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21.10.10

How to Save Seeds

A recent visitor to this garden blog asked me what the benefit of saving seeds from the garden for next year. The answer can be a rather long one involving issues like income, consumerism, and even politics when we get into the area of genetically modified organisms and saving heirloom seeds. The biggest benefit for me of saving seeds for next year is that I create a backup of my garden should plants die or get stolen. While saving seeds from vegetables, flowers and fruits you're creating your own personal seed bank. Below are some seed saving tips and techniques I rely on to save seeds from plants in my garden. Hopefully they'll be of use to new gardeners who come across this.


When to Save Seeds

Save garden seeds from good growing seasons, from healthy plants. Harvest seeds from plants before rainfalls and frosts. Seeds that have dried on the plant may absorb moisture during rains, swell and crack. All of this hydrating and drying is damaging to the outer seed coatings that prevent seeds from germinating and to the embryo inside.

Where are the Seeds?

This is the most frequently asked question by new gardeners wanting to learning about saving flower seeds. Locating the seeds on the plant can be difficult if you do not know what you are looking for. Ideally, a gardener should learn the basic flower shapes in order to be able to identify where the seeds will develop. Compositae (Asteraceae) are the largest family of flowering plants. These include common garden annuals like asters, sunflowers, Black-eyed Susans, rudbeckias, daisies, gazanias, calendula and zinnias.
Compositae(Asteraceae)Family,Zinnia, Sunflower, Gaznia
Being the largest family of flowering plants the Compositae family is most likely the plant family you are collecting seeds from in your garden. If the flower has a green, yellow, brown or black "eye" in the center it is likely a member of the Compositae family. This eye is made up of lots of tiny flowers which each produce a seed.

Rudbeckia, Black-eyed Susan seed heads

The seeds will develop in that "eye" forming a seed head. Oftentimes the "eye" looks like a button and sometimes it can look a bit like a cone like in purple coneflowers and rudbeckias. Some Compositae flowers, like those of marigolds, have tight bunches of petals, with no “eye,” but the seeds develop right in the center. When sowing these seeds the easiest method is to break apart the cone or button and sow the seeds directly in the ground.



 Plants in the Lamiaceae (mint) family may produce many tiny flowers among a stem. Basil is a good example of this flowering pattern. An inflorescence (groups of flowers) is a flower shape you will come across in the mint family. I think these clusters of flowers look like bottle brushes. Anise hyssop is an example of an inflorescence. What looks like a flower is actually comprised of lots of tiny flowers, which produce very small seeds.

Anise Hyssop Flower, Inflorescence

Collect these seeds by shaking them inside of a paper envelope. Cutting off the stalks and hanging them upside down also helps release the seeds inside. Don't crowd too many plant stems or seed heads into a small envelope when you're harvesting seeds.

Celosias and amaranths produce inflorescences that resemble plumes and you can harvest these seed the same way as described above. 

Seeds from vegetables and fruits like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers are found inside among the flesh. Some fruits like strawberries have seeds on that develop on the surface of the fruit. Ferns are among a group of plants that do not grow flowers or produce seeds, ferns reproduce by spores. Flowering bulbs like alliums and four o' clocks also produce seeds that can be collected.

Candy Lily, Blackberry Lily seeds developing

An easy way of locating where the seeds are developing is to look at the flower petals. The petals are usually in front of or surround the ovary. As flowers are pollinated, the petals fall away after doing their job of attracting pollinators. At this point the seedpod or capsule begins to swell and inside of these is where you will find the seeds. In the photo of blackberry lily above: image 1 shows you the petals, in image 2 they're starting to wither, in image 3 they've turned brown. But you can see how the seeds have developed behind them. Some plants like nasturtiums and bells of Ireland do not develop seedpods or seed heads--the seeds hang off the plant, but as long as you know the seeds develop where the petals where you will be able to find the seeds on the plant.

Seed Saving Kit

Seed Saving Kit, saving seeds for next year

Create a seed saving kit that you can keep by the front door, glove compartment, purse or backpack. You will need a small pair of scissors (or pocketknife), paper envelopes (junk mail works great) or paper bags. A pen (or marker) to label the seeds as you gather them from the garden. Do not rely on your memory, by the time you get the seeds home you could have forgotten the name, variety or color of the bloom. This is all valuable information you may need later if you trade seeds. Recycle small containers such as small tins to save seeds, prescription bottles and film canisters for very tiny seeds. Bamboo skewers help you dislodge seeds or collect seeds that are tacky and may stick to your hands or fingers. You can keep these items inside of a larger plastic bag.


Drying Seeds

Saving anise hyssop seeds


Air circulation is very important in drying seeds before storing them. You do not need fancy equipment or tools to dry seeds. Simply spread out the seeds on sheets of paper (or paper plates) and allow them to air dry for a few days. Do not place seeds on or in plastic to dry. This can create a breeding ground for mold and fungus. Small seeds that develop inside of a pod, like poppy seeds, should be poured out of their pods to dry. Place stems from the Compositae and Lamiaceae families upside down in large paper bags and envelopes to allow their pods and seeds to dry out. Remove as much plant material (stems and leaves) as possible if you're drying seeds in paper bags or envelopes to speed up the drying process. Move seeds around (or shake the bag they're in) so the seeds don't clump together and they dry out evenly.


Whether you are interested in saving seeds for next year because you are a frugal gardener who likes to save a few, or you are saving seeds because you want to preserve biodiversity of heirloom seeds; seed saving is easy for the beginner gardener. Examine flowers up close and tear them apart to inspect each of the parts that it is comprised. Do the same with the seeds of a plant. Gardening, and seed saving in particular, is not rocket surgery. You can find seed saving tip for individual plants by clicking on the seed saving label. Use the Seed Snatcher search engine to search hundreds of websites, blogs and forums about everything related to seed saving. Two websites I recommend are Tom Clothier's seed page and The Seed Site, both of them are included in the Seed Snatcher search engine.

Part 2: How to Store Seeds You Saved From Your Garden

21 comments:

  1. Hi,

    I just collected lettuce seeds from a plant that bolted. I think I might have collected them too soon though. I waited until the puff balls developed (after the flower closed up) and cut the flower stock off. Dried it in a paper bag for a couple days but I don't think it was dry all the way.

    Should I have waited longer? Until each whole pod was dry? Should I keep these seeds or not? A

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Anonymous2:26 PM

      I gathered lettuce seeds at the puff ball stage and they germinated very easily.

      Delete
  2. When I first started gardening, I didn't really think about seeds much, other than maybe spread some marigold seeds for next year. Now I'm fascinated by seeds--not only their form but their function. It's so cool to me how a plant goes from a tiny seedling to producing seeds itself--I love watching the flowers turn to seeds (love you blackberry lily photos, btw). I love collecting, saving, and sharing them. I love how some are tiny dark and spherical while others are large beige flat and rough. I love winter seed sowing because it lets me "garden" in the winter. I've really started appreciating plants even more when I've watched them grow myself. :)

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  3. MBT -- This is an awesome post! You covered everything so thoroughly, and the photos are really helpful. I wish I'd written it :-)

    I don't have a kit put together for collecting seeds -- I'm kind of haphazard about that, and I know I end up losing a lot of seeds because I'm not prepared when I see them ready to harvest. I'm definitely going to put one together to keep by my back door.

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  4. For the coneflower, can you plant the entire conehead? My sister sent me some of the dried cones and I couldn't figure out what were the seeds. I felt like an idiot.

    Definitely try the pickle recipe. It's soooo good.

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  5. @Linda, The seeds may still be good, although I like to wait until the pods start showing signs of being dried-like cracking a bit. Keep them and see if they work, it won't cost you anything. What you can do is test some seeds. Sow some now and see if they germinate.

    @Dave, Thanks!

    @Monica, You basically described how I feel about seed too. I knew there was a reason I liked you.

    @Colleen, LOL. Hope you do put together a kit. Ever since I got into the habit of keeping one handy I've collected a lot more seeds.

    @MeemsNYC, Check out the post on purple coneflowers that is linked above. But in short: yes, you can just scatter them.

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  6. We must be kindred spirits, because I was checking my Cosmos for progress on the seeds this morning and I thought, this is not rocket science. This is teachable. You just nailed it with that post. I hope you inspire many.

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  7. This is certainly an eye opener for me. The tip about harvesting seeds before the rain is bingo for me. I used to think that it is better to leave the seeds on the dried up flower head for as long as possible to get better quality seeds.

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  8. Great post MBT, excellent for seed savers just starting out.

    Just a tip when it comes to lettuce seeds (if I may butt in ;)) - what I like to do is bend the stalk over a can or bucket, bang it around, the seeds that are ready will fall, the ones that aren't ready will stay on the plant. I usually do this over a few days, and when the majority of the seeds are out, then I pull the plant. Easy peasy!

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  9. @Liza, Thanks for the feedback on the post about saving seeds. Isn't it easy when you learn what to look for? I don't know why people are so confused by seed saving, it is so darn easy. Hope you get a lot of seeds from your cosmos.

    @Autumn Belle, It seems like leaving them on for a long period of time would mean you'd get mature seeds, right? But after the pod has begun to dry it is no longer getting living off the plant, if the plant stem is brown, it isn't providing nourishment to the seeds. So, leaving the seeds on longer really doesn't help much.

    @Kelly, Thanks. By all means feel free to chime in with your expertise (goes for anyone reading this) on any subject. My favorite posts (about Adeniums) here have been active for three years because people stop by and talk about their experience. Thanks for the tip on the lettuce seed saving.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:18 PM

      Love your posts! Let's get back to the nastursums....I have many with 3 seed pods. Do I pick them now (green) and dry them in the closet on a paper plate? Would they prefer the window sill sunshine? Is it better if I leave them on the vine longer?

      I've dried my sweet peas for a few years now and they are fabulous! Do I follow the same protocol?

      I never considered the Cosmos! You guys are getting me on a roll!

      Delete
  10. Our rain daisies confuse new gardeners. That plant produces two sorts of seeds on the one flower. Both are viable. Beige discs like coins, and also little brown sticks.

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  11. Man, I just love the way you do! I could read your posts on collecting seeds all day. It's good for the soul. I recently scored some perennial hibiscus "Peppermint Schnapps" and I can hardly wait to start germinating!

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  12. I help manage a native plant garden for a community college in Central Illinois. The garden is about 3 years old now and getting pretty well established...established enough this year, I think, that we can start collecting seeds. You've answered lots of my questions. Thank you, MrBrownThumb!

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  13. Thanks for the great info its my first year saving seeds hopefully I will succeed

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  14. It's great to be prepared and think ahead!

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  15. It's great to be prepared!

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  16. I have recently discovered some miniature morning glory on one of my fences and am going to be stalking it for seeds now! What about the tiny little "pea pods" on wild sweet peas? When should I harvest those? I sometimes see them when I'm out walking and wonder if I can save some to plant.

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  17. I have an interesting drying technique to share. We were having spaghetti squash one night and I noticed as I was removing the seeds that a few of them had already sprouted roots, so I decided to plant them and save several more. My children are planting fanatics so you can't leave the seeds down where they can reach to dry. I went to wash them while I thought of a way to dry them. Then I realized that my sieve was being used to wash the rice we were going to cook that night. As I looked around my kitchen for an alternative, I spotted my sprouting trays (for salad sprouts) and thought "I can wash them with that" since the have small sits to drain off water as you rinse the sprouting seeds often. But how to dry them? Then I realized, if you don't rinse the sprouting seeds, they dry out because the drain sits provide a lot of air flow also. And it was in a sort of container, so I could place them on top of my upper cabinets and just let them dry. I don't save a lot of seeds as I only have one flower bed that I only plant edible plants in, so my little sprouter works fine for my seed drying purposes. I just put a small piece of tape on it telling me which type of seeds are in each tray.

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  18. Thanks for the great tips! I've translated your post to Dutch and put it on my own website: https://planten.nl/blog/het-stappenplan-om-bloemzaden-te-bewaren/ Thought you'd like to know.

    ReplyDelete

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