Have you ever collected seed from your plants? It’s a lovely thing to do and naturally means you then have seeds ready for next year that won’t cost a thing. August is the best month for this as flowering is sadly coming to an end.
There are five key plants we believe are best for collecting seed from; we talk to our experts about why and how to store the seed so it lasts until you need to sow them.
1. Poppies
We all love poppies with their colourful heads that bob in the breeze. They are a great first variety to try.
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Richard Barker, horticultural expert and commercial director at LBS Horticulture, explains how to harvest them: ‘Wait until the pods have turned fully brown and feel hard, then gently shake the stem of the plant, and if the seeds are ready you should hear them rattling inside the pod. Cut the dried flower heads, leaving a few inches of the stem attached, ensuring that you keep the pod upright so that you do not lose any seeds. Hold each dried pod upside down over a paper bag, and tap the pod gently. Spread the collected seeds out on a piece of paper for a few days to remove leftover moisture, and then store them in a paper envelope.’
‘Flowers such as poppies can even be scattered straight back into borders now, allowing them to naturally establish for next season,’ says Noah Mabey, senior gardener at Thornbridge Hall and horticultural advisor at Platinum Spas.
For the traditional red poppy look at Crocus’s Beauty of Livermore, it’s an oriental poppy with a large pillar box red head, £9.99 for a 9cm pot. If you’d like more colour variety, check out the poppy oriental collection at Dobies. You get Beauty of Livermore plus Royal Wedding, Victoria Louise and Queen Alexandra, each as single bare root plants, £14.99.
2. Sweet peas
Sweet peas are definitely worth collecting seed from, especially if it’s been a particularly hard year – like this year with the heat and they’ve still flowered – it means they are tougher.
‘The main rule with sweet peas is that they should be left to dry naturally on the plant before the pods are harvested,’ advises Julian Palphramand, head of plants at British Garden Centres.
Richard agrees, ‘On a dry day, collect and remove the seeds from their pods. Crack the pods open to remove the seeds, and discard any mouldy, soft or green seeds. The seeds can then be placed inside a paper envelope or small paper bag and stored in a cool, dry place until they are ready to plant.’
You can still buy sweet pea plants currently; Amazon’s dwarf sweet pea Snoopea set of three is £12.99, and you get mixed colours for a vibrant display.
B&Q have 25 assorted sweet pea seeds for £1.70 to get you started over autumn; you can sow them for early flowers and then collect the seed after they’ve flowered and learn how to germinate them.
3. Nigella (cannot find this on here but can’t believe it’s not so getty 1295951603)
For a quintessential country garden, Nigella is your go-to with its ruffly appearance and blue flowers – though it comes in white and pink too!
‘Cottage‑garden favourites are particularly generous now. Nigella produces delicate pods that turn papery and brown with lots of tiny black seeds,’ says Julian.
So how do you get the seeds from this popular variety? ‘When the pods have turned a pale brown colour, they can be cut off the stems and placed inside a paper bag,’ advises Richard. ‘Shake the bag containing the pods to remove the seeds, and pour the contents of the bag through a sieve to separate the seeds from the chaff. Any collected seeds should be left to air dry for roughly a week, and they can be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.’
You can buy the classic sky blue variety Miss Jekyll from Crocus, currently £1.79 for approximately 500 seeds. Or, if you prefer a mix of colours like mauve, lavender, purple, rose and blue, have a peek at Persian Jewels; you can buy 600 seeds for £3.99, Thompson & Morgan.
4. Foxgloves
Another fabulous variety for a country cottage garden, the foxglove is a striking addition with its spires of beautiful flowers in lovely colours. Easy to grow and coming in different heights, they are a great option for seed collection.
‘Producing millions of minuscule dark brown seeds per plant, you can start harvesting foxglove seeds from August all the way through to November,’ says Lucie Bradley, gardening and greenhouse expert at Easy Garden Irrigation. ‘Carefully snip off the spike of seed pods as the seeds will be easily released by shaking. Once you have them over a sheet of paper, shaking the spike will release seeds from the pods. Leave for a few days to make sure they are completely dry, and they are then ready to store until it’s time to sow.’
Gardening Express currently have Suttons Apricot for £5.99 in a one-litre pot; it’s a lovely shade of orange and pink and can grow up to 1.5 metres tall. If a single colour isn’t your bag, then check out Thompson & Morgan’s Dalmatian mixed, from £7.99, in a range of pinks and purples.
5. Snapdragons
Snapdragons are another great option for creating height in your borders, and they are fabulous self-seeders.
‘They can produce hundreds of tiny seeds in their seed pods,’ says Lucie. ‘Once you get towards the end of the flowering season, leave some flowers to fade, and the plants will produce seed pods. Rather than leaving these to self-seed, you can start harvesting the light brown, dry seedheads from late August into October. You can collect the distinct, skull-shaped seed pods into a paper bag, and simply tapping the dry heads will release the seeds ready for storage.’
Invest in some snapdragons that you love for seed collecting; we like Rembrandt for its coral, pink and butter yellow colours, £5.99 for a one-litre pot, Gardening Express.
This rich purple Shiryu Kiss has been voted the Peter Seabrook best new plant award at BBC Gardeners World Live 2026. It’s the first perennial snapdragon in the world, and you can buy it for £12.99 for one 9cm potted plant, Thompson & Morgan.
Shopping essentials for seed collecting
Brown Seed Envelopes for Self-Collected Seeds, 100pcs
These nicely designed brown envelopes are ideal for storing your seeds; there’s a blank space on the front for the seed name and date. They measure 8 x 12cm.
McGregor Bypass Secateurs Pruner
These good-value secateurs are ideal for everyday use and will help you deadhead for seed collection too. The bypass action protects plants from crushing damage and gives you a more precise cut.
Burgon & Ball RHS Woodland Wonders Sowing Pot Tin
Buy this handy tin as a gift or keep it yourself! It has an aluminium scoop, seed envelopes, a wooden dibber and a pair of one-size stretch gloves.
‘Once collected, the key is proper storage,’ says Julian. ‘Paper envelopes are ideal because they allow seeds to breathe and prevent moisture build‑up. Label everything clearly and keep your collection somewhere cool, dark and dry until sowing time returns.’
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