The case for harvesting seeds

I've read many places that harvesting and saving seeds from store bought produce is a bad idea, blah blah blah. Most typically, the advice is published by someone with connection to the seed industry. I have no doubt there are times this advice is quite valid but do not believe every single seed I plant should be purchased. 

Right now, I have cherry tomato seeds growing, which were store bought seeds. I also have beefsteak tomato seeds growing, which I harvested from produce bought across the street at the produce market, then fermented and dried. So far, the beefsteak seeds are germinating at an approaching 100%. The plants are also surviving well. The cherry tomato seeds are running 50-60% germination and a number of the  plants have died off. They were all planted at the same time and have been treated exactly the same. Now, maybe the cherry tomato plants are a much more fragile species of plant. Plus, production is still to be seen, as the beefsteak plants could well be sterile and produce no fruit. Have to wait and see. I still find it worth the effort to try saving and growing seeds from produce.

Cooked some pie pumpkin today to make puree and saved the seeds from that. Has a really good, sweet flavor to the pumpkin with no sugar at all. So I'm hoping the seeds will be viable and I can reproduce the same kind of pumpkins. Seeds are drying now.

Back is still a bit sore but recovering well. Haven't done a job like that on my back in years.

My daughter's dog managed to tear down the top section of the plastic sheeting on one side of the greenhouse. Running into it, then trampling it. It's along a side between the fence and greenhouse. Guess I'll have to use some spare PVC piping to erect a fence at each end to keep him out of that area.

I direct planted some new seeds yesterday in the raised bed. If it gets too crowded, I should have the main bed in planting shape by the time some plants are big enough to transfer. The dog had also dug up some of my garlic, so planted more of that. (He's learning to leave the raised bed alone.) I also planted more peas, broccoli, romaine, green beans (earlier plants failed from frost or strangled by clover) and some jalapeno seeds I harvested. No great hope for those through winter but maybe I'll be surprised. Mulched the raised bed with cedar, which I'm hoping helps discourage the dog, among other pests.

Going to empty out two compost pits this week and get the main bed ready for planting. One pit is still outside and I used a bucket of that to kick-start the culture in three new pits. Going to use the weed fabric I've had sitting around for a while once the main bed is set up. Then I want to get some carrots and potatoes in the ground.