Seed Sorting and Saving

Seed Saving is a fun and economical way to retain biodiversity.  By collecting seeds at the end of harvest time (summer through fall), you will have seeds to grow in the spring.  This can be a fun scavenger hunt for kids and a way to explain seed mobility.

Here's what my first graders did:

I cut sealed envelopes in half to make seed packets.

Seeds from packets were sorted in a bin, with the packet cut to help
 identify seeds. Students examined them with hand lenses.

Examining peas.

We discussed the different shapes, sizes, textures, and details
 of the seeds and drew them on the packets.

Students filled their packets with mixed wildflower seeds.
 I taped them closed.  I showed them the packets so they could see
 the flowers their seeds would grow into.

Detail of the drawing process.

We also looked for seeds outside.
These are the buckets we used labeled with
seed mobility: human planting, animal, wind, bursting,
 gravity, and floating.  I brought in a coconut to show floating.

This girl found seeds inside a sunflower.

We found lots of "fluffy" seeds!

Seeds for planting should be kept dry and cool.  Some seeds, such as paw paws, need to chill first in order to germinate later.  This site lists many herbs that require chilling and how to do it.   Tomato seeds actually have to ferment.  (More on tomato seed saving here.)

How long will those seeds last?  Check here.

Rare Seed Catalog here.