i used to use envelopes ... i mean really.. do you need a whole bag of seeds??? .. just make sure they dry.. before you close them up ... i used to clean seeds after xmas ... when the snow is flying.. and i wanted to do something garden related in my MI ....

many of the newest and best are sterile ... or ultimate crosses ... and you will either end up with nothing.. or one or the other of the parents ... mostly because... new pollen has been added to the mix ... you no longer have the dna mix that created the one you bought ...

then some.. just plod on thru the centuries .... you basically get the same thing every year.. with a few weirdos thrown in for good measure ...

anyway... as junkie notes... its all part of the fun ... so just do it ...

do make sure they fully ripen before harvest .. either wait until you see some pods opening.. or break a few open and see if there are actually seeds in there ... again.. you will have hundreds.. you dont need them all.. so just look at some ...

and keep in mind.. this kind of gardening.. is not really aesthetic planning of colors and what not.. its more about DIY ... and the pride in a job well done ... if you get my drift ... ask yourself... why do i need an exact duplicate of what i had last year .....

have fun

ken

ps: zenman the zinnia man.. has hundreds of posts on his passion.. and growing them from seed... maybe he can link you to a good tutorial ... that he's posted over the years ...

Thank you both for the insight, I appreciate it!

I collect seeds! The closer the parent flower is to its species default color, the better chances you have of getting the same color. Eg my collected bachelors buttons tend to revert to more blue in the mix each year. My hollyhocks tend to revert to magenta-hot pink.

whats cool about BButtons.. is the blue seed throws off a white and a pink every now and then ...

but those just fall to the ground.. i never have to collect them ... and if i want them elsewhere.. i move them at about the 2 inch size ... they are easy to ID because of leaves and leaf color ...

one trick.. is to cut the whole plant ... lay it on the ground.. and stick a stick in it so it doesnt blow away ... and late next spring.. you will find the seedlings under it all .. so you have a pretty good idea that since there are so many similar ones in one spot... its goota be what you laid there ...

thats also how i moved forget me nots around the beds ... with fall clean up.. i just pulled the old plant out.. and stuck it somewhere else ... seed feel where it was.. and more seed will fall where you take it ...

soooo..... you dont have to literally collect them ...

ken

That's a cool idea Ken!