SAVING SEEDS FROM KITCHEN SCRAPS
Materials
edible seeds: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds
produce: apples, lemons, peppers, squash, tomatoes
spices: cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds
other: popcorn kernels, garlic cloves, whole lentils
Instructions
some spices are actually seeds, if they are not too old
many can be planted just like seeds from a packet
loose popcorn for air or stove popping can be planted too
a garlic clove isn’t technically a seed, but each clove
can be planted and will grow into a new garlic plant
as you slice your produce (for example apples, lemons,
peppers or tomatoes) carefully work around the seeds
after you are done preparing your produce for cooking,
pick out the seeds from the remaining scraps
leave any seeds that are wet or have a coating, (for example
tomatoes) to dry out at room temperature before planting
REMEMBER to label everything!
Finishing
after the seeds have dried out, label and store in envelopes
you can save them for later or plant them right away
you can also swap your seeds with friends or community
next time, we will learn how to plant these seeds to grow
seedlings for a windowsill garden or your home garden
SIMPLE SEED STARTING 101
Materials
SEEDS: Beans, Sunflowers, and Nasturtiums are easy to
handle and germinate quickly, or use any seeds you have
small paper cups, toilet paper tubes, or recycled plant pots
lightweight seed starting or potting soil
Instructions
add a small amount of water to the soil until it is just barely
damp and then fill the recycled seedling containers gently
don’t pack the soil down, leave it fluffy with air for the roots!
use a pencil to poke small holes for the seeds to drop into
different seeds need to be planted at different depths:
many seeds can be planted as deep as they are large
for example: a 2cm bean would be planted 2cm deep
this is not always true, so when possible you should
consult the seed packet for more specific details
Finishing
place the pots in a sunny windowsill and check the soil
regularly – make sure the soil does not dry out but don’t
flood the seeds either!
in a few days or weeks you will see tiny green seedlings
pull out the weakest seedlings,
so the remaining plants have space to thrive
next time, we will learn how to turn these seedlings into a
small windowsill garden or plant them in your home garden
Garddwest 