It’s ‘bout fall here in Minnesota and some of our flowers are looking brown and trying to die, which means it’s seed saving time! If you have not tried saving seeds from your flowers yet, this is the year to start. It is simple and saves money.

You can’t save them all.

Not every flower is worth saving seeds from. Zinnias, for example, often will not come back looking like the parent plant. I buy those fresh every year. The same holds true for dahlias, the seeds will not look like the original, so just save the tubers in the fall which will be an exact replica of the plant.

How to collect Seeds

I let everything dry right on the plant. Once the seed heads turn brown and papery on their own, I know they are ready. At the end of the season I go through the garden and collect them, store them in small containers or plastic bags, and keep them in the house or sometimes in my fridge/cooler.

The Benefits of Saving Seeds

Here is the thing about saving seeds in Minnesota. Our climate is not exactly “ideal.” When a plant survives a full season here, produces seeds, and those seeds go on to grow the following year, you are working with something that has already proven itself in your specific conditions. Those plants tend to be stronger and better adapted to Minnesota’s extreme weather.

What I Save Every Year

Giant poppies are one of the easiest things in the garden to save. One single pod holds at least a million seeds (I didn’t count so not sure that’s a fact, but it’s a lot). I only need one good pod and I am set for the entire next season. The pods are beautiful too so they do double duty as a dried element.

Dragon Cress is one of my absolute favorites. It is a filler and greenery that adds something whimsical to arrangements. It is easy to grow and easy to save. One thing I have noticed is that it will pop up on its own the following year in spots I never planted it, BONUS plants!

Hyacinth Beans climb our cattle panel and they are gorgeous. The purple blooms are beautiful, and the bean pods that follow are so cute. When they dry down they are very easy to harvest and save for the following year.

Love-in-a-Puff is a fun viney plant that produces these little green lantern pods. When you open them up the seeds inside have a tiny heart printed right on them, adorable and the pods are fun to pop.

Sunflowers are the easiest seeds to save. I grow them mostly for the birds and because my daughter Haley loves them. You can let the heads dry right on the stalk, pull the seeds out, and save what you do not scatter for the wildlife.

A Few Extra Tips

Make sure your seeds are fully dry before you seal them up. Any moisture left in the bag can lead to mold over winter. Label everything right away because by spring you will not remember what is in that unlabeled bag. A cool dark spot is ideal for storage.

Happy seed collecting!

Let It Go to Seed: A Simple Guide to Saving Flower Seeds From Your Garden

Let’s talk Dirty….flowers that is.