VOA健康报道2022--如何为明年收集和保存蔬菜种子

How to Collect and Save Vegetable Seeds for Next Year

Many of the vegetables we grow in our gardens produce seeds, which can grow into plants if harvested and stored correctly.

Late summer is the perfect time to start collecting them, reports Associated Press gardening expert Jessica Damiano. She warns upfront about the importance of the fruit you choose for seeds.

Make sure the seeds are from plants that are heirloom, or open-pollinated, kinds. These are plants in their original forms. Their seeds will produce plants with the same qualities as their parents.

Hybridized plants usually produce the vegetables sold in big food stores. They are created by breeding two or more different kinds of plants to capture the best qualities of each. Attempting to grow seeds from hybrids¹ will not lead to happy harvesting, however.

The resulting plants will not have the expected qualities but instead carry the genes² of just one of its parents. And, it is impossible to identify which parent that will be. For this reason, it is best not to grow seeds from store-bought food.

Many plants become cross-pollinated in the garden. Pollinators, other insects, animals and wind spread pollen³ from one plant to another. To ensure the seeds you collect will grow into plants that match their parents, give them space! Place different kinds of the same crop as far apart as possible when planting a home garden.

To avoid cross-pollination surprises, plant only one kind of each vegetable from which to harvest seeds. If you want to save tomato seeds, for example, grow only one kind of tomato in your garden.

If that feels too limiting, go ahead and experiment. Choose heirloom plants so the risks from cross-pollination are reduced. The plants will be fine even if they are not what you expected.

Store seeds in a cool, dry place in a covered glass jar or paper envelope away from ripening⁴ fruit. The temporary addition of a drying element to the jar will remove any remaining wetness. But remove it after a few days to avoid over-drying.

Here is how to collect and save seeds from some common homegrown crops.

Lettuce⁵

At the end of the growing season, lettuce plants will grow a flower that will develop seed heads. The process is called bolting and the seed heads are called a puff⁶.

When the puff is dry, remove the stem. Put the puff in a paper bag, close the bag and shake. The seeds will come off the flower and fall to the bottom of the bag.

Basil

Basil seeds are tiny, so separating them from the small flower is a slow and careful process. When plants bolt at the end of the season, permit flowers to remain until they fade completely. Clip them off and place them in a sieve⁷. Then use your fingers to push them against the bottom of the sieve.

Beets⁹ and carrots

Beet⁸ and carrot plants produce seeds only in their second year, after a period of cold storage. In areas with cold winters, simply leave plants in the ground over winter.

In warm climates, you have to create "winter" indoors: At the end of the first season, cut the plants down to 5 centimeters. Carefully dig up roots, and store them in a refrigerator or other cool place. Replant them outdoors the following spring.

When the leaves of second-year beet plants turn brown, remove the seed stalk from the top of the plant and place it in a paper bag. Store in a cool, dry place for at least two weeks, then give the bag a good shake to separate the seeds. Pour them onto a plate and blow on them to separate the chaff¹⁰.

Let second-year carrot flowers dry on the plant, cut them off, and dry them further in a paper bag for a week or two. Then treat them in the same way as beets.

Peppers

Choose the best-looking pepper from your healthiest plant and let it remain on the plant until it is overripe and wrinkled. Slice it in half and remove the seeds. Throw away any that are discolored or otherwise undesirable¹¹. Spread seeds in a single level on thick paper and let them dry in a warm place. Do not put them in direct sunlight. Shake the seeds around from time to time to ensure even drying. The process should take about a week.

Eggplant

Permit an eggplant to over-ripen on the plant until it becomes hard and wrinkled, and loses its shine and color. Cut it open, remove its seeds and place them in a bowl of water. Stir the water to wash off anything that might be sticking to them. Then use a cloth to dry the seeds gently. Leave the seeds on a piece of cloth, shaking them a little every day, until completely dry. This can take several weeks.

Green beans

Green beans can produce a lot during the season. To get seeds, leave developing pods on one plant until they are completely dried and brown. Next, cut the pods off the plant and place them in a cool, dark spot to dry further. Later, remove the seeds and spread them on cloth. Let them harden there for a few days.

Words in This Story

open-pollinated –adj. a plant pollinated naturally by birds, insects, wind

original –adj. existing from the beginning

hybridized –adj. offspring of parents that are not similar

breed –v. to keep animals or plants in an effort to produce more of a particular kind

stem –n. the long, thin part of a plant that supports the leaves and flowers

fade –v. to become weaker and slowly lose strength and freshness

sieve –n. a device used in cooking that separates small particles through a series of small holes

refrigerator –n. an electric device that keeps food cold

stalk –n. the thick stem of a plant that grows up from the ground

chaff –n. the seed coverings of plants that are not eaten but thrown away

wrinkled –adj. a small line or fold on a surface such as skin, tissue or cloth

pod –n. a long, thin part of a plant with seeds inside

1 hybrids   

n.杂交生成的生物体( hybrid的名词复数 )；杂交植物（或动物）；杂种；（不同事物的）混合物

参考例句：

• All these brightly coloured hybrids are so lovely in the garden. 花园里所有这些色彩鲜艳的杂交花真美丽。 来自辞典例句
• The notion that interspecific hybrids are rare is ill-founded. 有一种看法认为种间杂种是罕见的，这种看法是无根据的。 来自辞典例句

2 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

3 pollen   

n.[植]花粉

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。

4 ripening   

v.成熟，使熟( ripen的现在分词 )；熟化；熟成

参考例句：

• The corn is blossoming [ripening]. 玉米正在开花[成熟]。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• When the summer crop is ripening, the autumn crop has to be sowed. 夏季作物成熟时，就得播种秋季作物。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 lettuce   

n.莴苣；生菜

参考例句：

• Get some lettuce and tomatoes so I can make a salad.买些莴苣和西红柿，我好做色拉。
• The lettuce is crisp and cold.莴苣松脆爽口。

6 puff   

n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气

参考例句：

• He took a puff at his cigarette.他吸了一口香烟。
• They tried their best to puff the book they published.他们尽力吹捧他们出版的书。

7 sieve   

n.筛，滤器，漏勺

参考例句：

• We often shake flour through a sieve.我们经常用筛子筛面粉。
• Finally,it is like drawing water with a sieve.到头来，竹篮打水一场空。

8 beet   

n.甜菜；甜菜根

参考例句：

• He farmed his pickers to work in the beet fields. 他出租他的摘棉工去甜菜地里干活。
• The sugar beet is an entirely different kind of plant.糖用甜菜是一种完全不同的作物。

9 beets   

甜菜( beet的名词复数 )； 甜菜根； （因愤怒、难堪或觉得热而）脸红

参考例句：

• Beets are Hank's favorite vegetable. 甜菜根是汉克最爱吃的蔬菜。
• In this enlargement, barley, alfalfa, and sugar beets can be differentiated. 在这张放大的照片上，大麦，苜蓿和甜菜都能被区分开。

10 chaff   

v.取笑，嘲笑；n.谷壳

参考例句：

• I didn't mind their chaff.我不在乎他们的玩笑。
• Old birds are not caught with chaff.谷糠难诱老雀。

11 undesirable   

adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子

参考例句：

• They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
• Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。