Do you save seeds? From the time of Noah and before, people have saved seeds. They saved seeds, swapped seeds, inherited seeds, sold seeds and, yes, maybe even stole seeds. We still do. The rage today is over heritage tomatoes. Those seeds had to be kept year after year for them to still be around today.

I remember when we saved tomato and cucumber seeds. We avoided the hybrid ones They wouldn't reproduce true to form. It was like saving hollyhock or petunia flower seeds. After a couple of years, their flowers turned to a washed out pink shade.

I remember when hybrid field corn was new. Dad was cautious about trying it at first. After all, seed corn was expensive. If it didn't work out, he would have lost a good cash crop, something no farmer can afford to do. But he became a believer with his first try. It was hybrid corn from then on.

There were several vegetables we couldn't plant near each other. Squash and melons would marry. Their offspring were inedible. The same would happen with cucumbers and squash. Separation was the key.

Flower seeds were fun to save. Except for petunias and hollyhocks, we had good results saving flower seeds. In fact, it was fun to see what their descendants would turn out to be. Mother would trade flower seeds with friends when we moved to town. Mother's flower garden was always a joy to behold. If anyone had a green thumb, she did.

Dad always said, “You've got to plant by the sign of the moon.” There was always a Farmer's Almanac around somewhere. As Mother did when she went into the voting booth and voted for the opposite candidate, she planted whenever she pleased - with good results, too. Did your mother do that at election time? Dad never had a clue. He would patiently explain to Mother why his favored candidate was the better man. I thought it was hilarious. What has that to do with saving seed? Not much, but it is funny to recall.

Nowadays, there are seed saving clubs. I have seen requests for seeds in certain magazines as well. I save seeds. It seems like a waste of money to buy marigold or zinnia flower seeds. They are kept in business-sized envelopes in the top center drawer of my buffet. Sometimes I remember to start them in the early spring, and sometimes not. My daughter thinks it's a waste of effort to save seeds. She didn't live during the Great Depression or WWll. Does it make me a hoarder if I save seeds?

Before I leave my thoughts on saving seeds, I can't help but remind you that everything changes. Tell a farmer in the nineteen twenties about hybrid seeds, he would laugh at you. What about minimum tillage? Unheard of! I have always embraced change. Let's try something new!