How to Store Pumpkin Seed for Planting

Gardens -  Each fall as you carve your pumpkins for Halloween or to make decorations, there are those seeds left behind. Pumpkin seeds are very easy to save and plant.

Many gardeners save seeds from their pumpkins to grow next year. Some even grow pumpkins for their seeds. Unlike many annual vegetable plants, pumpkin seeds store well. It's not necessary to plant them immediately after harvest, so you can wait until you are ready to start growing your favorite heirloom or new hybrid variety. 

Pumpkins are easy to grow outdoors in most of the United States. They do well in rich, loamy soil that drains easily, and once they are big enough, they produce plenty of food that lives deep in the pumpkin or fruits that you can cut open. If you wish to plant the fruits you cut open, save some seeds for next year's planting by following these steps.

How To Store Pumpkin Seed For Planting

1. Remove the pulp and seeds from inside the pumpkin. 
2. Place this in a colander. Place the colander under running water. As the water runs over the pulp, start picking out the seeds from the pulp. Rinse them in the running water as you do. Do not let the pumpkin pulp sit in non-running water. 
3. There will be more seeds inside the pumpkin than you will ever be able to plant, so once you have a good amount of seeds rinsed, look over them and choose the biggest seeds. Plan on saving three times more pumpkin seeds than the number of plants you’ll be growing next year. Larger seeds will have a better chance of germinating. 
4. Place the rinsed seeds on a dry paper towel. Make sure they are spaced out; otherwise, the seeds will stick to one another. 
5. Place in a cool dry spot for one week. Once the seeds are dry, store pumpkin seed for planting in an envelope.

Tips to Store Pumpkin Seed For Planting

You can keep your seeds there for a couple of years. But if you want to plant them next year, you will need to move them to a drier place.

Beside envelope, the best place to store them is a paper bag inside a container. A paper bag keeps the seeds dry and clean because it is sealed. You can leave it unsealed if you want, but that will let the moisture out.

If you put them in a jar or tin, they will pick up bits of the tin or jar, which will then get mixed in with the seeds.

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