Most gardeners choose to buy seeds each spring in time for the planting season.
Many years back, however, gardeners just used to save seeds from their own gardens, dry them and store them for the next planting season.
It is a simple process that has been practiced for many generations, until lately, when many gardeners would just go to garden supply shops to buy seeds.
If you want to save some cash, you can try to save seeds from your own plants.
This will also allow you to appreciate the peculiarities of your own garden.
Make sure, though, that you only save seeds from healthy plants.
You can even start a family tradition, where some varieties are passed down from your generation to the next.
Collect your seeds preferably on a sunny day, so that it is easier to dry them later on.
Some vegetable seeds such as pepper, cucumber and tomato seeds should be collected only from vegetables which are allowed to over ripe.
With most flower and vegetable seeds, the seed heads should be allowed to dry first, before they are collected.
Take care, though not to wait too long, as they may drop from the seedpod if they are not collected at the right time.
The best temperature for storage is between 32 and 41 degrees Fahrenheit.
Keep your seeds in a dry storage, and check about a week later from the day you stored them to make sure that they are kept dry.
If necessary, you can dry them out in the sun by spreading them on a paper plate or a newspaper.
You can store them in small sealed jars, or clean, used small bottles.
They may be stored in the fridge, as long as they are kept dry.
You'll never run out of seeds to plant if you do this every year.
You will always experience the joy of gardening, of nurturing life and discovering the stages of plant life.