Saving Flower Seeds

Over the past few days-a feeling of fall has arrived in the Southern Highlands of Appalachia. The time between the end of summer and when fall truly begins isn't one of my favorite times of the year. Most of the garden-veggies and flowers-are at the end of their life cycle. The landscape takes on a look of death as it begins to die back for a season of sleep.

I remember Granny gathering flower seeds during the last days of summer. She'd carry an old envelope to stuff them in-storing up the brown seeds-looking ahead to their rebirth. While I helped her collect the seeds I'd think we were storing up pretty flowers for the cold winter days ahead-even if they were only in our minds.

As each summer ends, I find myself saving seeds just like Granny taught me. Although, I've read detailed instructions for seed saving-I use the simple method Granny did. For most of the flowers-I look for dried blossoms-pulling them apart to reveal the seeds. This method works well with Marigolds,

Zinnias,

Purple Coneflowers,

Black Eyed Susans,

and Cosmos.

I also save Nasturtium seeds. I love-their huge flowing leaves, bright flowers and they're even edible-you can't beat that. To find their seeds just look down through the vining leaves-sometimes 2 are together like in the photo. I take the seeds indoors and lay them on a piece of paper or paper towel and let them dry until they're shriveled and brown looking-then I put them in an old envelope just like Granny and save them till spring.

 

Saving seeds from Impatients is fun. Look for seedpods that are swelled-usually as soon as you touch them they POP. (children love to help with this one)

Once the pod pops open-it looks like this. You can discard the green portion and save the tiny seeds-letting them air dry on a piece of paper-then storing in a dry place till spring.

Sometimes I take the easy lazy way of saving seeds. I cut the entire dried flower-stem and all-then lay it where I want it to grow next year. In most cases it works.

The girls use my flowers in their mud pie making enterprise-so I've ended up with flowers in some strange places-but I say a flower is nice no matter where it grows.

Tipper

p.s. I'm going to a pig pickin tomorrow-ever been to one?

Subscribe to Blind Pig & The Acorn by Email

Comments

[pam nielsen]

hi i save all kinds of seeds people here col. Ohio was just amazed they call me flower lady of Whitehall. it is fun and cheap then started selling them it is alot of work but like i said fun to spread the beauty i feel like a million dollars when i can make some thing bloom and bring beauty into this some times very ugly world. pig pickin! in Tenn. we call it a pig roast PAM

[My Carolina Kitchen]

Great idea to save seeds if you can remember where they are the next year. Guess you can tell that has happened to me. Also never store them in plastic bags - they mildew. I know this from experience also.
Sam

[Apple]

I save enough seeds to start plants in the spring and leave the rest on the plants for the birds. Very often the seeds left in the garden will come up on their own and be well ahead of planting time here.

I haven't been to a pig picking in more than 30 years.

[Carolyn A.]

Oh Tipper! Thanks for the tips on saving seeds. If I had a garden I would definitely follow your rule of 'green' thumb. :) Can't wait to see what you'll get next year from the seeds you saved this year. I LOVE zinnas especially. I gave Roxanne zinnia seeds for her birthday and they came up so pretty. You always have the best lore to tell us about. xxoo

[warren]

I love a pig-pickin'! It's so much fun..as a kid it was just such a blast to gather with all the people. As a teen, I enjoyed the all-night drunk that preceeded the feast, and now I am back to enjoying the famiy time. We do one every summer with the family! Hope you had fun!

[Tipper]

Paul-thanks for the comment-and for dropping by the Blind Pig-hope you'll visit often!

Blind Pig & The Acorn
Music, Giveaways, Mountain Folk
All at www.blindpigandtheacorn.com

[Leslie]

Thought about you today, Tipper. As I was cleaning out flowerbeds, I was collecting seeds from my Hummingbird vine. :)

[Miss Cindy]

Hey Tipper, I've never done much with flowers. It's not that I don't like them just for some reason never tried to grow them.

My grandmother had a yard FULL of flowers of all kinds. She could grow anything! I wish I had some pictures of her yard. She saved the flower seeds and she shared seeds with other women and got seeds from others as well. That was they things were done in the country.

Here's a cute true story about my grandmother. Her youngest son married a girl from Oklahoma while he was in the military. When he was discharged he, of course, brought her home to meet his mama. The couple, in fact, lived with her till they got settled. I would not call my grandmother close minded but they did not meet many people that were not locally born and raised. One day while the new husband was working his bride was trying to be helpful to her new mother in law and said "can I help you in the garden", My grandmother was trying to adjust to this foreign daughter in law. Back in the 30's Oklahoma was a long way from Western North Carolina. So my grandmother said " sure, you can help, clean out that flower bed for me". The new daughter in law didn't know that cleaning out the flower bed meant pulling the weeds. She thought it meant clean everything out and that is what she did. She pulled up everything planted there, weeds and flowers. When my grandmother returned she took one look at her bare flower bed and said "you little s--t! you pulled up all my flowers!"
True story. One of the things that makes it so funny is that no one ever heard my grandmother say s--t. She just did not use that kind of language. She did eventually come to love that daughter in law!

Yes, I love pig pickins though I haven't been to one in a few years.

[Becky]

I save flower seeds too. Much the same way as you do.
This year I'm experimenting with saving vegetable seeds.
There will come a day when you look around at those stray flowers and you will be flooded with good memories.

[Just Jackie]

I went right out and started saving some seeds. I had saved some tomato seeds earlier this year, I had them sitting out to dry out and Casper threw them away. Thought they were just garbage. (city boy)
If the pig picken is what I think it is I wish I was going with you. Shawn smoked 30 lbs of pork butt for a neighborhood get together and not a scrap was left. Yummy !!!

[sheila]

today I was just looking at a daylily pod I left too long...already burst...but I'll see if I can find another :)

I missed your pickling...I couldn't find the little pickling cukes...only great big monster cucumbers...I was disappointed...oh well, life moves on :)

[Glenda]

I'd love to go to a pig pickin'because if the folks know how to cook that pig, the eating is mighty good.

Tipper, maybe you can show me how to save my impatien seed. I spend a bundle each year on plants, but would love to start my own from seed.
Love this post with all the pictures.

[Kelli]

We need more flowers around here. Those are lovely. We had sunflowers in our garden, but the rest are wild. We've been so busy with edibles that the flower gardens I've loved to plant so have fallen by the wayside. I have to say that I am looking forward to October and all its glory no matter what things are looking like right now. :)

[Osagebluffquilter]

Is a pig pickin . . .pulled pork?

[Fishing Guy]

Tipper: I am so glad for the sharing of these methods of extending the beauty of the flower beds.

[Annie]

Hi Tipper,
Fall is my favorite time of the year too. It's our family's time to celebrate the "High Holy Days."
I save marigold seeds and have been saving them for years. I never have to buy marigold seeds. I plant marigolds all around the perimeter of my garden. It seem so help keep bugs away.
I Don't know what a pig picking is, but I would lot to find out.
Blessings, Annie

[Greta Koehl]

Fall is my favorite season, and this year I've started back to seed saving. Marigolds, zinnias, cosmos, impatiens, and this year I'm trying (cultured) daylilies again.

[WKF]

Ahh you know it's fall....College Football and
pig pickins!!!! Our neighbors had one Saturday, too. Unfortunately we couldn"t attend. We have the Swine Flu! Close enough I guess. One friend was brave enough to put a baggie of BBQ on the porch for us. God Bless Him.

We have a rotisserie Hog Pit and we still don't cook enough hogs to justify it. I think we need to do whole chickens....It makes my flock of yard birds nervous when I say that outside!!

Hey-, I almost forgot both corns made some ears. Not Pretty but they are there.

[kikithespunkymunky]

Never ever heard of pig pickin, what the heck is it? But I do love pigs and Babe is one of the cutest movies ever.

[laoi gaul-williams]

we have been collecting and saving seeds from our garden...i hate to think how many brown envelopes we will have! i already have lavender hanging in brown bags in our airing cupboard.

[Paul Wald]

Over here in my area, we save Hollyhock and Marigold seeds. I remember my mother having envelopes full of the buds, with seeds gathering at the bottom. (she still does) I saw a new one recently about cooking the Hollyhock buds (before blooming) in butter. Sounds interesting, but I think I will stick to the "pig pickin'" for my lunch!

[David Templeton]

My mother used to love a flower she called "touch-me-nots". I haven't seen the flower in many years but the impatiens you have look like the same flower; well, that's what we called them anyway ... touch-me-nots ... because they popped open at the slightest grasp and we kids couldn't resist that surprise.

Boy, Tipper ... you sure print wonderful (and beautiful) articles.

By the way: we save seeds from our heirloom tomatoes and they make good tomatoes every year ... brandywines, Romas, marglobes. Our leftover dillseed reproduces perfect dill also.

[David Templeton]

Our highest assurance of the goodness of providence, seems to me to rest in the flowers.

[Valerie Boivin]

I hate when fall comes. I always feel like everything around me is dying too.

Pig pickin? Where?! I'll be there!!!!! I haven't been to one of those in years!

Be Blessed

[Emily Cole]

I love pig-pickins, Tipper! I wish I had more flowers in my yard... there's always next year!