After flowers have been pollinated, they can make seeds. The flower might turn into a fruit, a pod, or a cluster of seeds. The fruit and pods will have seeds inside. Some plants won’t flower before Winter and others take many years to flower.

Do not collect the seed until it is dry, hard, and finished growing. If the seed is in a fruit, the fruit should be overripe. If the seed is in a pod, the pod should be dried out. If the seed is in a flower, the flower will be very dry and appear dead. Most plants will appear dead when the seed is mature.

When the seed is ready, you can separate it from the plant. For fruit, cut it open and gently remove the seed. For pods, pinch the pod until it cracks open. For flowers and grains, shake or pick out the seeds.

Store the seeds in a cool, dry, and dark place like an airtight container in a closet. Seeds don’t live forever, so it’s best to grow them again sooner rather than later. And, don’t forget to bring some seeds to the Calgary Seed Library so that others can grow them, too!