Open the seed pods, pour the seeds into a container, and you're done! Harvesting seeds shouldn’t be that difficult, right? Sure, it's not rocket science, but there are still a few things to consider if you want to avoid losses. What should you consider if you want to harvest seeds correctly?
When is the right time and how do you go about it? There are a few simple rules you should follow. Then you will be able to collect enough seeds for the coming season. Avoid these mistakes!
The timing plays an important role!
The seeds should not be harvested too early or too late. They should be both properly ripe and not yet dispersed naturally. But how do I know the optimal time?
- The seed capsules are dry and beige to brownish in color.
- The capsules have not yet opened or have only opened slightly.
- The seeds of some plants can continue to ripen, e.g. B. in some vegetables that are harvested before the seeds are ripe.
Harvest seeds correctly: Harvesting them too early can result in mold
If the seeds are taken out of the seed capsules too early, they are usually not dry enough. This residual moisture can then quickly develop into mold and ruin all of the plant seeds in your container. This is especially true for all summer flowers, but also for your perennials. In seed pods, you can tell they are ripe by the rattling sound they make when you shake them gently.
Harvested too late means seed loss
If you wait too long, nature will take its course and the plant will sow itself. This can happen quite quickly and suddenly, especially with plants that spread by throwing seeds. So don't take too much time. But how can you prevent yourself from ending up late?
A handy trick is to make sure the seeds are collected in a timely manner. To do this you can:
- For jumping seeds, tie a bag around the seed capsules (e.g. tea bags or linen bags). As soon as they open to spin, they are caught in the bag. The bag should always be permeable to air so that the seeds can dry and do not start to mold.
- For normal seeds, place a plate, a plastic container or something similar under the seed capsules. Those that then fall out fall directly into the container provided.
The weather should be right!
Yes, as strange as that may sound at first. The weather should really be chosen correctly so that the seeds are really dry when harvested. So that you can harvest the seeds correctly, choose a dry day, ideally it was dry a few days beforehand.
How to harvest seeds correctly
- Take the seeds directly and put them in a container (bowl, bowl, can, etc.)or
- First, just cut off the flower heads with the seeds and store them as they are without sealing them.
- You can let everything dry for a while in a dry place.
- At some point you open the seed heads and simply shake the seeds out.
Only from healthy plants!
Sure, your plants have produced quite a few seeds. But that doesn't mean you have to harvest everything you get. It will do you no good to collect seeds from sick or weak plants and sow them next year. After all, you want strong plants again. Furthermore, the ripening time also influences the growth or flowering time to a certain extent. What does that mean?
- Future plants from the seeds that ripen first will most likely flower earlier than the later ones.
- This can be particularly important for some vegetables, as seeds harvested high up can cause future plants to ripen late, as they will only produce fruit at the top, i.e. after the plant has grown longer.
- So try to save one or two fruits for the seed harvest right from the first harvest phase.
- You can also avoid the problem by using non-seed varieties.
Store the seeds appropriately!
In order for the harvested seeds to be usable next season, they must of course be stored correctly. We remember that moisture is your biggest enemy. But the preparation before storage should also be carried out correctly:
- Instead of packing the flower heads with the seeds, stems and other plant parts directly into the seed bag, clean them.
- To do this, simply remove everything that is unnecessary. At the end there should only be the seeds in the bag. Mason jars with lids are also suitable.
- Be sure to label the containers! At the moment you may think you know all the seeds or have memorized what some look like. But that doesn't necessarily have to be the case next year. After all, there will still be a lot of time until then. It will also be more convenient to see what is in each bag at first glance rather than having to open several of them first.
You can find out how to make your own seed bagsread here.
