Harvesting Seeds from Flowers

Gardening takes on different forms in late August/early September. There’s still time to enjoy what’s in bloom, but it’s also time to start getting ready for next year’s plantings!

Many flowers are dying and are forming seed heads. That means it’s time to grab a pen, envelope and jar and head out to the gardens.

When I was young, we had 2 kinds of flowers every year – marigolds and zinnias. At the time I thought it was fun to pick the seeds and see all my Mom’s canning jars filled up with seeds lined in rows on the garage shelves. Now I know why we had the most flowers in the town of Auburn – it’s because these flowers multiply like crazy! And Yes! I still love marigolds and zinnias.

When to Pick the Seeds

Marigolds
When your marigolds look completely brown and dried up, they’re ready to save. Make sure you don’t pick the seeds when they still have color. That means they still have moisture and they WILL mold. I know that from personal experience!

You can pick the dried marigold……

The seeds will pop out of the seed head and look like this.

I keep them in an envelope or a jar (depending on how many you have).

Cosmos
This is what the Cosmos seeds will look like.

Zinnias
Zinnias dry up completely. I usually flake off the flower petals that have dried off. Then all you need is the individual little seeds.

Extra Tips

Don’t forget to mark each seed packet. You will easily forget which seeds become which flower.

Store the seeds in a dry place. I usually store them on a shelf in my utility room or garage.

I never save the seeds from the Hibiscus plant. I tried that one year and ended up having little bugs take over my utility room. I don’t know if it is even possible to start a Hibiscus from seed. Do you? Have you ever tried this?

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Do you collect seeds from year to year? What’s your favorite seed to collect? Any special tips for saving them? I’d love to hear!