How to Harvest and Save Marigold Seeds

Marigold flowers are as popular as mums, but unlike mums, marigolds have seeds that can be harvested and shared. Almost all marigold flower types produce viable seeds and marigolds are very easy to grow the next year from the harvested seeds.

Marigold flowers are beautiful while blooming. The surprising part is that those pretty blooms hold enough seeds to grow more marigolds than you can use. So there is no need to worry about not having enough seeds or even planning the time to harvest more than once a year.

The best time to harvest the marigold seeds is when the blooms have died and turned brown. The picking of the dead blooms can be done at any time late in the season, usually September. The dead blooms can be gathered singly just as they die off if only a few seeds is wanted. If you want to gather most of the seeds produced by the Marigold plant, wait till the plant itself is dying off and then gather all of the dead flower buds into a large bowl or bag.

It is important to have the seeds dried out well before packaging them for the winter. Place the flower buds on a surface to dry, such as a cookie sheet that can be moved or a shelf that won't be needed. Let the dead flower buds air dry for a couple days or more if the buds were picked a little soon. Buds should ideally be brown and crisp.

The removal of the seeds from the dead flower buds is an easy task. Pinch the whole bottom of the flower bud with your thumb and forefinger. With your other hand, rip off the flow top and throw the top away. Open up the rest of the flower and drop out the seeds that make up the entire inside. The seeds look long, thin, and dark halfway up. The rest of the flower bud can be thrown away also.

The seeds will need to be packaged for the winter storage. Two methods are paper envelopes and plastic Ziplock bags. Either medium is fine, but remember to write the type of Marigold, the color of the flower and the year harvested. Another alternative is to place a photo of the flower and the year the seeds were harvested written on it.

Marigold seeds are an ideal gift because of the fruitfulness of the plants. The seeds can be given in a nice envelope with a written sentiment, or even attached to larger presents. The seeds can be placed in decorative jars or used as part of a gardening kit gift. The imagination is the limit.