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A Growing and Seed Saving Guide
A diverse mix of cucumber seeds contributed by gardeners and farmers around region and the country. Save seeds from healthy plants to adapt to MI challenges.
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Add description from GTS Seed Steward page
Days to Harvest: 90 days (early maturing)
Average Planting Date: April 15-May 15 (after last frost date).
Light: Plant in full sun
Days to germination: 3-7
Seed Pledge: I commit to saving seeds from the earliest and best plants and sharing them with my community.
Return Address for Seeds
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PollinationNotes:Cucumbers will cross pollinate with all other varieties in the Cucumis Sativus species, including lemon cucumbers. If you have another variety you want to keep pure, it needs to be at least 100 feet away. We appreciate seeds fromanyhealthy & tasty cucumber grown in your garden.
IdealPlantingDates:May 15th- June 15th, or after night time temperatures have warmed above 50F. Cucumbers have sensitive roots and prefer to be direct sowed rather than transplanted.
PlantingInstructions:Direct sow half an each deap, and
Diversecucumberseedlingsreadytobethinned. Keepseedlingswithbigger,greenerleaves.
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Some plants will naturally resist pests, handle poor soil, or thrive in your local conditions better than others. By planting saving seeds from the stronger plants, you are growing a crop that will adapt and thrive in your garden without purchased products like fertilizers and pesticides.
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Harvest cucumbers once they turn yellow or even orange. Seeds benefit from additional curing time at room temperature, in a location protected from rodents. Ideally give them an extra 2-4 weeks to mature, and process before they rot.
Cleaning:Cut open your ripe cucumbers and scoop out the seeds into a container. Allow the seed mixture to ferment for 1-2 days.
Add to a larger container and fill it with water. The good seeds will sink to the bottom. Pour off floating debris. Add more water, repeating this process until you see only seedsat the bottom of the container.
Maturecucumbersbeingprocessedforseeds
DryingandStorage: Thinly spread the seeds onto a glass or ceramic dish, cookie sheet, or window screen. Do not dry on paper as the seeds may stick. You can use a fan, place the seeds near a wood stove or heater, or use a dehydrator at a setting less than 90˚F.
The seeds are dry enough if they break–rather than bend–when you try to fold them.
When stored in cool, dry, and dark conditions, cucumber seeds can maintain good viability for 5 years.
We believe that food is only as local as its seed. To that end, the MI Seed Library aims to connect seed libraries, their stakeholders and partners, and to promote and support the development of new seed libraries throughout Michigan. We do this by:
● Providing space for collaboration, networking, and shared resources among seed libraries
● Connect community members, gardeners, and farmers to seed libraries and hands on educational opportunities to connect with seeds and food
● Provide a database of crowd sourced materials from successful seed libraries to strengthen existing and emerging libraries
● Develop a growing supply of regionally adapted seeds to provide as seed (pun intended) for new libraries.
Vision:
Our vision is that every community in Michigan has a seed library and access to locally adapted seeds and education.
We believe seed saving and seed sharing serves as a vehicle for supporting regional food systems, preserving genetic diversity, and maintaining connections to history and culture.
Care of the Earth Community Farm
Many of these cucumber seeds come from Megan Allen and Eduardo Lazaro ofCare of the Earth Community Farmin Corryton, Tennessee. They have been working on adapting crops to their hot, humid summers where commercial seeds often fail. They are creating a cucumber population that is naturally heat-adapted and resistant to downy mildew, alternaria leaf-blight, and the many insect pests present in their climate.
Cucumbers originated in India (known as 'Kheera' in Hindi) over 3,000 years ago. From there, they spread to China and eventually made their way to Western Europe. Ancient Greeks and Romans were known to cultivate cucumbers, with Pliny the Elder mentioning Armenian cucumbers in his 77 AD writings. Throughout history, farmers have selected for different cucumber traits across regions - for instance, ancientRomans grew shorter, rounder varieties compared to today's longer varieties.
How do crops adapt a crop to our local environment?
Year1: Lots of gardeners plant lots of seeds. Some plants will do better than others, and that’s OK, celebrate the strong ones. Save seeds from any plants that produce seeds, despite challenges.
Year2: Repeat the first year, but this time we can be more selective and saves seeds from the most delicious plants or fruits.
Year3andbeyond:Save seeds from plants with the traits that you love. This may include best flavor, dark colors or a preferred sizeand shape or early ripening. Keep the population diverse to allow it to keep adapting and evolving (always save seeds from multiple plants).
TheKey: Save your seeds and share then with the community through your seed library. Your seeds will be mixed with everyone's and shared back out through the seed libraries.
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When you return seeds, you're helping build a living library of locally-adapted varieties that get stronger with each passing season. After keeping enough for yourself, use the sticker provided to keep track of your seeds for planting next year, and the additional sticker to return seeds to your nearest seed library. Return Seeds to:
Add anAvery sticker label provided
Please fill out this sticker or form and return with your seeds
Plant/species name:__________________________________
Variety (or parent varieties) ____________________________
Garden Location:_____________________________________
Year: _______________________________________
Grower name: ____________________________________
Email or phone: ___________________________________
● Return Seeds To: Avery Sticker Label Address?
Seed packet holder space
In this guide, you'll learn how to grow and save seeds that get stronger and more delicious with each generation. Along the way, you'll join an ancient tradition of seed stewards, helping to heal our food system from the ground up.
Localization - Over time, seeds learn your soil, local pests, climate, and your habits, and will thrive with less effort from you.
Strengththroughcommunity - Share seeds, stories and knowledge. Every gardener adds to our local food security.
Selectforwhatyoulove- Grow food that matches what matters to you—flavor, sustainability, resilience, or all three.
