Saving Seeds

January is the quietest month in our garden and a time I use to evaluate our landscape and consider how to incorporate more native plants and wildflowers in our garden beds and meadows. As much as I appreciate the work of birds and other critters spreading seeds on our property, there is a form of organized chaos to our landscape design. 

eastern silver aster (Symphyotrichum concolor)

Harvesting seeds from native wildflowers is a good way to grow more plants that can be used in other areas of our garden. Recently, on a dry, sunny day, I walked around our property to collect seeds. With brown paper bags and a marker in hand, I gathered seeds using two different methods.

Narrow leaf mountain mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium)

Seeds in plants like mountain mint are housed in seed heads and are teeny tiny. I find the best way to save them is to put a brown paper bag over the seed heads and gently shake the flowers allowing the seeds to fall into the bag. 

Georgia aster (Symphyotrichum georgianum)

Aster and sunflower seeds are easier to just pick by hand, pulling the seeds from the receptacle and dropping them in the bag. 


Once inside, I dump the seeds from the paper bag into a small Tub Trug, where I can easily remove any plant material that may have fallen into the bag, leaving only the seeds. Then I transfer the seeds to a storage container and continue with the next bag. 

Seeds should be well dried before storing so they don't mold. For short term storage, paper envelopes work well. For longer term storage, I prefer to use glass jars. The mini jam jars from our Bonne Maman advent calendar are a perfect size. Don't forget to label your storage jars/envelopes with name of plant and date of harvest. 

Tip: Throw a silica gel pack in your jar for a few days to absorb any residual moisture. But don't leave it in longer because they will dry the seeds too much. 

Are you saving seeds from your garden? The last Saturday of every January is National Seed Swap day. I encourage you to share open pollinated seeds from your garden with other gardeners, neighbors and friends or donate them to a local seed library to spread the love. This is a great tradition and wonderful way to get someone started growing native plants, support pollinators or create a wildlife sanctuary. 

Comments

  1. Saving seeds is so incredibly gratifying! I've been saving veg seed for a while, but in the past couple of years have saved quite a few from ornamentals as well. Last year I collected seed from quite a few flowers that I grew from wildflower mixes - it will be interesting to see what I get from those this year.

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    1. I use to just let all my plants self seed but then found eventually my perennial beds got too crowded. Now I leaves some seeds for the birds and harvest the rest to share with others. It is less expensive than buying plants and I find people are more willing to try plants from seed. I can't wait to read about your adventures in wildflower seed mixes.

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  2. This is a great post, Karin! I enjoy our seed-collecting days at the arboretum where I volunteer (well, not this year). There's something so satisfying about gathering the bounty for replanting elsewhere. You are so kind to share your seeds!

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    1. How great that you have an opportunity to collect seeds from your local arboretum. That is a great way to get more diversity in your garden!

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  3. This is great advice, Karin. I've saved seeds and used them on my own property, but I need to share them with others more. One group that I often do share with is monarch butterfly enthusiasts. Since I grow several types of milkweed, I usually end up with lots of extra seeds, and others are enthusiastic to use them. I usually start by putting them in an open container for a week or two, and then I place a secure lid on them. I really like your new format! :)

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    1. That is awesome! What types of milkweed are most common in your area? Tuberosa and and incarnata are the two that I have had the most success growing.

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  4. Saving seeds is in my list of to-do's for 2021. I want to be more intentional about. This fall, I went with a group from our town, to a local nature preserve area to help the managers collect seeds. I collected so many milkweed seeds and it was good knowing that we are bringing native flora back to the areas.

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    1. We are trying to get a seed bank started with our local Master Gardener group so that we can share seeds of plants that do well in our area with the public. I think people are more enthusiastic trying seeds than plants sometimes.

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  5. Seed heads are so lovely. Our local WildOnes group has a seed exchange/plant sale which I totlly forgot about until reading your post! Thanks for the reminder. xo

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One of my favorite things about blogging is the conversation with readers. Leave a comment and let's get talking. ~Karin

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