Grow Your Own Vegetable Seeds The Professional Way

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[5] CORN (sweet corn, field corn, popcorn): The ears should remain on the stalks until the kernels are hard and dry . . . about 3-5 weeks after the eating stage. Then, bring them inside before the onset of frost or wet weather in the fall. Shell the ears only when the kernels have completely dried.

STORAGE

After harvesting, cleaning, and drying your seeds, store them in airtight containers such as canning jars or coffee cans with plastic lids. Label each container clearly, indicating the variety of vegetable and the date of harvest. Then place your jars or cans of seed in a cool, dry place. A good rule of thumb for determining if storage conditions are appropriate is that the sum of temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit) and relative humidity (expressed as a percentage) should not exceed 100. For example, seed stored at 45°F should not be exposed to a relative humidity that is greater than 55%.

TESTING FOR VIABILITY

If seeds are properly stored, they will remain viable (will grow) for anywhere from one to five years . . . depending on the type of vegetable. If you have doubts about whether or not some of your seeds will still sprout, check 'em out before you plant them in the garden. Just roll up a few of each of the batches

of seeds that you're unsure of between layers of damp cloth or paper towels. Then stand this simple sprouter on end in a jar with a little water in the bottom. In a few days, examine the seeds to determine what percentage have germinated. If-for exampleonly 50% have sent out shoots, no problem: Just sow twice as many per row as you would had they all been viable. (If the percentage of germination is too small, of course, you will have to discard the seeds and buy yourself a fresh start in that particular plant.)

THE PAYOFF

I am always surprised by how many seeds you can harvest . . . even when operating on a small scale! As I scoop hundreds of seeds out of one tomato-or thousands from a single carrot or celery plant-I wonder why a packet of just a couple of dozen often costs 50d or more.

Even on the limited scale on which I propagate my own plants, I always wind up with much more seed than I can use. Some of this surplus brings in a little extra money but, most often, I prefer to trade the seeds I raise for other goods or services that I can use here on the homestead. In addition, my unusual crop makes excellent gifts for friends and neighbors.

Now, while I haven't really investigated the home-business possibilities of seed production (has anyone?), I believe that local farmers and gardeners in most areas of the United States and Canada would jump at the chance to obtain inexpensive, viable, true-to-type seeds produced by the varieties of vegetables that do the very best right in their own region.

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