Gardeners routinely pull up plants in fall and throw away something they’ll pay money to replace a few months later: seeds. One healthy tomato, bean plant, pepper, or flower can potentially provide enough seed to start multiple plants next season, making saving garden seeds one of the simplest ways to trim next year’s gardening budget. The catch is that not every plant is equally easy to save, and seeds from hybrids may not produce plants resembling the ones you loved this year. University of Minnesota recommends choosing open-pollinated varieties because their offspring are much more likely to resemble the parent plants. If you want to try seed saving without turning your backyard into a plant-breeding experiment, these seven plants are excellent places to start.
