M O D U L E N o 5 . Seed Saving Seed Saving & Nurseries & Nurseries Permaculture Resource Book Module 5. N o t e s . 102 Permaculture, Solutions for Sustainable L i f e s t y l e s Saving and using local seeds is one of the most important methods for strengthening agriculture and increasing plant diversity. Why? Because: • It is inexpensive and easy to do, anyone can collect and save seeds • It will increase the amount and range of foods that can be grown • Seeds are valuable, they can be exchanged with other seeds or sold through a community seed bank • Plant quality will naturally improve from year to year Local seeds are adapted to local conditions. As these seeds grow in the local climate and soils, they become stronger. For example, if someone from Indonesia goes to live in England, it will take a long time for him / her to adapt to the cold climate, the people, language and culture. It is the same with seeds and plants. The plants which grow healthiest and strongest are the plants that can become the seed source. Pollination Pollination is a process a plant uses to produce fruits and seeds. During pollination, the pollen from the male part of a plant fertilizes the female part of a plant. This pollination process usually happens in a plants flower. Once the female part of plant is pollinated, the plant will produce fruit and / or seed. Different pollination techniques are used by different types of plants, for example: 1. Beans, lettuce, tomato, cabbage and chilli are all plants which have male and female parts inside the same flower 2. Pumpkin, melon, cucumber and corn are plants which have male and female parts separate, on the same plant. These plants need insects, wind, or human hands to fertilize 3. Papaya and salak are plants which have separate male and female plants, these plants need more than one plant to fertilize SMART IDEAS! The more insects there are in the garden, the more pollination will happen. Flowers, food, plant diversity and ponds will attract insects to your garden. Module 5: Seed Saving & Nurseries 103 Cross Pollination Cross pollination is pollination that happens between plants, where the pollen from the male part of a plant pollinates the female flower of another plant. This process can happen naturally or it can be induced. Cross pollination of different types of plants happens when two types of closely related plants pollinate each other, for example: Two different types of green leaf vegetables, two different types of corn, or a pumpkin plant and a squash plant. If this happens, the seed that is produced may be good, but more often the seed will be weaker than the parent plants, or may not grow at all when planted. Therefore, it is best to avoid cross pollination happening. A few techniques for reducing the chance of different types of plants cross pollinating: • Plant one type of crop each planting season. For example, one type of corn or one type of eggplant • Green leaf vegetables, lettuce and cabbage flower at the end of their life. Let only one type of green vegetable, one type of lettuce, or one type of cabbage reach the stage to flower and produce seeds • If different types of plants are further apart, and many other plants are planted in between them, the chances of cross pollination are reduced • Hand pollination, such as of pumpkins, melons, luffa and cucumber will allow you to choose the type of seed which will be produced You can use induced cross pollination to try and create a new type of plant. But be careful, the results could be something unknown, which could either grow well or not at all. Some types of plants have both male flowers and female flowers. The female flowers have a small fruit below them. In the afternoon, choose a male and female flower that are just about to open. Tie them, so that insects or bees cannot enter. The next morning, open the flowers. Carefully pick the male flower, pull off the petals, and rub the pollen covered middle (stamen) inside the female flower. Again, tie the female flower. When the fruit starts forming, tie a piece of string or material around the base of the fruit as identification. Repeat this process on other female flowers, but use male flowers from different plants of the same type, to help keep seed quality and diversity. 104 Permaculture, Solutions for Sustainable L i f e s t y l e s Introducing New Varieties of Seeds and Plants New varieties of plants can be grown to add diversity of plants. Sometimes introducing new types of plants, grains, fruits and vegetables can increase crop yields. Don’t forget to label every new type, so that it can be easily identified. If a new type of seed or plant is introduced: • Always use non-hybrid varieties of seed. Non-hybrid seeds can be saved and planted again each year, but hybrid seeds must be bought every planting season. Hybrid seeds are produced from two or more varieties of plants. Hybrid plants do not produce seeds that can be replanted. If they do produce seeds, the seeds will not be the same type of plant and the quality of the next crop will be poorer • Plant test crops first to find out if plants grow well and produce well. A simple test is to plant 3 small plots of the new type of vegetable in the garden, each plot should be 3 m x 1 m. Each test plot should be in a different location, but grown using the same techniques. If the plants grow well, they can be planted in larger plots next time. This will help increase crop variety, but will still save a lot of time, work and money if the crop does not grow well BEWARE! Be careful to not introduce new pests or diseases: • From one area to another. Check the seeds for insects or insect eggs. Remove seed pods and any plant materials. Wash the seeds until clean and dry. Cover the seeds with wood ash to avoid insect problems. A small amount of dried neem leaf, crushed and mixed in with the seeds, will help to kill insects and their eggs • From overseas. A countries government should give more attention to the quarantine department. The regulations should be followed to ensure that new diseases and pests do not enter Potential Problems New plants that are introduced are at risk of becoming a problem in the future, for example if the plant spreads quickly and becomes a weed which could disrupt the local environment. This can happen with any type of plant, even plants that are very productive can become a problem. Research the following about any new plant before it is introduced: • What is its growing habit? • Does it spread naturally? For example, do animals spread the seeds? • Has the plant caused problems in other places? • Does the plant suffer from diseases which could spread to new areas? This is very important for protecting our environment and resources for the future. Module 5: Seed Saving & Nurseries 105 Seed Saving By saving and storing seeds well, you will have disease free, good quality seeds that can be planted from season to season. Producing Good Seeds To produce good seeds follow these steps: Step 1: Healthy Plants To produce quality seeds, the first step is to grow healthy plants. To do this you will need healthy soil, and enough compost and mulch. Step 2: Choose the Best Seed Always collect seeds from the best plants. These plants usually: • Produce healthy and tasty fruits or leaves • Are disease free and naturally pest resistant • Are able to survive in extreme conditions. For example, are able to handle very dry or hot conditions, or can still grow well in rocky soils • Are slow at producing seeds. Collect seeds from plants that produce flowers and seeds last, not first Select seeds from many plants. If you are growing trees, for example teak trees, collect seeds from many different teak trees. It is the same with all other plants. When collecting seeds, remember that you will pass on the plants characteristics to the next crop. If you choose healthy plants, the next crop will have the same characteristics as the parent plants. Larger seeds will generally last longer than small seeds! Step 3: How to Harvest Seeds Label the plants that seeds will be collected from, so that these plants won’t be harvested for food. Wait until the plants are ripe to pick the seeds. This means leaving the plant until it is past the edible stage. Young fruits have young seeds, which may not germinate. The best time to pick seeds is mid-morning, on a clear and sunny day. If harvesting seeds in the wet season, you can pick the fruit, seed, or even better the whole plant, and hang it to dry near a fire. Even a small amount of moisture can damage seeds. 106 Permaculture, Solutions for Sustainable L i f e s t y l e s Plant When to harvest seeds How to harvest seeds When ripe on the plant, slightly soft but Hand pick the best fruits from the Tomato, eggplant not rotten best plants One month after you would pick for Hand pick the best fruits from the Cucumber, melon eating (so the seeds are mature) best plants Capsicum, large Hand pick the best fruits from the When ripe on the plant, or when red chili best plants Cover in bag, then cut the main Lettuce, green Wait until the seedpods are brown and stem, so that no seeds will fall during leaf vegetables dry, but not yet open collection Leave the seeds to dry on plant during Beans, corn, the dry season, pick when ripe in wet Hand pick when the seeds are ready sunflower season and dry near a fire When ripe on the plant, wait 2-3 weeks Hand pick the best fruits from the Pumpkin before removing seeds best plants SMART IDEAS! Always pick more seeds than you will need for the next season.