling any of their parents, if THEY were hybrids, or something like what you grew, or something entirely different. Also, vegetables can easily be divided into "inbreeding" and "outbreeding" plants. Some of the inbreeding plants -- like peas or tomatoes --- are not very often cross-pollinated by insects, so most of the seed you save will breed true next year. Others of the inbreeding plants --- and all of the outbreeding plants --- are cross-pollinated by insects (or wind) and therfore may not breed true. If you grow more than 1 variety of squash in your garden, for example, your seed will almost certainly yield hybrid plants next year. If you grow corn and live anywhere near someone else who grows corn, you will probably have crossed seed.

There is a lot of information here on DG to help you save seed if that is what you want to do. I also highly recommend "Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners" by Suzanne Ashworth, published by Seed Savers Exchange and available thru their Website at http://www.seedsavers.org

I encourage you to give it a try if you have never done so before!

Potagere

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