Saving Flower Seed

Many flowers have gone to seed in the garden. I am busy collecting flower heads for seed to save for next Spring.

I collect them in large volume so I can use them generously. This gives them an advantage over the weeds, as they are tightly grown. The weeds cannot compete well for space. 

I collect flower heads when they have dried out on the stem, but before the flower has a chance to broadcast their seed. 

I dry the seeds out further by placing them on a tray for a few days on top of the warm plate of the range. I add some rice into a bucket and then add the seed as they come ready. The rice helps absorb any moisture that might be there, so they don't spoil in storage. 

The small birds had gotten to this ripe sunflower head before me. I will leave maybe forty sunflower heads on the stems to feed the little birds.