I want to share with you excitement of starting a seed, watching it grow, picking the produce, enjoying the harvest and now saving the seeds. It has truly been an amazing year for me growing what we eat! Forgive me if that was a 'run-on' sentence but I am just super excited this time of year. Yes, I have been growing select veggies for many years now but this year is my first at doing it all with a green thumb. No chemicals have been used, only natural means of growing everything from seed to feed my family. This has been a wonderful growing experience. Just look at those cucumbers pictured below?! I had to dig out my wide mouth jars just to do the pickling with those beauties!
This photo is of the first week harvest from only 4 pickling cucumber plants.
Saving the Cucumber Seeds
Saving the seeds from the cucumber is super easy. I have collected a few tips along the way from the sweetest Garden Guru who has been running his own market in Ohio for the past 50 years. Let me tell you he knows a thing or two about pickling. He sells his own processed specialties at His road side market. I'm going to honor his wishes and keep his name private. However, I do have permission to share with you some seed saving tips he shared with me the other day as I visited his market.
1. Be sure to use the seeds from the best harvest. This is usually your 2nd cucumber off of each plant. Taste the cucumber and be sure it is tasty.
2. As you cut the cucumber open carefully remove the seeds.
3. Rinse and strain the seeds.
4. Let the seed sit on a piece of cotton for a few hours to dry.
5. Once the seed is completely dry place the seed in a plastic bag that can be sealed. The seeds need to stay dry until used.
6. It is best to keep the seeds in a cool location. I have heard of some seed collectors keeping them in a refrigerator. I keep mine in a file box in our basement that stays about 67*F year round.
That is what I'm doing with my cucumber seeds. I am going to try planting a few in my greenhouse in late August so I will keep you posted on the results. I would love to hear from you and your seed saving experience so your comments are greatly appreciated.
That’s a great tip! This week I pickled cucumbers for the first time. I’m totally addicted to it!
Isn’t pickling the best?!!! Just wait till you open a jar of those yummies this winter at a Holiday party. YOU will relive summer again!
Hello Bren:
Wonderful seed saving advice in your post this morning. Love the tomatoes in your pocket, dried flowers in hand and the herbs I know make you bare feet smell sweet : ) Enjoy
Thanks Annie for stopping by…. I hope to share some tomato seed saving this summer as well.
It is wonderful how all the GREEN make the veggies so much bigger! Seriously, we are in a drought but I have been using Haven Brew to water my raised beds where those cucumbers were harvests and just look at them? I need to do a side by side comparing the ones from the raised beds and the harvest from the large garden. Keep in mind both beds have pretty much the same soil / horse manure mix. Sounds like a SHARE for tomorrow!
Hi Bren, Your cucumbers look amazing! Thanks for the tip on seed saving.
I wonder if it works the same for flower seeds? I wasn’t sure how to save the seeds so I never gave it a try.
Susan, my flower seeds I usually dry the whole flower and keep it till the spring. I don’t usually separate the seed from the flower. It all goes back into the garden come spring. I shared a video about it at : BGgardenLive / Seed Saving . Thanks for stopping by Susan!
Great info! Other things to keep in mind when saving cucumber seed: If you want the same type of cucumber that you saved the seed from, make sure to grow an open-pollinated variety AND make sure that there are not other cucumbers around as they can easily cross-pollinate with each other.
Great tips! All of my cucumbers are still so small, but once the season catches up to them I may try saving some of their seeds my self!
Thanks for sharing these methods. I hope to save my lettuce and spinach seeds this year. And the bok choy.
Great site!
oh… those are good ones to share. I will have to check out your page because I have no idea how to save the leafy seeds.
Very impressive,Thank you
Excelent post thank you for sharing such wonderful information!