How to Harvest and Save Marigold Seeds

Marigolds are known for their bright colors and flowers, but they also produce seeds that can be used in crafts or to grow more marigolds.

Harvesting marigold seeds and saving them is easy to do, but you’ll need to know when to harvest the seeds and how to harvest the seeds.

In this article, we will address both of these issues so you can ensure that you can grow marigolds for years to come.

when to Harvest marigold Seeds:

Marigold flowers are very easy to grow. They come in a variety of colors, ranging from yellow to orange and red. You can plant marigolds either in the garden or in containers on your patio or deck.

The best time of year for harvesting marigold seeds depends on where you live. For example, if you live in an area with colder winters, it’s best to start harvesting marigold seeds in late summer when they’ve reached full size (about two inches across).

If you live somewhere with milder winters, you can wait until fall or winter before harvesting the seeds so they will have time to mature fully before the cold weather arrives.

Marigold seeds are ripe when they turn brown and dry out. If you wait too long, they will be shed naturally as part of the plant’s natural life cycle; however, if you harvest too early, the seeds won’t be mature enough to germinate well.

how to harvest the Marigold seeds

Harvesting marigold seeds is a simple process and you can finish this in just a few steps.

Things you need:

• Spent marigold flowers
• Scissors or pruners
• Napkins/Paper towels
• Envelope

During the fall season, allow your marigolds to go to seed. Once they bloom and begin to die back, you can start the harvesting process.

step 1 Look for Spent Flowers:

Spent flowers are the flowers that have dried up after producing seeds. You can tell that a flower is spent when it starts to turn brown at the tips or edges of its petals.

Step 2 – Cut Off the Flower Head:

Using sharp pruning shears or scissors, cut off the entire flower close to the base as possible so that you don’t damage any of its leaves or stems.

You may want to wear gloves since some marigold varieties produce prickly stems that can irritate your skin when handled directly with bare hands.

step 3- Separate the flowers:

If you are collecting different varieties of marigold flowers please remember it will be very hard to distinguish the seeds in later stages. All marigold seeds look the same.

So use different containers with labels to collect different varieties of marigold flowers.

step 4- Dry out the Flowers:

Place the containers with the flower in direct sunlight for 4-7 days. this will dry out the flower completely. Don’t put any lid over the containers as it will cause an accumulation of moisture. and may cause fungal infection.

Step 5 – Pull Out the Petals:

Pull out each individual petal from within the flower head until no more remain inside it. Make sure that you do not crush any of these petals as you pull them out because there are still viable seeds inside.

step 6- Separate the seeds:

Each flower has hundreds of tiny rod-like seeds. not all seeds on the flower are healthy. Usually, the healthy seeds look dark black and firm. Collect only those seeds and discard the rest of them.

Remove the attached petals from the seeds.

step 7- Dry those seeds:

Place them on a napkin or paper towel and let them dry for several days in a warm area. You don’t want them to get moldy, so make sure they’re completely dry before storing them away.

how to store the seeds for future use:

Store the seeds in envelopes with the proper name of the variety over them and keep them in a cool, dark place until springtime when you can plant your marigolds again.

Make sure the area has proper aeration.

How to tell if marigold seeds are good?

The qualities of the good marigold seeds are

• They should be firm.
• They should be dark black in color
• They must be dry, without any molds.

The best way to check the seeds is to sow a few of them in the potting mix and see if they germinate within 4-7 days.

How long will my marigold seeds would last?

French marigold seeds can last up to 2 years if they are stored properly. However, it is important that they don’t get wet during storage because this can cause mold or mildew growth on the seeds which may prevent germination later on.

I personally prefer seeds that are not older than 12 months.

What to do with marigolds at the end of the season?

After finishing the blooms your marigold plant will die out as it finished its life cycle. So the best thing you can do is to remove the dead or dying plants from your garden and grow some new plants in their place.

If you don’t want to harvest the seeds you can increase the life span of your marigold plants by deadheading them. We have discussed how to deadhead a marigold plant in detail in this post.

conclusion

now that you know how to harvest and save marigold seeds, you’ll be able to start all over again next year if you’d like! It just takes a little bit of care to make sure that your seeds are a success.

Since marigolds grow easily and relatively quickly, it’s easy to get frustrated when the plants go to waste under your care. Harvesting and saving marigold seeds will help you reclaim this time and effort so that the next year can be as green and bright as last.

I hope this post was helpful to you. If you like the information, share it with others, and Don’t Forget to PIN IT.

You can read more posts related to growing marigolds here.