Seed Saving Resource Guide
We are so happy to have supported you on your journey of growing your own food through the Free Seed Project. We are even more excited to share with you how to make your pack of Free Seeds last for perpetuity through seed saving! Seed saving is a term used to describe the process of harvesting seeds from a crop and saving them for use at a later date.
If you let one or two of each plant go to seed, then you can turn one seed we supplied you into thousands! Save your seeds and you can increase the size of your garden each year, grow your own heirloom seeds, and deepen your connection to the earth without spending any extra money or resources. With your abundance of seeds, share this gift with people in your community!
Below we have compiled resources that share how to save your seeds whether this is your first time or you are a seasoned seed keeper.
Beginner Information
Seed Saving: Where to Start / How to Save Seeds
Seed Saving 101: A Resource Guide
Charts for Seed Saving Information
Seed Savers Exchange Seed Saving Chart (breakdown guide below)
Seed Savers Exchange Seed Guide (just a chart with information)
Urban Farmer Seed Saving Chart
Comprehensive Resources
Seed Saving Resources for beginners, those with experience, and further readings.
Black Homesteader Seed Starting Guide, is a free downloadable guide.
Organic Seed Alliance has a free seed saving book that is downloadable.
Adaptive Seeds has a great seed saving booklet you can download for free.
A Seed Saving Guide for Gardeners and Farmers: This manual provides the basics of how to grow seed, from choosing appropriate varieties for seed saving to harvesting, processing, and storing seed. The instructions assume that the reader has a basic knowledge of vegetable growing.
More Resources and Tips
- Select seeds from the best plants. Over time you will improve them. The result is a strain of seeds well-adapted to your specific garden zone and microclimate.
- Six Tips for Saving Seed, Seed Storing blog post
- Video: Processing seeds at home: learn some easy tricks for saving seed from the garden produce you grow and love.
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GreenGardenGuy1 on YouTube has a Seed Saving series that covers the whole process (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3).
- Community Seed Network is an online platform built to support, empower, and connect the growing community seed movement across the United States and Canada. Included is an interactive map featuring profiles of community seed initiatives, groups, and individuals across Canada and the United States, a selection of educational materials, and access to SSE’s online seed exchange. The network will make it easy to find community seed resources in your area, learn from other experienced seed savers and seed leaders, and begin your own community seed program.
Save and collect your seeds, and to turn an even higher yield: organize a seed swapping gathering to get together to exchange saved seeds with growers in your community! How to Organize a Seed Swap
We are so excited at the thought of so many of you growing your Free Seed Project gardens to help spread and continue the program yourself via seed saving! Seeds can always be free!
You may find yourself becoming free, as we build systems of intention and love in our communities through food and seed sharing.
You’ve got this! Thank you for all that you do to be the change: together, we are making lasting impacts.