Growing plants from the seed library is fun and free! You can keep the fun going by harvesting seeds from your plants.
Plant them again next season or return them to the library for others to enjoy.
Which seeds should I keep?
The best plants for collecting seeds are the healthiest ones - take a fruit or seed head or two from each for best results.
Save the seeds that look plump and fairly uniform in colour, and get rid of any seeds that are mouldy, damaged, discoloured or appear dehydrated.
How do I harvest my seeds?
If you are collecting seeds from pods (eg. beans) or from seed heads (eg. coriander), collect the seed pods or heads in a paper bag or shallow cardboard box just as they begin to turn brown.
If you are collecting seeds from fleshy fruit (eg. capsicum, tomato), scoop out the seeds from a slightly over-ripe fruit. Wash the seeds to get rid of any excess flesh before leaving to dry.
Leave seeds or pods/heads in a warm, dry place until they have dried out completely. Then either collect the seeds by hand or place pods/seed heads in a paper bag and shake to release the seeds.
Place your seeds in an envelope labelled with the name of the plant and the date you collected the seed and either return to the library or store in an air-tight container in the fridge.