COLLECT AND SAVE CALENDULA SEEDS FOR NEXT YEAR | BUDGET GARDENING TIPS!
Collecting and saving calendula seeds takes little effort. Saving seeds will start you into a budget-friendly gardening exercise. Calendula flowers are easy to grow from seed, come back every year and the size of the seeds makes it so easy to gather at the end of the season. Calendula are a great gardening for beginners flower to grow from seed.
WHY EVERYONE SHOULD GROW CALENDULA FLOWERS
We have to chat about something that’ll bring a big smile to your gardening face, saving calendula seeds. The Calendula flower is so beautiful, but even better news, they are so easy to collect seeds from.
This is my favorite flower to collect seeds from, it is fun because the seeds are so large and I know that it is so easy to get the seeds to germinate.
Learn more about other flowers that I think everyone should grow. You can find it on my post ‘IMMUNE SYSTEM PLANTS | My Story on Healing.’
This time of year you find me in the garden collecting all the seeds I can. I want to only buy a few seeds of flowers or veggies that are going to be new in my garden. Save your money by taking this extra step! And I will also let you know what other flowers are easy to collect seeds from to get you going.
WHY SAVE CALENDULA SEEDS?
Okay, I am going to get into the reasons why you should really consider taking the time to save calendula seeds.
- BUDGET: When I save seeds it means saving money for other things I want in the garden. Seeds can add up, trust me, I have gone a little crazy in the past, but now I am gardening on a budget. Every cent counts!
- SHARING: I love to share seeds, it is a fantastic way for you to connect with other gardening friends. You can also exchange seeds with your green-thumb gardening friend to try something new.
- EARTH: I know it is easy to find calendula seeds for sale. But every decision we make, no matter how small, helps the earth with sustainability. The small decisions add up quickly.
- ADAPTABILITY: Listen I don’t know if this is true, but I have noticed that the seeds I have used which are my own, seem to do better in my garden. Don’t know if it is because the plant has adapted to the humidity here, but I don’t get as much powdery mildew as I did when I started with my bought seeds. I see a big difference.
- CALMING: Saving seeds is not stressful, it is such a calming exercise. Because the calendula seeds look like a dry 1/4″ or so textured curved pod, the fact that calendula seeds are so large makes it even more comforting in that it is so easy to tell when to harvest. The repeat moves take you to a zen moment.
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COLLECT AND STORE SEEDS!
Storing seeds the right way will make them last for years!
ARE CALENDULA EASY TO GROW FROM SEED?
SO easy! Of all the seeds I have grown, calendula has to be the easiest flower to grow. Here are the reasons I consider them easy to grow:
- GERMINATION: Calendula seeds germination time is quick, about 6-14 days. You know how you keep checking the seeds 20 times a day when you are growing them? This one will satisfy you quickly with its presence.
- TEMPERATURE: Calendula likes around 70 degrees to germinate, so growing them outdoors from seed is easy, but you can grow them indoors as well.
- MAINTENANCE: This is the lazy gardener’s dream. The low maintenance makes it worth it.
DO CALENDULA COME BACK EVERY YEAR?
I am going to give you the tea on this and it will make you so happy!
Even though they are annuals, I get a lot of volunteers in my garden now. (Volunteers mean, the plant grows without me placing a seed on the ground. Instead, the seed germinated after falling from the plant the previous year or a bird or pollinator dropping the seeds)
My backyard garden keeps popping with new calendulas, even on the rock pathways. A gardening 101 thing you need to know is, volunteers are your friend. It makes an annual plant (meaning the life cycle is complete in one growing season) into a sort of ‘perennial’.
These calendula flowers make for easy gardening. Embrace them!
WHEN SHOULD I PLANT CALENDULA SEEDS?
My sweet gardening friend, timing is everything when you are planting the calendula seeds.
Let go over a couple of options for you:
- EARLY SPRING: I like to start my calendula seeds indoors. I start 6-8 weeks before the last frost date. But remember, you can also toss them in your garden after the last frost date has passed.
- SUMMER: On my 8b Zone it stays pretty cool, so I don’t need to start them again in summer, But if you are in a zone that gets very hot, get another set of seeds going.
- FALL: If you have a large area where you want a lot of calendula, consider tossing seeds out for an early Spring surprise. You will be so happy you did!
HOW TO STORE CALENDULA SEEDS
This is the easiest part of collecting calendula seeds.
The only thing that you have to consider is to make sure that the seeds are dry so they do not get moldy. Try and harvest when it is dry outside so your seeds are nice and dry.
If they are not dry, then leave them out to dry before storing.
I have used the following to store seeds for my garden:
- Seeds envelopes
- Photo Plastic Storage Container
- Seeds Plastic Container Storage
HOW TO HARVEST CALENDULA SEEDS
1. WAIT UNTIL SEED PODS ARE DRY AND BROWN
Green calendula seeds mean they are not ready. You will know when the seed pods are ready because they turn brown and fall very easily into your hands.
In the photo below you can see a green pod on the right that is not ready to harvest and the one I am holding is light brown and ready to harvest.
2. COLLECT THE SEEDS
Do not force the seeds off the plant. Place the seed between your fingers and gently rub the dried seed pods between your thumb.
The calendula seeds will fall right off. onto your palm. SO EASY RIGHT?!
It feels so rewarding to see how many seeds you get from every flower!
3. CLEAN THE SEEDS
Get rid of any little pieces that are not seeds. You can see in the photo below all the tiny pieces that need to be discarded mainly on the top portion of my hand. Anything green should also be removed.
Be aware that the seeds vary in size, so make sure you don’t discard the smaller seeds, they are still good ones.
4. MAKE SURE THAT SEEDS ARE COMPLETELY DRY
I let my seeds dry for a week, just to make very sure that they hold no humidity inside to prevent any molding.
Do you wonder what calendula seeds look like? Take a look at how the seeds vary so much in size and the texture of curved seeds you get from a single flower.
Do not discard those little calendula seeds, they are good ones.
5. STORE AND LABEL
I like to use envelopes, but you can use plastic containers also. I like that the paper envelopes can breath in case any humidity remains on the seeds. But if you are sure they are completely dry, go ahead and use the plastic containers. I like them since the seeds have no chance of getting wet.
I added a little Washi tape to the back to make sure it wouldn’t open. The tape is removable works great and looks so pretty. Love adding some details to my gardening experience that brings me joy.
Store in a cool dry place, but make sure you label the name of the plant and year you harvested.
EASY PLANTS TO COLLECT SEEDS FROM AND SAVE MORE MONEY!
| PLANT | WHY SAVE THESE SEEDS | PROS |
| Marigolds | Budget-friendly and a great organic pest control | Bug repellent, easy to grow |
| Nasturtiums | The entire plant is edible | Trap crop that works well like marigolds. Carefree plant. |
| Pansies | Beautiful color and edible flowers | Long-lasting blooms. |
| Sunflowers | Showy because of the large flower heads. | Tasty seeds and a pollinator magnet. Be careful, squirrels also love them. |
| Zinnias | Stunning pollinator friendly flowers. | It is so easy to grow from seed and it shows so beautifully in the garden. |
| Cosmos | Delicate looking beauties. | Pollinators love them and they grow by tossing seeds to the ground. |
| Sweet Peas | Stunning, fragrant blossoms. | Add scents to your garden. Great for cool season but in my zone 8b they last through summer until the first freeze. |
One of my absolute favorite flowers are sweet peas. Read the blog post ‘GROWING SWEET PEAS FROM SEED | MUST KNOW TIPS!’
YOUR OWN SEEDS IS WHERE THE VALUE IS
Always remember that the little effort to collect your own seeds makes a huge difference in your pocket and the quality of plants you get.
Take your time to enjoy the seed-collecting journey. You grew that seed!
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This blog is very interesting and best of all, a great help for my Christmas shopping list. I have many relatives and friends who are into gardening. A great help in deciding what to give, thanks.
I love the stamps! Thank you for the support…:)