Save those seeds

The more seeds you save now, the less money you’ll need to spend on your vegetable garden next summer. Here’s how.

• Pick the biggest, healthiest plants so your seeds have the best chance of germinating.
• Allow plants to flower and go to seed. Wait until the seeds go brown and dry before picking.
• With fruiting plants like tomatoes and capsicums, take seeds from very ripe fruit, wash them, and set them aside to dry on paper towels or kitchen paper.
• With flowering plants like herbs, shake dry seed heads over a sheet of paper to collect them.
• Make sure seeds are dry and dirt- and insect-free before storing.
• Store seeds in paper bags or envelopes, inside a jar or an airtight container in a cool, dark place or in the fridge.