Can we plant seeds from the food we eat?

[Grace and Granola]

We are just now planning our garden, and my 4yo had the idea to take the seeds from the food we have now and plant the seeds. I'm just wondering if we can do this? Do the seeds need to dry out? I'm thinking peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers. I know I can just go and buy the seeds, but since this is his idea, what do you think?

[MamatoLil]

I wondered the same thing, and have been saving some seeds to try-and-see!

[TheGirls]

Well it may work, and it may not. I'd buy seeds also to hedge your bets, for sure. The problem is that many newer varieties of vegetables are hybrids, and hybrids don't tend to reproduce very well. Their offspring tend to be weaker than the original plants. If these are standard grocery store veggies, they are almost certainly hybrid. If you have some old fashioned open pollinated veggies or heirloom tomatoes (farmers markets and CSA's are more likely to have these) your odds of getting a good harvest are better.

However, if it were my kid's idea, I'd probably do it anyhow, just for the involvement/enthusiasm of a child, kwim? I'd also grow some from seed, though.

I have had really good luck, however, with potatoes (just rotten potatoes from the store that sat in my cupboard too long then got buried in my garden) and pumpkins (ie I threw out last years pumpkin in my compost pile and a pumpkin patch emerged). So maybe try those.

[KristyDi]

Originally Posted by TheGirls

I have had really good luck, however, with potatoes (just rotten potatoes from the store that sat in my cupboard too long then got buried in my garden) and pumpkins (ie I threw out last years pumpkin in my compost pile and a pumpkin patch emerged). So maybe try those.

I tossed last year's pumpkins at the edge of our property in a sunny spot hoping that would happen. it's somewhat unlikely since we don't have a compost pile there, just a leaf pile but it'll really make me happy if it does!

[Grace and Granola]

Thanks! Yes, I definitely still plan to buy seed, but if there's a chance ds's idea will work, then we should try it. I love your pumpkin patch story!

I think I remember my grandma growing grape tomatoes from seeds of a grape tomato.

So, do you know if they need to be dried first?

[lakeruby]

Some are definitely easier to save/sprout than others! I frequently have pumpkin and squash seeds sprout from our compost pile, so I would imagine that they would be very easy to use, straight from your food!

Tomato seeds usually need to be fermented first. You can read about that here: http://www.victoryseeds.com/informat...ve_tomato.html

It looks like it would be fun to do with kids!

I remember reading a fun book once about "scavenging" seed, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was called, or where I saw it. It talked about how to sprout all kinds of seeds from food you eat-- everything from kiwi to avocado. I would say, just have fun experimenting!

[goldfinches]

I used to toss my pumpkins in my garden every year and have volunteer plants the next year. I never knew where they would pop up, it wasn't always where the pumpkin rotted. Made for some interesting rows, lol!

I was going to say, research how to save seeds. You need to put the tomato seeds in a cup with their pulp for a few days, then rinse well. I'm not sure about cucumbers or peppers, etc.

I've had some strange things sprout in my worm bin. Avocado pits.

[Toolip]

yes, you do need to dry them. the only ones that I have saved are tomatoes and they are easy but you have to ferment them.
google "seed saving" and you'll get lots of info

[WorldsBestMom]

I think I have heard about drying the seeds before planting them.

[Snapdragon]

Sure, I have done it plenty of times. I am an avid gardener with a very good green thumb, but I find it very easy to do!
I do it with pepper seeds- you only need to dry the seeds so they don't rot if you aren't gonna plant them right away.
try it with anything and everything.
The thing to know- rule of thumb- plant each seed as deep as the seed is big. So some of the littler seeds barely need a covering at all. And then just be patient and have fun with it!
I am going to plant more seeds right now actually

[WorldsBestMom]

Interesting the bigger the seed the deeper you dig to plant the seed ...okay. Gotch yah..

[Rabbit8]

You can do that with the root bulb part of the green onions you buy in the grocery store. I was curious and just stuck them in the garden and got a ton of green onions last summer. It was great, sometimes I'd buy a bunch and some would go to waste from not being used fast enough, in my store you have to buy them in bunches.

[Mamato2and2]

We eat lots of kabocha and every year tons of them come up in our gardens b/c of our compost! So YES you can plant seeds from things you have bought and no, you don't have to dry them. Every year we get tons of tomato volunteers from the tomatoes that somehow didn't get picked and fell into the soil. I never have to buy tomato seeds or seedlings....it's kinda fun too b/c I never know which variety the plant is gonna be....I'm just really hoping that the heirlooms from last year come up soon!!!

[mattemma04]

My best pumpkins are the ones I never planted. I have some onions sprouting green leaves,so I will be planting those.