What obstacles prevent you from saving seeds?

Are you saving Seeds?
Why or Why Not?
If not, what are the obstacles?

I'm saving seeds from the plants that give me seeds. I think my next step is to figure out biennial seed-saving which I haven't done at all.

I have never saved seeds. Although I’ve never done really big gardens it didn’t seem worth the effort (it’s probably much much easier than I think). However for the first time this year I felt really ripped off buying seeds so it’s 100% on my agenda this year. One pack of tomatoe seeds I bought was over 3$ and it no kidding had 11 seeds in it.

In years before I’d buy seeds for around 1.5$ and there was enough for at least two years if not 3. So aside from the money I want to be more self reliant. I’ve also read several threads now about the landracing and choosing best plants that will adapt to my surroundings. Seems like a win win situation. Thank you for all the informative post on the matter.

I have a collection of seeds stored in my freezer.  I feel my selection is more by accident.  I need to be more systematic and deliberate in my approach.

I have done some limited seed saving (unless you mean saving seeds from last years catalogue order, haha). My biggest obstacle is the desire to know what variety I am growing and also having a desire to grow several different kinds of varieties. For instance I like Martino's Romas and Amish Paste tomatoes, and I would save seeds, but I don't want them to mix. Next year, I want to plant Martino's Romas and Amish Paste... not a mix. And I don't have space to separate them.

I save some seed. The main thing that stops me from doing it more is that I like to try different varieties. I think there where 13 different squash varieties flowering within 50 ft of each other last year. While I have saved and started some of that seed, I don't think I'm gonna get a yellow crook neck from it. So most of the saved seed winds up being extra garden not main garden.

I save some seeds and want to save more. I save them because both the concept and the process are soothing to my soul; I feel much more connected to my plants and their welfare, as well as the benefits that they bring to me. The ones I grow from saved seed feel more "mine", for whatever that means.

What gets in the way of "more"?

Space; my method of chuck-the-plant-parts-in-a-paper-bag-and-let-them-dry-for-a-long-time tends to take up a lot more space than is really logical

Saving tomato seeds intimidates me a bit. Pretty sure my squirrel brain will just let them rot in that fermenting stage and I'll have a stinky mess with no viable seeds

We're going to be moving next spring to a very different climate (from rain-shadowed valley 8a to timbered mountain 5b, more than 5° latitude north) and I'm still unsure about crop selections for that new area

Slight amount of shame for the masses of seeds I already have

I'm a newbie here and have never saved seeds much because  I didn't think I could save seeds from hybrids.  I only recently learned differently from reading some of the threads on this site.  Another factor this year is the huge increase in the prices of seeds and shipping.  $5 per packet on some sites with high shipping costs!   So this year I plan to save all the seeds I can.  

Honestly?   The fact that there's so many different varieties out there and I love to try new things.  I do have a thing for beans and have been the fourth generation to maintain a variety of cut-short beans.  However I have been saving seeds of various beans and acquired seed of a landrace and a grex. I'll also conduct an experiment with the 15 bean soup mix with a few additional dry varieties included.  

Last year I enjoyed the leaves and flower buds of two different overwintered kale varieties and saved seed of one, which likely gave me enough to plant for the rest of my life if the seed would remain viable that long.  The other variety self-seeded and I have more than enough seedlings for this year with no effort.  

Like Carolyn, the increase in the cost of seeds and ever-increasing shipping prices will have me striving to save as many varieties as possible this year.

Matt McSpadden wrote:I have done some limited seed saving (unless you mean saving seeds from last years catalogue order, haha). My biggest obstacle is the desire to know what variety I am growing and also having a desire to grow several different kinds of varieties. For instance I like Martino's Romas and Amish Paste tomatoes, and I would save seeds, but I don't want them to mix. Next year, I want to plant Martino's Romas and Amish Paste... not a mix. And I don't have space to separate them.

You could always pick up a few blossom bags.  Or even use a paper bag.  Just cover a branch of flower buds before they open.  When the flowers open, make sure to give them each a bit of vibration behind the flower heads (an electric toothbrush works) in order to get them to self-pollinate, and close the bag again to keep pollinators out.  Once the fruits have started forming, you can tie a ribbon or something around that branch so that you know for sure which tomatoes were self-pollinated.  Then save seeds only from those fruits.  You ought to get hundreds of seeds from doing that -- enough to last for many, many years.

I have always a Doomsday Box of seeds if the crap hits the fan.
Seeds which can be stored for decades.
I do not know if they are true crops and trees because they are self harvested hence could be cross-pollinated.

This is the only reason I buy my seeds as I need...

I’m starting to get more serious about seed saving. The biggest barrier would be space to grow safe from deer. I have plenty of space, but only a small area protected. It’s hard to grow enough to eat and save seed, even harder to grow out a large number for good seed selection. My other issue would be organizing my brain, remembering to take notes and refer back to them. And is there any way to store short-lived seeds long term? What if I keep peas in the freezer?
And I read and enjoyed your book, so I shall take some seeds that I have saved and plant them where deer might get them and see if any survive!

To this point I save easy seeds- tomatoes, melon, squash, etc. Things you scoop the seeds out of when preparing for a meal. I get hung up on plants that I either forget that I want to save seed from and harvest, or I lose track of and don't go back to when seeds would be ready to harvest - beets, onions, spinach, etc.
I would love to get better at this. Anyone have any suggestions?

I do save seeds, but these are my main obstacles.

1. Industrial cornfields... I mean, I did save seed, but I will continuously check the variety for contamination and never share them with others. A misfortune because sharing seeds makes me so happy...
2. No root cellar. On a happier note, this means I can sow lots and hope that some survive the winter. This happened with two turnips and a few carrots so far. I don't know whether they are really better adapted, or just escaped my harvest.
3. Small quantities of seeds on tables being swept away by accident...
4. Moisture-sensitive seeds being forgotten and drying out.
5. Family not understanding seed saving, wanting to eat everything
6. If I had more time I would probably go on seed saving adventures every week, collecting not only cultivated plant seeds, but tree seeds, fruit seeds, forest herb seeds, meadow herb seeds.
7. STUNning and finding out that the plants are more than stunned...

Maieshe Ljin wrote:I do save seeds, but these are my main obstacles.

3. Small quantities of seeds on tables being swept away by accident...
4. Moisture-sensitive seeds being forgotten and drying out.
7. STUNning and finding out that the plants are more than stunned...

Ha ha ha ha!  I can totally relate to these!

Like others, I am a seed saver…..up to a point. I face obstacles, some of which I have gotten around, others that I haven’t. Why do I go to the effort?
… to save money
… to retain open pollinated varieties that I like
… to develop landrace varieties

Obstacles:
… too humid on my own farm. In some cases, seeds rot or mold. In others I’ve watched peas and beans sprout right inside the pods way before the pods dry down.
… difficulty finding a good location where it isn’t as humid but I also have access to water for growing the plants
… difficulty finding the required location where people passing by, or feral pigs, don’t harvest (steal) the veggies before the seeds mature.
… some veggie varieties won’t go to seed without significant outside intervention. In Hawaii, I’ve never seen kale, parsly, or chard go to flower.  My favorite collard never flowers, thus I have to keep it going via stem cuttings.
… with no cold winters here, getting carrots, parsnips, and other biennials to flower would take intervention and a refrigerator.

I am a seedsaver. I go to freedom démonstrations or gatherings and bring my seeds along to share. I want people to have viable seeds. To have an easy fun time growing plants.Not to struggle growing out seeds that need costly chemical help and are selected to be transported and stay looking 'great' with no taste.
I want that poor people can grow food easily too.
I hope my varieties cross, hybrids are stronger.
Sharing seeds increases the chances of a lucky hybride appearing.
My obstacles to not saving more seeds are time related.

A huge obstacle that sometimes comes up is getting plants to MAKE seeds, when they're of a species that is usually propagated asexually.  I expect this to be a big deal with banana breeding, and it's a frequent issue with root crops, like potatoes.

I'm saving seeds for nearly 10 years. my only difficulty is that i have difficulty to grow roots vegetables. Partly i think because my garden soil is heavy in organic matter and i grow on small mound and have no running water, so difficult to keep seedlings watered.

I'm now share many of my garden and perenial seeds at a spring seed saver exchange, very rewarding!