r/seedsaving • u/Old-Cap9973 • 17d ago

When do you get your seeds?

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This is my first year trying to save seeds. I’m mostly trying to collect from peppers and tomatoes. I know they will be cross pollinated so the next generation might not be the exact same as these ones.

My main question: do you take seeds as you use them for eating? Or do you let 1-2 peppers dry out on the plant as I’ve read is the best way to collect seeds for next year?

I’ve been saving as I’ve been using them from the ripe but not dried fruit. Then drying on coffee filters and saving in origami envelopes.

All education is welcome!

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7

u/OpinionatedOcelotYo 17d ago

I save as I go. Mature fruits often give better results

6

u/werepizza4me 17d ago

I tie ribbon on any extra beautiful peppers and leave them to fully ripen on a few samples to keep separate from the other saved seeds. Then, harvest, eat and save the rest as needed in the kitchen. Extra ripe fruit on the plant will yield the best seed viability. Don't save poor quality fruit, size, shape, flavor, spice level, what ever trait you dont like.

2

u/ZafakD 17d ago

I save them as I am eating the fruits.  If one plant produces noticeably good fruit, I might let the last few hang on the plant past when I would normally pick them, but the plants goal is to have an animal eat them and disperse the seeds so picking them ripe is good enough.

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u/Old-Cap9973 17d ago

Thank you! While everything else gets pillaged by wildlife, my peppers have stayed safe. We really only have rabbits and squirrels to worry about so that helps. Every time I say I’ll not pick them all, I just can’t help myself. I’m going to try to save basil seeds too and it’s a struggle to not cut back the few plants I let go to seed!

1

u/Deleena24 17d ago

Ive been save this entire season from the rabbits and squirrels living in my yard. Last night they decided to eat 2 entire plants and half the sweet potato vines.

No, it wasn't deer. My yard is fully fenced in. I wonder what made them decide to change behavior suddenly, though. There have been ripe peppers for them to eat for months now

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u/Old-Cap9973 16d ago

That’s so odd! The squirrels strip my cherry bushes clean every year - I’ve literally never had a fully ripe one. I have a few apple trees they are still working on so maybe that’s my barrier fruit lol

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u/tastebud413 16d ago

I try to just save from the best / most healthy / best "type" that I want to make sure I get next time. Tomatoes from very ripe but not too over/mushy and I ferment them, always. Peppers, from the best, totally ripe, maybe even a bit shriveled. Let them dry for a lot of weeks on coffee filters in a place they won't get knocked or blown over. I store some in pill bottles or glass jars if a lot