The Ultimate Seed Saving Guide and Printable Seed Packets

Learn how to save, store, and organize seeds with this comprehensive seed saving guide. Keep your favorite varieties thriving year after year!

Bold text reading 'Save Seeds & Printable Seed Packets' with vibrant images of vegetables, herbs, and flowers inside the letters.

Imagine never having to rely on the store for your favorite tomato seeds or hunting down a variety that thrives in your garden. Seed saving is a skill that not only saves money but also ensures you maintain the best-performing plants year after year. Plus, it’s a step toward self-sufficiency that gives you complete control over your garden’s future.

If you’ve ever saved garlic cloves for replanting, you’re already practicing the basics of seed saving! Starting small by saving just one or two types of seeds each season helps you build confidence without getting overwhelmed. The more you practice, the more you’ll appreciate how much seed saving connects you to your garden.

The Brown Bagging Method for Seed Saving

One of the simplest ways to save seeds is the brown bagging method. This technique involves clipping flower heads or seed pods into a paper bag and allowing them to dry naturally. Once dried, shaking the bag helps separate the seeds from the plant debris. This low-maintenance approach works well for many herbs and flowers, as well as some vegetables like lettuce and arugula.

If you’re looking for an easy way to store these seeds, transferring them to labeled printable seed packets keeps them neat and organized for future planting.

A printable seed packet with labeled sections for seed variety, planting depth, and notes, placed over a wooden crate of fresh vegetables. — Print, cut, and fold your own seed packets to keep your garden organized and thriving!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
your printable seed packets

How to Store Your Saved Seeds

Proper storage is crucial for seed viability. Here’s how to keep your seeds fresh and ready for next season:

Use Printable Seed Packets: Storing seeds in labeled envelopes helps keep them dry and organized. Download and print your own seed packets to make tracking your seeds easier.
Keep Seeds Dry: Moisture is the enemy of seed longevity. Store packets in airtight containers (like old pill bottles) with a desiccant (like silica gel) to absorb excess moisture.
Store in a Cool, Dark Place: Seeds last longer when stored in a dark, cool environment like a pantry, basement, or even the fridge.
Label Everything: Always mark your packets with the seed type and date collected to avoid confusion next season.

Tip: For those in humid climates, adding silica gel packs to your storage container can extend seed life by preventing moisture buildup.

The Three Levels of Seed Saving

Some seeds are easier to save than others. Below is a categorized list to help you determine where to start.

Easy Seed Savers

These seeds are simple to collect and store, making them perfect for beginners.

Arugula Saving Arugula Seeds from GardenNerd
Beans How to Save Bean Seeds from The Prairie Homestead
Endive Batavian Seed Saving from Smart Gardener
Lettuce Saving Lettuce Seeds from Urban Food Garden
Leeks Grow Leeks to Save Leek Seeds from Homestead Lady
Peas Saving Peas for Seed from Daughter of the Soil + Growing & Using Snow Peas from Homespun Seasonal Living
Radishes Saving Seeds: Radish from Food Storage & Survival
Tomatillos Saving Seed: Tomatillos from Cycle Farm
Tomatoes How to Save Tomato Seeds from Homestead Lady

Fresh green peas in a pod, with a few loose peas on a white background. — Did you know you can save pea seeds by simply letting the pods dry on the vine?

Intermediate Seed Savers

These seeds require more care, often needing two growing seasons or isolation to prevent cross-pollination.

Asparagus Asparagus: The Garden Wonder from The Farmer’s Lamp
Beets All About Growing Beets from Mother Earth News
Bunching Onions Organic Bunching Onions – Growing and Seed Saving Info from High Mowing Organic Seeds
Carrots How to Save Carrot Seeds from Food Storage & Survival
Chard Organic Chard – Growing & Seed Saving Info from High Mowing Seeds
Chili Peppers Saving Chili Pepper Seeds to Grow Again from The Chile Man
Eggplant Saving Eggplant Seeds from The Southern Agrarian
Parsnips All About Growing Parsnips from Mother Earth News
Peppers Can You Use Seeds From a Bell Pepper to Plant? from HomeGuides
Salsify Salsify Flower: Biennial Seed Saving Project from The Self-Sufficient HomeAcre

Whole eggplant next to a sliced eggplant, showing visible seeds inside. — Saving eggplant seeds isn’t too hard. Simply scoop them out, ferment, rinse, and dry before storing.

Hard Seed Savers

These seeds require more effort to avoid cross-pollination and maintain true-to-type varieties.

Broccoli How To Save Broccoli Seeds In The Garden from Gardening Know How
Brussel Sprouts Saving Brussel Sprout Seeds from Smart Gardener
Cabbage Saving Cabbage Family Seeds from The Veggie Patch Reimagined
Cauliflower Organic Cauliflower from High-Growing Seeds
Corn How to Save Corn Seed from Weekend Gardener
Cucumbers How to Save Cucumber Seeds from Your Garden from About Home
Kale Saving Seeds from Kale from Wood Ridge Homestead
Melons Saving Cantaloupe Seeds (applies to all melons) from Backyard Vegetable Gardening
Pumpkins Raise Your Own Pumpkins from Farm Flavor
Squash How to Save Squash Seeds from Capper’s Farmer
Turnips Saving Turnip Seed from Going to Seed

Close-up of a cantaloupe slice with seeds exposed, highlighting the challenge of saving seeds from cross-pollinating melon varieties. — Saving cantaloupe seeds requires careful isolation to prevent cross-pollination and ensure true-to-type plants for next season.

Saving Herb and Flower Seeds

Saving herb and flower seeds is a simple way to preserve your favorite varieties and ensure a flourishing garden year after year. While most herb seeds are straightforward to collect, flower seeds can sometimes surprise you with unexpected cross-pollination results.

Herb Seeds

Herb seeds are usually easy to save using the brown bag method. These rarely cross-pollinate, making them a great choice for beginners.

Basil How to Save Basil Seeds from The Dig In
Chervil Herbs to Know: Chervil from Mother Earth Living
Chives How to Save Chive Seeds from Mavis’ Garden Blog
Cilantro/Coriander Harvesting Coriander Seeds from Vegetarian Times
Dill Information on How to Harvest Dill from Gardening Know How
Garlic Growing Garlic from Traditional Foods
Lovage How to Grow Lovage from Plant Natural
Marjoram How to Grow Marjoram from Heirloom Organics
Oregano Oregano Plant Care from Folia
Parsley Parsley Plant Guide from Smart Gardener
Sage Saving Sage Seed from Growing Herbs for Beginners
Salad Burnet How to Grow Salad Burnet from Gardening Know How
Thyme Preserving Your Thyme Harvest from Preserving Your Harvest

A close-up of a blooming purple chive flower, ready to produce seeds. — Let your chive flowers bloom and dry before collecting seeds for next year.

Flower Seeds

Many flowers produce seeds that can be collected by bagging the flower heads before they dry. Others may cross-pollinate, but the resulting surprises are often beautiful!

Bachelor Buttons How to Collect & Save Bachelor Button Seeds from Mr. Brown Thumb
Calendula Calendula Seed Saving from Cedar Circle Farm
Columbine Harvesting Columbine Seeds from In Bloom This Week
Cleome Saving Seeds from Cleome from SFGate
Lupines How to Save Lupine Seeds from eHow
Marigolds How to Save Marigold Seed from Little *big* Harvest
Milkweed Propagating Milkweeds from Borderlands Restoration
Morning Glory How to Collect Morning Glory Seeds from Mr. Brown Thumb
Nasturtium Collecting Nasturtium Seeds from The Nerdy Gardener
Poppy Harvesting Poppy Seeds from Sincerely, Emily
Sunflowers How to Plant & Grow Sunflowers from The Old Farmer’s Almanac
Yarrow Harvesting Yarrow Seed from Hudman Honey Farm

Dry milkweed pods splitting open, releasing fluffy seeds into the air. — Milkweed seeds naturally disperse on the wind—catch them before they float away!

Troubleshooting & Tips for Saving Seeds

It’s possible, but not always recommended. Many store-bought vegetables come from hybrids, which means their seeds won’t grow into the same plant variety.

Many seeds remain viable for years if stored properly. For example, tomatoes and peppers last 3-4 years, while onions and leeks have shorter viability.

Yes! As long as they have enough space to fully mature, seeds from container-grown plants are just as viable as those from garden-grown plants.

No, some flowers are sterile hybrids that don’t set seed. Always check if your plant is an open-pollinated variety before attempting to save its seeds.

Keep this seed-saving resource handy—pin it now!

A sliced pumpkin with a pile of seeds in the foreground, next to a printed seed packet template, showing how to collect and store seeds effectively.

Seed saving is more than just a gardening skill—it’s a way to ensure the future of your favorite plants while embracing self-sufficiency. By learning to store seeds properly and choosing the right ones to save, you can build a diverse and resilient seed collection that will serve you for years to come.

Before you start saving and storing seeds, it’s important to choose varieties that will thrive in your growing zone and understand what’s on the seed packet. Some seeds require special treatment, like stratification or scarification, to ensure successful germination. And if you have older seeds on hand, testing their viability before planting can save you time and frustration. These guides will help you make the best decisions for your seed-saving and planting success.

Do you have a favorite seed-saving success story? Share your experiences and tips in the comments below!

8 Comments

Olivia says:

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smith wesley says:

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smith wesley says:

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Elizabeth Aker says:

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Awesome post – literally saved so many of these links for my own saving!!! 😀 Thank you Jessica~!~!

Malia @ Small Town Girl says:

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Great list!!! It’s nice to have it all in one post!

1. Jessica Lane says:
  
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  Keep checking back because I will be constantly adding to the list. If there are seeds you’re interested in saving that aren’t on the list, just let me know.
  
Mike the Gardener says:

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Great list!

Although I, me personally, I would put carrots in the tougher category. Only because it takes carrots up to two seasons to go to seed, so it will take some patience.

1. Jessica Lane says:
  
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  I’ll admit, I was on the fence about the placement of a few of these (carrots included). It’s rather subjective. I personally struggle with some “easy” ones and yet have no trouble with “hard” ones.