How to Harvest Flower Seeds from Your Garden
- 1). Allow flower heads to die and dry up on the plant stalks, rather than deadheading as usual. The flower will begin putting energy into growing seed. Let the seed pods dry, and any flower petals to dry up and fall off.
- 2). Cut the dried flowers or pods when completely dry, but before the pods split and throw seeds into the garden. Shake the pods into the paper bags, and crush the pods to release all of the seeds. Discard any pod shells. Plants like poppies, columbine, snap dragons and pansies can all be harvested in this manner. Dried flowers like marigolds and corn flowers will need to have shriveled petals removed, and the base of the flower crushed to remove the seeds.
- 3). Label the bags with the name of the plant, color, instructions for growing and date of harvest. Transfer any small amounts of seeds into labeled envelopes. Allow to sit in a warm, dry location for several weeks to fully dry.
- 4). Roll up paper bags or envelopes and place in glass canning jars. Add a desiccant to the jar in order to keep the seeds dry. The small bags of silica used to pack new shoes in shoe boxes are perfect for this purpose. Store the seeds in the back of a cool, dark cupboard, or alternately, store harvested seeds in the refrigerator until ready for planting.