Many of the flowers in my pots and borders that had looked spectacular in June and July are now coming to an end and it’ll soon be time for phase one of my seed harvest.
Collecting and saving seed from plants that you are growing this year means that next year you can fill your garden, pots and window boxes for little more than a bit of time and patience.
If you’ve seen a lovely plant that a friend or neighbour has been growing, it’s always worth asking if you can have some seeds too – people who grow beautiful things generally like to share the love.
On the subject of sharing, I made a personal pledge that I would collect some seeds and share others with the birds. I’m currently working on a 50/50 basis so that they have something natural to forage for over the winter months – I plan to write a full piece on year round planting for nature over the winter so that we’re all prepared come the spring. The birds seem particularly fond of things like sunflowers, thistles, asters and honesty. If you can resist the urge to cut them back, they seem to withstand much of the winter weather and can add a bit of interest and structure at the same time, especially when they sparkle in the sunlight on frosty mornings.
Here I am concentrating mainly on perennial, biennial and annual flowering plants (those living for three years, two years and one year respectively). The principles are the same for herbs, vegetables and plants that have similar seed heads/pods but differ for fleshy vegetables, trees, shrubs, bulbous plants etc. again, I will need to cover that separately.
So, let’s get started with some handy pointers for collecting and storing seeds.
1. Dry, Dry, Dry
This is probably the most important piece of advice. Try to collect your seed heads from healthy plants on a dry day when they look brown, papery and crispy but before they have started to split open and disperse their seeds. This is important as damp seeds may go mouldy during storage and under-ripe seeds are unlikely to germinate and give you beautiful flowers.
2. And Dry Again
If you can, leave the seed heads somewhere sheltered out in the sun for the rest of the day. This will allow any residual moisture to evaporate and provide a chance for any tiny creatures that are having a nap in the pods to wake up and scurry off to find a new home.
3. Recycled Containers
Have a little selection of clean, dry pots to hand to empty the contents of the seed heads/pods into. Yoghurt/dessert pots work well as their size and colour allow you to see the seeds clearly.
I’d recommend that the seed is stored over winter in small, plain paper envelopes. If you save a few from birthday cards, bills etc. and snip each one into quarters you’ll have the makings of 4 little seed envelopes with maybe just a couple of extra folds.
An airtight container is great to keep the envelopes in to ensure that they are protected from damp and humidity during winter storage. Re-purposed takeaway food cartons can be ideal, as can a biscuit or cake tin. If you have a leftover silica gel sachet from other packaging, pop it in to absorb any moisture.
4. Let The Fun Begin!
Just like with the plants, the seed heads and pods will be of various shapes and sizes and each will need slightly different handling.
Seeds from grasses, wildflowers, daisies etc. will easy to gently pinch out of the head between your thumb and finger and then just sprinkle them into a pot, removing any stray petals or chaff.
Seed pods are a little more robust and can be gently cracked/crushed in the same way to release the seeds. It’s wise to do this directly over the pot or a tea towel as they do tend to fly everywhere. Again, remove any stray pieces to leave just the seeds.
Have a quick scan over your final collections of seeds before putting them in envelopes and discard any that appear damaged or imperfect to ensure that they have the best chance of germinating into healthy plants when sown.
5. Label
However good your memory is and however organised you are, I’ve learnt from experience that unless you’re happy with a plant-based lucky dip come spring, you really must label each envelope. I’ve got into the habit of also taking a mobile phone picture of the plants while flowering to help with remembering the colour, height and growing habit of some of the more obscure ones after the long winter.
6. Store
Seeds like cool dry conditions (5 degrees is optimum for longer term storage) so find them a spot where they can sit happily until spring. A shed, garage or unheated room would be ideal.
7. Swap/Gift
If you have been lucky enough to collect more seeds than you think you might need, do consider sharing them with anyone who might enjoy a little extra gorgeousness in their life. The addition of some pretty wrapping and thoughtful, handwritten instructions can turn them into a beautiful, personal and sustainable gift to be enjoyed for years to come.
Finally, having completed the above, phase two of my seed collecting will probably begin towards the end of September/early October to include the late summer flowers. As the darker nights draw in, it serves as a positive reminder that the end of summer doesn’t have to be gloomy; it can be a time of hope and preparation for the spring to come.
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