As summer winds down, many gardeners are cleaning up their beds and preparing for the cooler months ahead. But before you pull out those spent plants, consider saving their seeds! Collecting and storing seeds from your garden is a rewarding way to carry this year’s harvest into next season—and it’s easier than you might think.

Here’s a simple guide to saving seeds from your summer garden.

Why Save Seeds?

Save Money: Skip buying seed packets next spring.
Preserve Your Favorites: Grow the same delicious tomato or beautiful flower you loved this summer.
Adapted Plants: Seeds from plants grown in your soil and climate are already better suited to thrive there.
Sustainability: Reduces waste and promotes a more self-sufficient, eco-friendly garden.

Which Seeds to Save

Not all seeds save equally well, but many summer staples are excellent candidates.
**Tomatoes** – easy to ferment, dry, and store.
**Peppers** – simple to collect once fruits fully ripen.
**Beans & Peas** – dry naturally right on the plant.
**Cucumbers & Squash** – collect from overripe fruits.
**Flowers** – marigolds, sunflowers, and zinnias are easy to save.
**Tip:** Choose seeds from your healthiest, strongest plants—this ensures next year’s crop carries those traits forward.

How to Collect & Prepare Seeds

1. Let Seeds Mature Fully

Allow fruits or seed pods to ripen past the point of eating. Mature seeds are larger, darker, and harder.

2. Harvest Carefully

Scoop seeds from fleshy fruits like tomatoes, cucumbers, or peppers.
For beans, peas, and flowers, wait until pods or heads are dry and brittle before collecting.

3. Clean & Dry

Wet seeds (tomatoes, cucumbers, squash): Rinse thoroughly and spread on a paper towel or screen to dry for 1–2 weeks.
Dry seeds (beans, peas, flowers): Simply remove them from pods and allow them to air-dry completely.

4. Label & Store

Place dried seeds in labeled envelopes or glass jars. Store them in a cool, dark, and dry place. A sealed container in the refrigerator works perfectly.

Most seeds remain viable for 2–3 years when stored properly, though some (like beans and tomatoes) can last even longer. The drier and cooler you keep them, the better their longevity.

Seed saving is a simple, sustainable way to connect one season’s harvest with the next. By setting aside seeds from your healthiest plants now, you’ll give yourself a head start on next year’s garden.