Instead of buying new zucchini seeds every year why not learn to save your own seeds. Keep reading to learn how simple it is to save zucchini seeds.
Can I save hybrid seeds
Before you read any further you must understand that you will not be able to save seeds from hybrid plants. If you try to save hybrid plant seeds they will most likely be sterile (meaning they will not sprout).
Make sure that your seed packet either reads open pollinated or heirloom. If you see anything that says F1 or Hybrid then you will not be able to save zucchini seeds from those plants.
There are a plethora of reasons to only grow heirloom plants in your garden. You can find heirloom and open pollinated zucchini seeds here.
Why hand pollinating is important
When saving seeds from the garden you want to ensure that the plants do not cross pollinate. If they do you can wind up with some weird looking vegetables, and I mean weird!
Some plants do not need to be hand pollinated because they do not cross pollinate easily. Unlike some vegetables zucchini can cross pollinate very easily.
Because of this you must hand pollinate your zucchini or you will end up with weird shaped zucchini that taste bitter.
How to hand pollinate zucchini
Hand pollination sounds much harder than it actually is. If you follow the steps below you shouldn't have any trouble with cross pollination.
The night before you plan to pollinate your zucchini go out and scout for both unopened male and female flowers.
Find flowers that look slightly yellow but have not quite opened yet. Use a clothes pin or tape to keep these flowers shut.
Make sure to only seal flowers on your healthiest plants. This will ensure that your seeds grow into vigorous plants just like their parent plants.
(Note: I like to have a few male and female flowers closed just in case they do not pollinate well or rot in the process. I will then save seeds from at least two different zucchini fruits to ensure I have a good sized gene pool.)
The very next morning go out and pick all of your male flowers from the plants. Then remove the petals so that your are only left with the stamen. The stamen should be covered in yellow pollen.
Find a female flower and remove the clothespin. Then rub the stamen of the male flowers on the female flower's stigma. Make sure that you get pollen all over the stigma!
After you have pollinated the female flower reseal it using either clothespins or tape and mark the zucchini stem using bright colored cloth or ribbon so you will know which ones have been pollinated.
Do this whole process quickly to ensure that no bees or other pollinators cross pollinate varieties.
When to harvest the seeds
You will need to leave the zucchini on the plant until it is fully ripe. If you do not wait your seeds will not have time to mature and they will not germinate come next spring.
I let my zucchini stay on the plant until it starts to turn orange. This is the signal that your zucchini is fully ripe (zucchinis are actually unripe when we pick them for eating).
If your zucchini is huge but hasn't turned orange, and your first frost is approaching, you can keep the zucchini in a dark cool spot (like a root cellar or basement) and let it sit for a few weeks. This should give the seeds enough time to mature.
How to harvest zucchini seeds
Once you have picked your zucchini it is time to harvest and clean the seeds. You will need a sharp knife, a strainer, and a cutting board.
Cut into the zucchini about one inch on each side making sure not to cut through the middle (you don't want to cut the seeds up!). Then split the zucchini in half so you can see the seeds in the center.
*Mature zucchini fruits can be very hard so please be very careful with the sharp knife*
You should see a multitude of pumpkin like seeds throughout the center of your zucchini. Use a spoon to scoop out these seeds and put them in a strainer.
Use cold water (hot water will kill the seeds) to rinse the seeds in the strainer. Pull out any of the zucchini "flesh" and compost it. After a good rinsing your seeds should be clean.
How to dry zucchini seeds
Once you have rinsed your seeds they need to be dried for storage. I like to use an old window screen to dry my seeds on.
Place the wet seeds on your window screen making sure that the seeds are not touching each other. If they touch while drying they may stick to each other creating clumps of seeds.
I like to point a fan set on low on the drying seeds to speed up the whole process. It may take up to 4 weeks of drying depending on your conditions.
Make sure that the area you are drying your seeds in is cool, dark, and dry. The best place to dry seeds is in your basement.
To test whether your seeds are dry enough you need to give them the snap test. If you can snap a seed in half,, then it is dry enough; if the seed bends, then it needs to dry longer.
How to store zucchini seeds
Once you are certain that your seeds are dry (the snap test) they are ready for storage. Make sure to place the seeds in a paper envelope or an airtight jar for storage. Here is the best way to store garden seeds.
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