As your favorite flowers and vegetables bloom, don’t forget to harvest some of those seeds! I put several jars on the table in the garden and as the flowers wilt, the seeds are collected. (Don’t forget to label the jars so you know whats, what!)
The easiest way to collect those seeds is to DeadHead the flowers. You simply cut off the flowers when they wilt. Pop the whole flower top into their jar and let them dry completely. Do not cover the jars until all seeds are completely dry. I leave them out in the sun for the rest of our California late summer, and then bring them in once the rains start and store them in envelopes in the garage in a metal sealed bucket. The garage, which is dark and cool for the winter is the spot! The seeds will be planted inside in January so I will have grown starts to plant in the spring.
Seeds have been hard to find in the Pandemic, so when I find a vegetable that I like, I open it up and take some seeds. An easy way to store small seeds is to spread the tiny things to dry on a paper towel. . Then simply roll it up when dry and place in its jar. Then you can cut the paper towel and plant the whole thing with seeds into the dirt later.
Tomatoes need to be separated from the red gel-like stuff that you can see in the below photo. This can be done on a paper towel when you collect them or when you soak the seeds before planting them. I am experimenting with both ways.
Some thick seeds, like berries, will need to be dried out on a piece of wax paper in the sun for several days to make sure they are dry.
One caution, I buy only organic vegetables and try to buy flowers from farmstands that I know grow organically. If you buy flowers from grocery stores, I have found that they do not reproduce well. If at all. I also avoid corporate stores when buying seeds and plants. You do not want these types of flowers or veggies to cross-pollinate with your organic veggies!
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