It is our habit to save seeds of quality fruits that we eat. Just a habit, most of the time the seeds rot or go dry. But sometimes, we plant the seeds. The last time I had eaten a very sweet cantaloupe, I made a small patch for the seedlings. There were sprouts that grew to vines and bore flowers. Now I am seeing some small cantaloupes sprouting on the vines together with the yellow flowers. We can save money because instead of buying seeds, we just gather the seeds of quality fruits that we eat. Here is the photo of my cantaloupe patch -
Wow that looks just like my butternut squash. I like to grow food too. It tastes better when you get it right from your own yard. It is always fresh and it tastes different than what I get from the market!
To be honest - much as I would agree that growing something from seeds that you have collected and saved yourself can be both very satisfying and extremely rewarding - I wouldn't quite agree that it always results in savings - especially as - cutting back on what is generally considered to be the least inexpensive aspect of growing your own produce - can more often than not prove to be false economy. Particularly bearing in mind the fact - that unless collecting seeds from heirloom plants - which will normally come true to the mother plant - the end result can never be guaranteed - as not only are seeds collected from most hybrid plants and especially F1 hybrids more often than not sterile and if they're not - they rarely if ever come true to the mother plant - but there are also a wide range of plants - including many fruits and vegetables - that are easily cross-pollinated by nearby plants and various insects - meaning what you get - may not be exactly what you expected or for that matter even be edible - as its highly likely to be a disease ridden, poorly fruiting plant with a flavor that doesn't even come close to resembling that of the mother plant. Which is why - as I grow all my own produce and have done for well over 12 years and therefore - my main priority is to have a guaranteed year round supply of fresh nutritious - edible produce - trying to save what is in reality a tiny, tiny amount of money - is definitely not worth the risk - particularly when paying a small amount for fresh good quality seeds each year - not only provides me with a constant and very abundant supply of fresh good quality edible produce that's bursting with flavor for an entire year - but more importantly - its way more cost effective in the long term - especially as the savings made from not having to buy any produce from the store are so huge - that they far outweigh the minuscule initial outlay each year.
I always have the best of intentions, and want to save seeds/pits and grow them from scratch, but it rarely happens. I keep thinking I'm going to plant an avocado tree, but I always end up forgetting about the pits and they crack and split, and I throw them out. I have a stash of seeds I purchased last year, and just planted some of them. I don't keep a huge garden, and don't anticipate having a crop that will satisfy all of my needs, but my goal is more to supplement what I buy at the store, so I can have fresh produce in between shopping trips. I've had luck in the past with tomatoes, lettuce, and peppers, and this year, I've planted tomato and carrot seeds, and am planning to put in another two types of seeds, probably beets or radishes, and lettuce. I did notice that Walmart has a very large selection of seeds, since growing produce has become very popular. I glanced at the section the other day and did see some heirloom and non-GMO labels, but as expected, the prices of those seeds were about double the cost of the average seeds.
There are some people I knew who had a small patch of shady ground in their backyard which they used more like a nursery though it technically wasn't one. After eating fruits they'd toss the seeds out into this "nursery". Some would germinate and these they'd transplant. It's something anyone could try.
