For many vegetables, it's easy to save seed alongside harvesting your normal crop.

The simplest vegetables to save seed from are those that flower within their first year (annuals) and that naturally self pollinate (inbreeders). To maintain diversity you will need to save seed from a minimum number of plants, depending on the vegetable. To keep the variety pure they need to be grown a minimum distance away from other varieties of that vegetable. (See Top Tips for Seed Saving)

Here are some good ones to start with -

Peas - Grow the crop as you would for eating, but not right next to another pea variety. Save seeds from around 10 plants by leaving the pods on the plants to dry. Then pod the seeds by hand.

Climbing French Beans - Get them off to an early start by sowing in pots in April, then planting out after the risk of frost. Grow at least 10 metres away from any other Climbing French Bean. Save seed from around 20 plants, by letting the pods dry on the plants, or if the weather is wet, uproot the plants and hang in a dry place. Pod the seeds by hand. Runner bean seeds can be saved in the same way, but they need to be grown at least 800m away from another variety to maintain purity.

Lettuce - When lettuce "bolt" they are sending up a flower spike which will produce seeds with white fluffy parachutes a bit like a dandelion. Sow your lettuce early in the year and at least 8 metres away from any other lettuce varieties. Let a few plants bolt. The flower heads may need staking at they can reach about 1.5m high. Collect seed from one or two plants by shaking the heads into a paper bag on a sunny afternoon.

Squashes - Squashes will cross pollinate, so grow only one variety - and check what your neighbours are growing. Harvest ripe fruit from 2 or three plants and leave to ripen further for about 3 weeks. Rinse the seed in a sieve, lay out to dry on a sunny windowsill, turning occasionally.

Tomatoes - Most tomatoes are self pollinating, with the exception of some currant varieties, potato leaved varieties and double blossoms on beefsteak varieties. Self pollinating varieties have their female stigma enclosed inside the male anther tube. Varieties that can cross pollinate have a protruding stigma, so check your flowers to make sure. Gather fully ripe fruits from at least 2 different plants. Scoop the seed out and clean in a sieve under cold running water. Spread the seed out on a paper towel to dry. The seed will stick to the paper, but you can sow it by burying the paper the next spring.

Protuding Stigma

Enclosed Stigma

Store your seed somewhere cool and dry and remember to label with the variety, year of collection and any isolation measures taken.

More difficult vegetables......

More ticky veg to save seed from incude carrots, parsnips, leeks, cabbage and kale. These all flower in their second year, so forward planning is needed. They are also "out breeders" meaning that a lot of plants need to be gown and measures may need to be taken to keep the variety pure. However, by taking on one of these more "difficult" vegetables you are making an even bigger contribution to preserving vegetable diversity. You will produce a large quantity of seed which will go a long way at a seed swap. Or you could become a Heritage Seed Library Seed Guardian.

Outbreeders. You may decide not to control the pollination of an outbreeder. You can still save viable seed, but you will begin to lose the characteristics of that variety. Many people do this for their own use, but if giving the seed to a seed swap please note it on the packet that the variety was not isolated.

Seed Circles. A Seed Circle is a group of people who all pledge to save a seed of a different vegetable and distribute the seeds among the group. So you can save the seeds of just one vegetable and receive seeds of 5 or 6 in return. Use our forum to make contact with others who may want to start a seed circle.

Recomended books

Heritage Vegetables - The Gardeners' guide to Cultivating Diversity, Sue Stickland. Gaia Books

Back Garden Seed Saving, Sue Stickland. Ecologic Books

Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties, Carol Deppe. Chelsea Green Publishing Co. (Available in Machynlleth Library)

Or join the Heritage Seed Library to gain access to their seed saving factsheets on the web.