Self-harvesting of pepper seeds

Seeds of many vegetables (tomato, cucumbers etc.) and flower crops (the same petunias) can be prepared quite easily by all summer residents on their own. And this will be a very logical step, especially if you are completely satisfied with the planted variety, why spend money on buying it again, you can collect your own excellent seed material.

Thus, in this article, you will learn how to properly prepare and store pepper seeds until the next sowing seedlings.

Which peppers are suitable for collecting seeds

High-quality seed material can only be collected from high-quality fruits, which means that peppers must meet certain criteria:

• Hybrids (there is always an F1 mark on the package) for collecting seeds unsuitable, only clean varieties (there should not be an F1 mark on the package).
• As with tomatoes and cucumbers, seed peppers should ripen well on the bush.
• It's always best to choose the most standard (most relevant to the description of the variety on the package, that is correct shape, color and weight) and healthy copies.
• It is optimal to pick fruits from 2-3 lower branches.

By the way! Experienced gardeners advise not to plant sweet and bitter peppers nearby, especially since you should not take seed from such close neighbors.

Video: selection of pepper fruits for harvesting seeds

How to collect and prepare pepper seeds

Once you have decided on which peppers are ideal for extracting seeds from them, this actually needs to be done, but not right away.

Advice! Some summer residents recommend keeping the plucked peppers warm for 2-3 days before harvesting planting material, although it happens that they ripen for 2-3 weeks.

When the fruit becomes soft, slightly lethargic and, as it were, "wrinkled", it is time to extract the seed from it.

Step-by-step instructions for collecting and harvesting pepper seeds:

1. In order to remove the seed capsule from the fruit, you need to use a knife to cut a circle around the perimeter of the stalk (the so-called cap), as well as the inner partitions. Or just cut in half.
2. Seeds that are as close to the stalk as possible (in the core) are ideal for harvesting, since they received the best nutrition. And those that remain inside the fetus, on the internal partitions, as a right, are of lower quality and are not recommended to be used.
3. We remove the seeds with our hands and lower them into a container in water, and then mix. We throw away all the empty seeds that float up without any hesitation, and we leave all those that have sunk to the bottom, they contain germs of sprouts.
4. Now the resulting seed must be dried by laying it out on paper or newspaper and evenly distributing it over the surface. Drying usually takes no more than 2-4 days. The place for drying should always be warm and as dark as possible.

Advice! There is no point in throwing away the rest of the pepper, because you actually peeled the fruit, now you can eat it.

Video: extraction and harvesting of seeds from fruits of peppers (sweet and bitter)

How to store pepper seeds

It is most convenient to store any seeds in paper bags or envelopes, which are very easy to make yourself from a sheet of paper, securing it around the edges with a stapler or tape. A cloth bag will also work. And at the end, be sure not to forget to sign the harvest year and the name of the variety.

Important! You should not use plastic bags or oilcloth, future seedlings should not be hermetically sealed, otherwise they will mate and rot.

It is more expedient and practical to collect pepper seeds yourself. When selecting them, it is necessary to focus not on hybrids, but on varieties, ripe and healthy specimens. It is equally important to properly prepare the planting material and store it correctly. And the reward for all efforts will undoubtedly be a harvest of truly premium quality.

 

By the way! The shelf life of pepper seeds without loss of germination is 3-4 years.

Video: collecting and harvesting pepper seeds

Note! Collecting hot or hot pepper (chili) seeds is completely the same. But there is one point regarding safety. Do not touch your face with your hands: do not touch your eyes or scratch your nose, you can cause a strong burning sensation in yourself, which will cause you to rinse this place with water for a long time.