Nearly all corn varieties are hybrid. Other vegetables may be. F 2 plants are not hybrids and lend themselves to seed savings. Harvesting Seed Seed producers have developed some very ingenious equipment for harvesting, extracting and cleaning seed. The home Gardener, however, will have to do with available utensils.
Seed is extracted from fruit after it ripens and before it rots.
Leave summer squash and cucumbers on the vine until after frost, just like winter squash and pumpkin. Separate the seed from its pulp and dry at room temperature. Leave pod Crops on the vine until the pod dries. Harvest before the seed is dispersed. Similarly, harvest seed heads after they dry but before dispersal.