SAVING SEEDS - LETTUCE & SPINACH
By: Ron
The One Who Walks Two Paths
Lettuce and spinach are some of the easiest plants to save seed from. Most of us try to keep our plants from bolting (setting seed), so let a few of your best looking plants set seed. You will find that they look a little like dandelion flowers with the exception that there are multiple flowers per stem. Also, like a dandelion, the seeds are attached to a silk-like structure.
The best way to save the seed is after the flowers have all been pollinated to place a piece of old pantyhose over the stalk. This will allow all the seed pods to ripen without loosening the earliest set seeds.
After the stem starts to yellow, it is time to cut the stem and hang the plant till dry. Remove the seed and break off the seed from the silk (most people have seen marigold flowers and have pulled the seed out of the pods; lettuce is just like this). Label and store.