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10 Easy Tips for Saving and Storing Pumpkin Seeds for Next Year

As pumpkin season starts to fade away, don’t throw away those seeds just yet. Saving pumpkin seeds is effortless and rewarding, and it will help you prepare for a successful yield when next year rolls around. Let us go through the best practices for selecting, cleaning, and storing pumpkin seeds to get the most out of your garden next season.

Choose the Right Pumpkin

fresh outdoor pumpkin plant

Start by selecting a pumpkin you like to grow, whether a traditional Jack-o’-lantern or a small sugar pumpkin. Be sure to pick a healthy, disease-free pumpkin, as diseases can be transmitted through seeds and affect future plants.

Go for heirloom or open-pollinated varieties to ensure the seeds carry the same traits to the next generation. Avoid using seeds from hybrid pumpkins, as they may not produce identical pumpkins.

Separate the Seeds

Child's hands scooping pumpkin guts with a spoon
Image Credit: Adobe Stock

Cut the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds attached to pulp, using a heavy spoon or your hands. Carefully separate the seeds into a bowl from the stringy pulp or onto newspapers. Be careful not to break the seeds, since you would need the whole seeds to plant. This is a messy but necessary step for preparing the seeds for the next cleaning stage.

Rinse the Seeds Thoroughly

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Immediately after separating the seeds, wash them under cold running water in a colander. During this rinsing, gently rub the seeds between your fingers. This act will help remove some of the stubborn pulp and any fibrous material still attached to the seeds. Ensuring that the seeds are clean of the remaining fibers helps avert mold occurrence and spoilage. The pumpkin seeds are ready at this point for drying and further storage.

Choose the Best Seeds

Closeup on young housewife showing pumpkin seeds
Image Credit: Adobe Stock

Be sure to sift through your collections and select only the biggest, plumpest ones, which usually have better germination rates and lead to stronger plants. Avoid using thin, wrinkled, or damaged seeds, as they’re less likely to sprout and grow healthy. It will take time, but if you save seeds that are better in quality, they are bound to yield a much more productive season.

Lay Out to Dry

Image Credit: Adobe Stock
Image Credit: Adobe Stockx

Spread the cleaned seeds on a paper towel or baking sheet, ensuring they do not overlap or stack up. Laying them out in a single layer helps to provide maximal airflow, ensuring that seeds dry thoroughly without developing molds. Let them dry in a well-ventilated area, after which they can be stored for planting next year.

Flip Seeds for Even Drying

Image Credit: Adobe Stock
Image Credit: Adobe Stock

Allow the seeds to dry for a few days to a week. Every day or two, flip the seeds over to make sure they dry evenly. You’ll know they’re ready when they feel dry and slightly brittle to the touch. Depending on humidity levels, this could take more or less time, so be patient and let them dry thoroughly to avoid moisture during storage.

Perform a Quick Germination Test

Squash  plant growing from seed isolated on white
Image Credit: Adobe Stock

Quick germination tests can be a smart move to test if your seeds will grow once it’s planting time. For this, you have to pick a few handfuls of seeds, place them on a damp paper towel, fold them properly to cover the seeds, and then put them inside a sealed plastic bag in a warm place, like the top of the fridge. Let the seeds be for about a week and check if they have sprouted. If most of the seeds have sprouted, it indicates that the seeds are good to germinate in the following season.

Label and Store the Seeds

closeup of pumpkin seeds in a transparent container, created with generative ai
Image Credit: Adobe Stock

Once dry, sort and store the seeds in a labeled envelope or paper bag. Note the variety of pumpkin, the seeds, and the date you harvested them for easy identification later when you plant them. Avoid plastic bags or jars, as they may allow moisture to get stuck, leading to mold and spoilage of your expensive seeds. For best storage, you could also use airtight jars, including mason jars.

Keep Seeds in a Cool, Dry Place

Different types of cereals, seeds and legumes in containers on white table, closeup
Image Credit: Adobe Stock

Store your seeds in a cool, dry, dark place. The ideal locations include a pantry or drawer where temperatures are stable. Keep away from high humidity and temperature fluctuations that can degrade the viability of your seeds. The seeds can be stored long-term in the fridge, but remember not to freeze them. Freezing will kill or damage the seeds. Stored well, these seeds will be ready to thrive when it is planting time.

Recheck the Seeds Before Planting

Farmer's hand planting seeds in the soil in rows, successful agribusiness, pumpkin seeds
Image Credit: Adobe Stock

Before planting, review your seeds one last time. Check for signs of mold or color changes, which may indicate spoilage. If the seeds look good, you’re ready to plant and enjoy a fresh pumpkin crop. This quick final check helps prevent unwanted surprises in the garden and promotes a robust harvest.

Rotate Your Crop for Best Results

Image Credit: Adobe Stock
Image Credit: Adobe Stock

Pumpkins, like many garden plants, benefit from crop rotation. If you’re reusing your seeds next season, plan to plant them in a different part of your garden to reduce the risk of soil-borne diseases and pests. Rotating crops can improve soil health and produce better pumpkin yield.

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