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Saving seeds can save you money
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A dried Hollyhock flower with seeds showing
Most home gardeners already know that in order to keep a plant blooming, the dead flowers must be removed (dead heading). A plant's main goal in life is to produce seeds, so if you interrupt the seed process, your plants will bloom longer. This is especially true of annuals - flowers that only live one year.
Why not kill 2 birds with one stone? Instead of dropping the dried seed heads on the ground or throwing them in the compost heap, start saving them to sow next year.
Collecting seeds is as easy as plucking the dead flowers and dropping them in a container. The best time to harvest seeds is in the afternoon, after the dew has dried. You want to make sure the seeds are as dry as possible before storing.
I typically use brown paper lunch sacks to collect my seeds, but you can use any container you have available. I like the paper sacks because I can store the seeds in them for several weeks to make sure the seeds are completely dry. After the seeds are dry, I then place them in old jars and store in a dark cupboard.
**Note: Some seeds must be stored for several months in the refrigerator in order to germinate. I will be having an article on this procedure coming up in the future. For now, all seeds can be collected the same way as above.**
Some of the easiest seeds to collect are:
- Marigold
- Zinnia
- Hollyhock
- Sunflower
- Cosmo
- Columbine
- Poppy
- Black-eyed Susan
- Coneflower
- Snapdragon
So, next time you're in a "dead heading" mood, why not save these seeds for future use? Not only will you be helping your current flowers, but you will not have to buy new seeds in the spring.
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