Freighter View Farms

As I sit here, looking at the neatly arranged seed packets on the floor-each labeled and stacked with care, I feel a deep satisfaction that comes from knowing I am closing the loop on yet another growing season here at Freighter View Farms. Here at Freighter View Farms, the seasons ebb and flow, but the seeds keep the legacy of each year alive. The practice of saving seeds is more than just practical; it’s a connection to the past season and a promise for the future. Each of these little packets, filled with potential, tells a story of the garden it came from. There’s an intimate sense of continuation what grew well, what thrived in this northern Michigan sun-and there’s the thrill of imagining what will take root next year.

Seed saving is a meditative practice, a bit like closing up shop after a busy harvest. This year, I’ve saved seeds from a mix of flowers and vegetables, some old favorites and some new experiments. I have seeds from bouquet dill, Oklahoma White Zinnia, Queen Lime Zinnia, Scarlet Zinnia, Lemon Summer Squash, French Pole Beans, Sugar Baby Watermelon, Red Robin Tomato, Window Box Tomato, Orange Accordion Tomato, Sun Dipper Tomato, Sweet 100 Tomato, Ping Pong Tomato, Yellow Marigold, Purple Cosmos, Mixed Calendula, and Container Peas. Each packet contains more than just seeds-it contains memories of a season’s worth of care and the lessons the garden has taught me.

Saving seeds from flowers like zinnias and marigolds always feels like holding on to summer. Zinnias are some of the easiest to save from; simply wait until the petals fade and the center dries to pull out the seeds-an act of patience that offers a promise of color in the months to come. The Queen Lime Zinnia, with its subtle green and pink hue, was a standout this year, and it will be a joy to watch it grow again, knowing the lineage goes back to this very soil. Marigolds are another favorite-those golden yellows brighten up any garden, and they’re a companion to protect vegetables from pests. It’s practical, beautiful, and easy to collect once the flower heads have dried on the plant.

Then, there are the vegetables. Lemon Summer Squash is always a pleasure to grow-those bright yellow fruits are easy to spot and pick. This year, I made sure to save seeds from three of the best fruits. It’s a simple process: scoop out the seeds, rinse them thoroughly, and let them dry on a paper towel for about a week before placing them in packets. French Pole Beans are another favorite-I left a few pods on the vines until they were completely dried. The rattling sound when you shake those dry pods is like music for the gardener’s soul, and opening them up to reveal the shiny seeds is always a small moment of joy.

Tomatoes are a bit more involved. Varieties like the Orange Accordion and the sweet, prolific Sun Dipper need to be fermented before their seeds are ready for storage. It’s a slightly messy process-leaving the seeds in a bit of water to ferment for a few days-but it’s worth it. Fermentation helps remove the gelatinous coating on the seeds and ensures better germination next year. The ping pong and Sweet 100 tomatoes were some of the best producers, and I am already thinking of where I’ll plant them next year for optimal sun and space.

This season, I’ve also saved seeds for gifting-each packet filled with care and labeled with love. It’s one thing to give a gift, but there’s something especially meaningful about sharing seeds. You’re not just giving something that has value today—you’re giving the promise of growth, of a flourishing garden in someone else’s space. It’s like extending a piece of Freighter View Farms to places far beyond our shores. It’s a tradition I’ve come to treasure, and it’s incredibly rewarding to hear back from friends and family about how their little Freighter View Farms plants are doing in their corners of the world.

Seed saving also allows for planning-I can look at what worked this year and carry those lessons forward. It’s more than just gardening; it’s learning, experimenting, and improving. Freighter View Farms is always evolving, and as I pack away seeds from the scarlet zinnias and purple cosmos, I think about where they’ll go next season, how they’ll mix with other flowers, and how the garden will change. That sense of anticipation, that looking forward, is what I love most about this time of year.

The seed packets represent hope. Hope for next year’s garden, for beautiful blooms, and for bountiful harvests. There’s something quite powerful in that-saving seeds isn’t just about sustainability or self-reliance (though it is certainly both of those things). It’s about keeping the essence of a season alive and starting anew with a sense of gratitude and excitement for what’s to come. So, if you’ve never saved seeds before, I encourage you to try. Start small-maybe with marigolds or beans-and feel that connection from one season to the next. You’ll find it’s one of the most rewarding parts of gardening.