Saving and sharing seed in a community garden

Saving seed cuts costs and, over the years, can select for plants that do well at your garden. A community garden makes it easier to share, and a little harder to keep varieties pure.

Start with the easy ones

Beans, peas, lettuce and tomatoes are good first crops, because they mostly pollinate themselves. Their seed usually grows into plants like the parent, even when other varieties are close by.

Watch for crossing

Corn, pumpkins, zucchini, cucumbers, beetroot and the cabbage family can cross with related plants, carried by wind or insects. On a shared site, your neighbour's crop may be the other parent. The plants may still be edible, but they might not be what you expected, so treat this seed as an experiment, or talk to your neighbours about what's flowering.

Avoid F1 hybrids for saving

Seed saved from an F1 hybrid won't reliably grow like its parent. The packet usually says if a variety is F1.

Save from your best plants

Choose healthy plants with the qualities you want, and let the seed ripen fully on the plant. Dry it well, label it with the crop, variety and year, and store it somewhere cool, dark and dry in a sealed container.

Sharing

Seed swaps and seed libraries are a great fit for a garden group. Share only clean seed from healthy plants, and label it honestly, including whether it might have crossed.