How to Save Marigold Seeds

Overview

Whether providing gorgeous flowers of all sizes and heights or emitting a strong scent to protect your vegetables from garden pests, marigolds are the workhorse of the garden space. Propagated from seed or seedling, this annual is one of the best starter plants both to grow and to gather from seed.

Collecting and Storing Seeds

Step 1

Pinch off dead marigold flowers when the petals begin to dry. Marigolds are one of the few flowers that do not produce a seed pod separate from the bloom. Seeds are formed in the cup-like formation under the flower petals.

Step 2

Tear spent marigold flowers apart with your fingers on an old screen or a sieve. Seeds consist of three colored sections--the colored remnant of the flower petal, a white tubular piece connected to the black seed at the bottom.

Step 3

Allow a few days to dry on the screen. The flower petals and white part will continue to wilt and disintegrate, leaving the black seed.

Step 4

Store seeds in labeled envelopes in a glass jar or other container with a tight lid.