2024’s Creative Places to Find Seeds

In the last post from Kim, she coached us through steps that we can take to make sure that we have seeds for this year’s garden.  But Kim’s not done when it comes to great advice on how to (1) not only make sure that you have seeds from your own garden for next year but also (2) where to find seeds from other people to use for next year’s garden.

By Kim Deel

Learn to “Talk Garden”

After you have finished saving from your own garden, you may want to reach out to your friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc. and “talk garden”.  You never know, you may find a gardener-wanna-be that you can support and encourage!    My husband has a client that has become a friend.  They were talking garden and he shared that he was growing cantaloupe that is the best he had ever tasted.  Shortly after, he showed up with one of his prized melons and extra seeds!  He was right, this is the best cantaloupe I have ever tasted and now we have plenty of seeds to grow and share.

Seeds from Wild Plants 

Years ago, my father-in-law was visiting friends in Florida and they went for a walk after dinner.  As they passed an empty lot, my father-in-law noticed that field peas were growing wild, so he picked a handful, brought them home and planted them- they have been growing and reseeding themselves for years!  Now I am growing them in my backyard too!   My plan is to share this story with his grandchildren and offer them seeds as they get their own homes.  This is a true legacy—one that keeps giving.

Farmer’s Markets — for seeds?

Now for the fun stuff!  This is my favorite tip of all for finding seeds!  Shop your local Farmer’s Market, produce stand or grocery/health food store!   If grown organically, you can harvest the seeds from the veggies you buy and grow your own plants!  Make sure you choose organic foods only!  Do not choose a Hybrid variety, as they will not grow well.

Here’s what to look for:

Squash, peppers:

Harvest the seeds and dry them to plant next spring.  Easy-peasy.

Beets, turnips, carrots, rutabagas, or any root vegetable:

Choose healthy fruits with living green sprouts on the stem.  Take them home and restore them to life!   You have 2 choices to re-grow them, either cut a couple of inches from the top and place the cut end in a shallow dish of water until roots sprout and then plant in soil, or to speed things up, you can plant the entire fruit in the garden and soon those green sprouts will turn into healthy leaves, just be mindful to keep them thoroughly watered in order to bring it back to life.  Don’t forget to fertilize and in 6-8 weeks or so, they will begin to flower and then you will be able to harvest the seeds to plant next spring.

Onions and garlic

Look for green sprigs starting to emerge—Break apart the garlic cloves and plant each one.  Be prepared for this to take a while.  Plant any sprouted onions and if you have onions at home that are spouting green, plant those in the garden.

Celery and Bok Choy

Slice off about 2” from the root end and place in a saucer of water.  Green shoots will emerge from the center in just a few days!  Replant in the garden or in a pot. You can do the same for green onions.

Okra, beans, peas 

Choose the largest pods and let them dry thoroughly, then gather the seeds.  You will be good to go next spring!

Ginger 

Last spring I decided I wanted to grow ginger.  I picked through a bin of ginger at the grocery store to find ones that had little whitish-green nubs poking through the skin.  I planted them in a potting mix.  They look a bit rough as the bugs have chewed on the leaves, but the root system is strong and I am so excited!  I will bring them inside for the winter.

Potatoes

Last spring, during the Covid stuck-at-home, my sister could not find seed potatoes to plant.  I told her to go to the grocery store and buy a bag of organic potatoes and choose the bag that had the most eyes or sprouts on them.  She bought a bag of organic fingerling potatoes and planted them in grow bags. Below (or beside) is a picture of the results of one single grow bag and this is only a portion of what she has grown!  This is her first year ever of growing potatoes and she did an amazing job!  I am so proud of her!

Sweet potatoes

Again, choose an organic variety that has a lot of eyes.  Bring it home and place in a cup of water.  You will need to use toothpicks to keep it from touching the bottom of the cup.  Soon you will begin to grow shoots or what they refer to as slips.  Change the water every couple of days.  Make sure to start this 8-10 weeks before you plan to plant in the spring.

Peanuts 

When I was growing up, we had a neighbor who wanted to see if he could grow peanuts.  (This was the days before the internet) He went to the store and bought a bag of raw peanuts in the shell, planted them, and sure enough, he grew peanuts! They were really good too!!  Don’t be afraid to experiment!

Beans

Organic dry beans from the grocery store can be planted!  Pintos, lima, field peas, black-eyed peas, and white beans will all grow easily!  Pretty cool, right?

I hope this encourages you to go out and find those seeds!  If you have other ideas to add, please share!  Please reach out and share your knowledge and bounty with others.  Most of all, have fun!

What About You?

Do you know any other places to find seeds that you can plant for your garden next year?  Do you have success stories from saving seeds in any of these ways?  Please share them with us below in the comments, so that we can all be better prepared.

When you’re looking for seeds, remember,

You’ve got this, Mama!