Seed Starting | Christa Snaps | OrganicGardening.com

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April 7th, 2011

Well, I saved all of these zinnia seeds from my garden last fall, and I meant to make little seed envelopes and include them in my holiday cards. Then I never finished writing my holiday cards. The airtight jars of seeds have been sitting in dark closets and in our basement, and now it is seed-starting time. The following pictures won’t help you at the moment, but they will show all of my friends and family just how much thought I put into the holiday gift they have not yet received.

zinnia

1. I picked my favorite zinnias, and kept an eye on them, and let the flowers dry on the stems.

letFlowerDryOnPlant

2. Then I harvested the dead head.

Harvest

3. You can save the seeds or the whole head.

SaveSeedorHead

4. Label with the plant name and color (and though I didn’t show it here, also add the year). label

5. Seal in an airtight container, store in a dark cool place, and promptly forget them until it’s time to start your garden again.

airtight

(Or in my case, forget about them until your friend Nicole sends you a very nice package from New Orleans and you want to make a thank-you note to send her, and you remember the zinnia seeds.)

Tags: fall, seed saving, seed starting, spring, tip, zinnia

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April 7th, 2011

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