~Saving Marigold Seeds~

Marigold Seeds
(File Photo)

The small Marigold plants that were placed in pots on our deck this past Spring grew and are still adding so much color to our yard. An added plus was that those little bunnies did not hop up the steps to investigate. Seeds from these beautiful flowers can be saved and sowed next Spring. Like with Zinnia seeds, it is an easy process. Snip off the colorful flowers and dry them out. The seeds are long, slender and black. So many seeds can be harvested/ saved and planted next Spring after the danger of a frost is past. Marigolds are very pretty flowers.

Orange Marigolds
(File Photo)

Usually a long planter filled with yellow and orange Marigolds is also found on our deck.

My "Orange Pineapple" Planter
(File Photo)

In the past few years I have planted both Vinca and Marigolds together in pots for added colors on our deck. They also grow well together. If you have been enjoying Marigold flowers these past few months, consider harvesting some of the seeds to plant next Spring.  

For my complete instructions on saving Marigold seeds, click here.

Next Spring plant the seeds in the ground or in planters. Beautiful flowers!

Happy Gardening!

   

Saving Zinnia Seeds

Sometimes the Zinnias Attract Butterflies!

It's autumn!  It's time to save those Zinnia seeds from the plants you've been enjoying all summer.  You know you'll want to enjoy these beautiful colorful flowers again next summer.  So, save the seeds from this year's crop and plant them in your flower garden next spring!  In other works, it's time to plan ahead.

Before we get a frost this autumn I harvest the colorful flowers (no stems).  That frost will end my Zinnia crop!  Place the flowers in a cut down tissue box.  Then, place the box in front of  a window to dry them out.  After the flowers have dried, pull off the outer petals.  No longer are the petals colorful, but dried out.  Each petal is attached to a "tear shaped" seed.

"Tear Shaped" Zinnia Seeds

Those seeds are a gold mine of new plants for next year!  The red, the orange, the pink and the yellow flowers!  Save the seeds in an envelope for next year.  I always seal it, so none fall out.

Next spring, take out your envelope of seeds!  You will be so happy that you saved those seeds!  Find their spot in your garden & plant them in the warm soil.  Cover with a light coating of soil.  Water.  Before you know it sprouts will pop up & your new Zinnias will be on their way!

This is a tradition with me!  After perhaps 5 years the flowers start becoming a little smaller.  Then, I know it is time to purchase the seed packets to plant.  Until then, I'll be saving my colorful Zinnia seeds!

Enjoy!
Happy planting!

         

Harvesting Marigold Seeds

Saving Marigold Seeds

A year ago in May, I received the cutest little plant!  My 2 adorable little grandsons gave me a potted Marigold for Mother's Day.  Into our front garden it went.  Yes, it was given special treatment- watered every day with our sprinkler system, fertilized and boy did it flourish!  Last Autumn I saved some of the seeds from my very special beautiful Marigold plant.  

This past Spring the seeds were planted in a pot.  Somehow, a few seeds also found a home with the Zinnia seeds in our side garden.  How did that ever happen???  Then, we had a lot of rain.  Oops, not good for germinating seed! Well, one plant did grow in the pot & 3 other Marigolds were lookin' good with the Zinnia plants.  A little transplanting to the pot was in order.  Guess what???

Early this Summer- Marigolds growing from saved seeds!

I've been enjoying my healthy Marigolds from the boys all summer.  My pot has been filled with beautiful bright orange flowers & green buds that will open!   Now, it's time to harvest some of the seeds, so a 3rd generation of Marigolds will grow & flower next summer.  I am so onto this!  Now, I've saved a few of the dried blossoms to harvest my seeds for next year's plants!  Inside the dried blossom pods are next year's crop!

Seeds located in dried blossom's pod

Harvesting the seeds is easy!  Remove the dried pod from the plant outdoors.  Then, separate the seeds inside the dried pod from the dried flower & pod.  I store the seeds in an envelope to continue drying.  See top photo.  A few weeks later, label & seal the envelope.  This is my treasure for next year's beautiful orange colored Marigolds in our yard!  

If you've been enjoying Marigolds all summer, save some of the seeds, too!  Next spring after all danger of frost has left your area, plant the seeds outside.  They can also be planted inside in containers in early Spring, if possible.

I have plans for next year's gardens!!!  It's so cool to grow plants from seed, especially when you've harvested the seeds from the previous year's flowers!

Do you save seeds from flowers in your garden to grow the following year?  

Enjoy!

   

Harvesting Zinnia Seeds

The bright red, yellow, pink & orange Zinnias blossomed all summer!  So many vibrant colors!  Each seed planted grew into a very bushy plant with so many bright blossoms & buds.  Combined with the Marigolds that were planted in front of them, our side garden has been enjoyed by our neighbors, too!  Especially our next door neighbors! 

Now that Autumn is here, it's time to save the Zinnia seeds from this year's crop!  What might seem like quite a chore, really is not at all.  When the colorful Zinnia blossoms have a dried out look, snip off the flowers from the stems of the plant. 

***I harvest the seeds before we get a good hard frost here in my area of Western Mass!  That frost will end my Zinnia crop.  Our weather will change & it will get colder. 
 

With a gentle breeze blowing!

A tissue box that has been cut down is the perfect container for the flowers, so they can continue the drying process.  Place those dried out looking flowers in the tissue box.  My container is sitting on the sunny window sill in our Family Room.  Those seeds that were harvested are the source for some of next year's colorful gardens! 

After the blossoms are dried, pull off the outer flower petals.  Discard the remaining parts.  Each dried petal is attached to a "tear shaped" seed.  After planting that seed next year, it will grow into a Zinnia plant.  There is next year's crop!  Sweet! 

"Tear Shaped" Zinnia Seeds attached to dried petals.
(File Photo)

I remove the dried petals from the seeds - as much as I can.  Those dried seeds will be stored in sealed labelled paper envelopes.  Next spring, after the rows in our gardens have been created for the seeds, I'll place the Zinnia seeds in the ground & cover with a light coating of soil.  Then, pat the soil gently.  Every day they will need to be watered.  Before you know it there will be sprouts!  Those little green plants will need to be thinned out.  When any plants are 5"- 6" tall, they can be transplanted to other parts of the yard.  The process will start again!     

Harvesting & saving Zinnia Seeds is a yearly tradition with me.  In any given year if I find that the flowers are much smaller than the previous crop, I take the clue.  The following year I'll purchase newly commercially packaged seeds for that year's colorful gorgeous Zinnias in our yard.

Do you harvest & save seeds for the next year's crop? 

I Enjoy it!

Saving the Seeds

Dried rust, golden, and red colored leaves were bouncing on the pavement as they blew down the street two days ago.  The sun was shining on a beautiful fall day!  As I enjoyed listening to the leaves I remembered the Zinnia seeds that were drying on our Family Room window sill.  All summer we and our neighbors have enjoyed our ever blooming Zinnias.  Shades of orange, yellow and red blossoms were constantly opening!  This year I purchased packaged seeds that would grow in three different heights.  The blossoms were also different.

Zinnias with pink Impatiens

Some looked like cone flowers.  In the autumn I save some of the dry flowers in order to further dry out and store the seeds.  My plan worked well two weeks ago.  I harvested my bounty one afternoon and we had a "hard frost" that night!  

 

Currently, there are 3 lunch sized paper bags on my window sill that contain the seeds that are drying. 

Tear shaped Zinnia seeds attached to petals

The seeds are tear shaped and still attached to the dried colored petals of the previously colorful flowers.

 

In a couple of weeks the dried seeds will be packaged in envelopes - and labelled according to height.  They'll be ready to plant next spring.

 

Not only do I have plans for next year's gardens, today I learned how to add arrows using Photoshop!  WooHoo!

 

Do you harvest seeds to plant the next year?