Q: I saved seeds from several of my garden plants last year, including pumpkins, peppers, and peas. I want to store more again this fall, but I wanted to start with a few and see how they worked. Besides just planting them and seeing what comes up, how can I be sure the seeds are still good? A: Congratulations, you are becoming a better gardener by growing your own crops. You started with some good, easy-to-collect seeds that should grow well this year. Collecting seeds is easy; the hard part for many gardeners is keeping them over the winter. The seeds may be tiny, but they are alive. They can die quickly if they dry out. The best thing to do after they have been collected, cleaned, and dried off is to store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. A glass jar or sealed plastic container is better …