Sovereignty Module: Save the Seed

Complete Seed Saving and Heritage Varieties: From Harvest to Future Harvest

Seed saving ensures food security across generations. This campaign covers pollination, isolation distances, seed harvesting, processing, storage, and variety selection.

Chapter 1: Pollination Types

Pollination Type	Mechanism	Crossing Risk	Isolation Needed	Examples
Self-pollinating	Flower pollinates itself before opening	Very low	10-25 feet	Tomato, pepper, bean, pea, lettuce
Insect-pollinated	Bees, flies carry pollen between plants	High	1/4 to 1 mile	Squash, cucumber, melon, carrot
Wind-pollinated	Wind carries pollen long distances	Very high	1/2 to 2+ miles	Corn, beet, spinach, chard
Perfect flowers	Both male and female parts in one flower	Varies	Varies	Most vegetables
Monoecious	Separate male and female flowers on same plant	High	1/4 to 1 mile	Corn, squash, cucumber
Dioecious	Male and female flowers on separate plants	Very high	Need both sexes	Spinach, asparagus

Chapter 2: Seed Harvesting

Crop	Seed Location	Harvest Timing	Processing Method	Seeds Per Plant
Tomato	Inside fruit	Fully ripe (soft)	Ferment, rinse, dry	100-300
Pepper	Inside fruit	Fully ripe (color change)	Scrape out, dry	50-200
Bean/pea	Inside dried pod	Pods dry and brown on plant	Shell, dry	20-100
Lettuce	Seed heads (after bolting)	Fluffy seed heads	Shake into bag, clean	500-1,000+
Squash	Inside mature fruit	Fully mature (hard rind)	Scoop, rinse, dry	100-500
Corn	On cob	Husks dry, kernels hard	Shell from cob, dry	200-800
Carrot	Seed heads (second year)	Heads turn brown	Cut, thresh, clean	1,000+
Onion	Seed heads (second year)	Heads dry, seeds black	Shake out, clean	200-500

Tomato seed saving (fermentation method): 1) Select best fruits from best plants. 2) Cut tomato and squeeze seeds with gel into jar. 3) Add small amount of water. 4) Cover loosely (allows gas to escape). 5) Let ferment 2-3 days at room temperature. 6) Mold forms on surface (this is normal and beneficial). 7) Fermentation destroys seed-borne diseases. 8) Fermentation removes gel coating (germination inhibitor). 9) Add water, stir; good seeds sink, debris floats. 10) Pour off floating debris. 11) Rinse seeds in strainer. 12) Dry on plate or screen (not paper towel, seeds stick). 13) Dry completely (1-2 weeks). 14) Store in cool, dry, dark location.

Chapter 3: Seed Storage

Factor	Ideal Condition	Why	Method
Moisture	Below 8% seed moisture	Prevents mold, premature germination	Dry thoroughly, use desiccant
Temperature	32-41°F (refrigerator)	Slows metabolism, extends viability	Refrigerator or cool basement
Light	Complete darkness	Light can trigger germination	Opaque containers
Air	Minimal (sealed)	Reduces oxidation	Sealed jars, vacuum bags
Pests	Excluded	Insects eat seeds	Sealed containers, diatomaceous earth

Crop	Storage Life (ideal)	Storage Life (room temp)	Viability Test
Onion	1-2 years	1 year	Germination test
Corn	5-10 years	2-3 years	Germination test
Bean	3-5 years	2-3 years	Germination test
Tomato	5-10 years	3-5 years	Germination test
Pepper	3-5 years	2-3 years	Germination test
Squash	5-6 years	3-4 years	Germination test
Lettuce	3-5 years	1-3 years	Germination test
Carrot	3-4 years	1-3 years	Germination test

Chapter 4: Population Size and Genetic Diversity

Crop	Minimum Population	Ideal Population	Why
Self-pollinating (tomato, bean)	1 plant (minimum)	5-25 plants	Maintain vigor, select best
Insect-pollinated (squash)	5 plants (minimum)	20-50 plants	Prevent inbreeding depression
Wind-pollinated (corn)	25 plants (minimum)	100-200 plants	Prevent inbreeding, ensure pollination
Biennial (carrot, onion)	5 plants (minimum)	20-50 plants	Genetic diversity

Chapter 5: Selection Criteria

Trait	What to Select For	How to Identify	Why
Vigor	Strongest, healthiest plants	Early emergence, robust growth	Adapts variety to your conditions
Disease resistance	Plants that stay healthy	No spots, wilting, or damage	Reduces need for intervention
Yield	Most productive plants	Count/weigh harvest	More food per plant
Flavor	Best tasting	Taste test	Improves eating quality
Earliness	First to mature	Record dates	Extends season, ensures harvest
Storage	Longest-keeping fruits	Monitor storage life	Food security
Adaptation	Thrives in your specific conditions	Overall performance	Local adaptation over generations

Reference Card

Save seed from the best plants (seed saving is selection; choose seeds from your healthiest, most productive, best-tasting plants). 2. Isolation prevents crossing (if two varieties of the same species can cross-pollinate, they will; maintain isolation distances or grow only one variety). 3. Corn needs a crowd (corn is wind-pollinated and requires at least 25 plants for adequate pollination; small plantings produce poorly filled ears). 4. Ferment tomato seeds (the fermentation process removes the germination-inhibiting gel and kills seed-borne diseases; do not skip this step). 5. Dry seeds thoroughly (moisture is the enemy of stored seeds; seeds must be completely dry before storage or they will mold). 6. Cool and dark extends life (seeds stored in a cool, dark, dry place can remain viable for years or even decades). 7. Test germination before planting (place 10 seeds on a wet paper towel in a plastic bag; count how many sprout in 7-14 days to know your germination rate). 8. You are breeding a variety (every time you save seed, you are selecting for traits; be intentional about what you select for).

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