How to Harvest Zinnia Seeds

Growing flowers is something I look forward to every spring. The simple act of planting flowers, caring for them and watching them grow brings so much joy! This year, I wanted to explore this passion a little further by growing flowers from seed (instead of purchasing seedlings) and then collecting seeds from these flowers to plant next year. I chose to try this with zinnias as they are easy to grow and adapt well to our 3b climate. So far, I have found that harvesting their seeds is uncomplicated and enjoyable. But, due to the weather, I’ve encountered a few issues, and I’m not entirely sure if these seeds will be viable next spring…

We’ve had one of the warmest fall seasons ever. It felt like summer right to the end of October. The gardening season was therefore much longer than usual, and we were still picking strawberries and tomatoes in October. Most years, we receive a first snowfall at the beginning of October, so it was pretty nice to experience such warmth so late in the year!

However, the weather turned very abruptly after a week of mid-twenties temperatures. In a matter of days, we were left with over a foot of snow. The zinnias in my garden were still blooming at this time and only a few had begun to dry. The day before the heavy snow started, I decided to cut the zinnia flowers I wished to keep and brought them indoors in the hopes of saving the seeds for next year. Usually, the flowers need to dry completely outdoors before harvesting the seeds while making sure they don’t freeze. I knew that with all the snow we were suddenly expecting, the temperatures would considerably drop and most flowers would probably perish.  

Was it a good idea to cut the flowers and bring them indoors to dry? I guess we’ll have to wait and see next spring! One of the things that was very important in this process was to choose flowers that were mature. If the flower has barely began to bloom, the seeds would most likely not be viable. Another thing to keep in mind: Only save healthy flowers as disease can survive in the seeds.

I’ve let the flowers dry for several weeks in a warm and well-ventilated space in my house ― hopefully this step will occur outdoors next year!  As you can see, their colors have faded, they’ve also become crisp to the touch.

I’ve learned that the zinnia produces 2 different types of seeds in each flower.

You’ll find this spear-shaped seed at the end of the petal; these are called ray seeds. Simply detach the seed from the petal to collect it.

The disk seeds are found at the center of the flower and are flat and have more of a rounded shape. Apparently, these seeds will produce flowers that look more like the parent plant than the ones from ray seeds.

As recommended by most floriculturists, seeds should be saved in glass jars or paper envelopes and stored in a cool, dark and dry space. Don’t forget to label your seeds!

All in all, I’m glad to have tried this experiment, if it works, it’ll be an excellent solution for flower farmers growing in extreme climates such as ours (zone 3b-4a).

I’m very curious to know if anyone has done it this way before and if it worked? If you have, please let me know in the comments below!