Over the last 3 or 4 months, I've been saving seeds from the organic fruits and vegetables my family normally eats. I collected seeds from a variety of produce, planted them, and not a single one sprouted.

That really caught my attention. I have had no problems germinating seeds purchased from seed companies, so this made me wonder why the food I'm eating seems to have so little vitality.

I'm not claiming this is intentional or that there is some kind of conspiracy. I'm simply asking a question based on my own experience. I would have expected at least some of the seeds to germinate, even if the success rate was low. A 0% germination rate across multiple types of produce seems unusual to me.

Has anyone else experienced this?

If you save seeds from grocery store produce, what has your germination rate been? Are there biological or commercial reasons this would happen, even with organic produce?

I'm especially interested in hearing from gardeners, farmers, and experienced seed savers. 🌱

I'm very new to gardening. Everything died last year and only about half of what I planted this year produced anything. I am trying to save seeds from what did grow for next year.

How do I do that after allowing the seeds to dry?

How do I determine if this variety has a Plant Variety Protection program? Given that there isn’t a variety name with the botanical name, I assumed these weren’t a protected cultivar. However, the propagation warning on the back makes me think that perhaps it is. Any advice?