Seeds: Next Year's Garden

The leaves have almost all fallen, and I have been busy planting bulbs, cleaning up the garden, and collecting seeds to save for next year. 

There could be hundreds of seeds in this rudbeckia seed head.

For many plants in the garden I am just letting nature take its course and letting them self-sow.  I wonder what plants will spring up where next year?

Tiny violet seeds.

I marvel at the ways nature has adapted to spread seeds.  Some seeds such as dandelions and Joe Pye Weed ride the wind on their little fluffy parasols.  Impatiens have exploding seed pods that will fling the seeds several feet away.  The hairy pods of Tick Trefoil, a wildflower/weed that occasionally graces my garden, will latch onto any animal or garden glove that brushes against it.

The seeds of 'Little Joe' Joe Pye Weed, Impatiens, and Tick Trefoil

There are also, of course, the seeds that travel long distances in the bellies of fruit-eating birds and then come out the other end.  I shall spare you pictures of that one.

Some seeds in my garden I chose to collect and save to plant again next year, especially those of annuals.  My easiest seeds to gather were those of the cheerful yellow Cosmos sulphureus.  These Cosmos were ones I had grown from seed that I had saved the previous year.  And the cycle continues.

Seeds of Cosmos sulphureus

For seeds that grow on seed heads, like my orange Zinnias, I cut the seed heads off once they turned totally brown.  

I then pulled the dried seed heads apart, separated the seeds from the chaff, and stored them in a cool, dry, dark place for next year. 

Each plant produces so many seeds that there is more than enough to store and share with friends and neighbors.

Even after harvesting the seeds that I want, there are many seed heads left.  In the backyard I leave them on the plant for the birds, and in the front I cut them off during my tidying up for the winter and set them out for the birds to enjoy.

Next year's garden shall be composed partially from the seeds that I have saved this year.  Plants for free?  It doesn't get better than that!