Saving Cucumber Seeds
Before saving cucumber seeds, you'll first need to make sure you are dealing with an open-pollinated or non-hybrid variety, otherwise known as an heirloom. If you save seeds from a hybrid variety and replant them, you likely won't get any cucumbers. Most of the time, the result is a lush plant that doesn't produce. If it does produce cucumbers, you probably won't be happy with the size or quality. Straight Eight is probably the most commonly grown heirloom cucumber variety, although many others are available.
When it comes to pickling cucumbers, there are quite a few heirloom varieties available. The same goes for slicing cucumbers and specialty cucumbers as well.
Steps For Saving Cucumber Seeds
Once you know you have an heirloom variety, the next step in saving cucumber seeds is to remove the seeds from the fruit. It's best to wait for the cucumber to fully mature and then
some before you remove it from the vine. Typically, if you are
harvesting seeds from a cucumber, you want it to be over-ripe, to the
point where it is soft and bitter and inedible. The reason for this is
that you want the seeds to be fully developed and mature. Most of the
time the seeds you find in a perfectly ripe cucumber are still a bit
immature. When in doubt, let the cucumber mature further on the vine
and then let it sit for another couple of weeks before slicing it open.
Once you have an over-ripe heirloom cucumber, cut it open and scoop out the seeds and put them in an empty bowl. Using your fingers, remove most of the pulp from the seeds. Then, fill up the bowl with water and let the seeds settle for a few minutes. The healthy, viable seeds will sink to the bottom and the dead seeds and most of the pulp will float to the surface. When the seeds and pulp have separated themselves, use a slotted spoon to remove the dead seeds and pulp. Then you can put the good seeds on a paper towel to drain. Once most of the moisture is off, the seeds should be creamy white and ready for drying.
The next
step in saving cucumber seeds is to dry them out a bit. There's a
couple of ways you can do this. We've found the easiest way is in a
conventional oven. First, spread the seeds in a single layer on a
baking sheet. We find that it works better to line the baking sheet with parchment paper, just so the seeds don't stick. Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of your oven,
close the door and turn on the oven light. DO NOT TURN ON THE OVEN.
The ambient heat from the light is enough to dry out the seeds in about
36-48 hours. When they are dried enough, the seeds will be harder, more
brittle and they'll have shrunk a little bit. You can then put the
seeds inside an envelope and store them in a jar in your refrigerator.
Make sure you label the envelope so you know what seeds it contains. Also, if you are saving seeds from multiple cucumber varieties, make sure you keep them separated and keep track of which seeds come from which variety. If
you are saving lots of different seeds, several envelopes can fit
inside one, quart-sized jar. It's also a good idea to put a tablespoon
of dry rice at the bottom of the jar just to absorb any moisture.
You
can also save cucumber seeds by using a food dehydrator. Spread the
seeds out in a single layer on the dehydrator tray. Depending on the
model, you may need to put the seeds on foil so they don't fall through
the trays. Drying times vary depending on the dehydrator model, but the
seeds are usually dry enough in a day or two. The key is to use the
lowest available setting and keep the seeds as far away from the heat
source as possible.
A third option for saving cucumber seeds is
just letting them air dry. Spread them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking
sheet or foil and put them in a dry place, preferably away from the
humidity of a kitchen. In our house, we dry out our seeds in our dining room, which has a ceiling fan. In most cases, the seeds will dry out enough in a
few days. Again, you want them to harden up and shrink a little bit.
Click on the following links to learn more about growing cucumbers.
Click here to learn about planting cucumbers
Click here for information about fertilizing and watering cucumbers
Click here to learn about harvesting cucumbers
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