“A handful of marigold seeds
and the feather of a finch
on my table:the summer
really was here.”

-Janis Baltvilks, Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, 2003

One of my first memories of learning something in the garden is with marigolds.

I was around six years old, and my mother taught me how to save seeds from the plant.

It was mid-autumn, and I can still feel the warmth of my winter hat, with flaps snug against my ears, and smell the fragrance of the french marigolds today, decades later. I remember thinking how cool it was that plants made their own seeds that you could use to make them grow again.

We placed the seeds into a small manilla envelope - the same ones we used to pay the paperboy with - labeled them, and stored them in a kitchen drawer.

Every time I went into the kitchen drawer - it was the one that we also stored scissors, tape, stamps, old keys, elastics, and other things that were fun for keeping a six year-old occupied - seeing the seeds would bring about a sense of anticipation.

The following spring, I was rummaging around that draw looking for something and realized we hadn’t planted the seeds yet!

Luckily, it wasn’t too late. We scattered the seeds into a small trench and covered them up. It became my job to water the seeds - which did indeed transform into seedlings and flowers!

And then, that autumn, we did the same thing - saving the seeds for the following year.

Now that I have a garden of my own, saving seeds from my marigolds always brings me back to that moment. While these days I prefer Hawaiian/African marigolds to French varieties (more accurately, the slugs around here prefer the French variety so I have to favor something different), the scent, texture, and even the quality of the autumn sunlight is the same.

In this post, I’ll share how you can collect your own marigold seeds, save money, and support the ecosystem at the same time.

These tips can also be applied to zinnias, too.

Already have your marigold seeds and are looking for tips on how to get them to germinate? I have a marigold grow guide for you to check out here.

Common mistakes to avoid when saving marigold seeds:

When’s the best time to harvest marigold seeds?

Problem: Harvesting seeds too early or too late

Solution: Find the goldilocks zone between seeds being too moist and green (too early) and too brown and brittle (too late). Check out my visual guide below to see the difference and to get an idea as to an example of what to look for.

Saving seeds from hybrids

Problem: Seeds saved from hybrids won't germinate or grow true-to-type

Explanation: There are a lot of hybrid types of marigolds out there - be sure you're saving seeds from an heirloom variety for best results!

Harvesting Techniques: Visual Guide to Saving Marigold Seeds

As a clarifying note, I’m talking about how to save seeds from the Tagetes species, which are called Marigolds in the United States.

Saving seeds from Calendula, which is often referred to as Marigold in European countries or “pot marigold” and “Mary’s gold” in English speaking countries, has a different seed head.

1: Identify the Right Time for Harvesting

Here’s how I can tell when marigold seed heads are ideal for collecting:

• Seed heads have petals that have just transitioned from oragae to brown, and are dry.
• Seed heads are dry - they are not moist and green but also not overly brittle.
• Seed heads open up easily to reveal the seeds inside.
• In most climates, seeds will mature towards the end of summer. Since marigolds will bloom all summer into autumn, there’s a long window of opportunity to gather your seeds.

I took some close-up photos of my own marigold seed heads at various stages of maturity, so you can see the ideal time for harvesting:

2: Gather the Necessary Tools

You’ll need:

• paper bag of any size to dry the seed heads
• scissors to cut the plant stems
• small envelopes for storing seed

3: Harvest the Seeds

Here’s the easy way to get your seeds off the plant

• Pick a sunny afternoon to harvest the seeds, so that there is no moisture on the plants
• Cut or snap off the old flower head
• Place these into your paper bag
• Make sure that the plant materials aren’t crowded in the bag - if you’re saving a lot of seeds, you might need a few bags

4: Dry the Seed Heads

I have an area in my pantry where I can hang plants, herbs, and seeds to dry in order to preserve them.

• Put some small holes in your paper bag - this will help air to circulate
• Hang your bag in a dry spot that is well-ventilated
• Let your seed heads fully dry out here, for around 2 weeks

Alternative: You can also lay out your seed heads on a drying rack in a well-ventilated area, if you don’t have a paper bag.

5: Remove the Seeds

Now comes my favorite part - removing the dry seeds!

• To extract seeds from the dried seed heads, simply open up the seed heads from the center. Do this over a plate or paper towel.
• The dried seeds should fall out easily.
• They should be dry, have a shape similar to pine needles, and be half tan and half black in color.

My personal tip to get marigold seeds to come through "clean" is to start with a dried, whole flower head. Gently wiggle the dried petals out. Pulling them slowly upwards in a back-and-forth motion will remove them. There is usually around 2-3 layers to remove. When you can see only white open circles (the tips of the seeds), then you know you can open up the flower head and have only the seeds remaining!

6: Store the Seeds

I like to use paper envelopes to store my seeds, just like how I did when I was little. For extra protection, I place the envelopes into small plastic containers meant for storing photos (I learned this tip from a few youtube gardeners).

• To store your seeds properly, be sure to keep them in a cool, dark, and dry spot.
• Small envelopes are a great idea, but you can also store large quantities of seed in small glass jars.
• Some people store seeds in small zip-loc bags - with this method, it’s especially important to make sure your seeds are 100% dry. I’ve used plastic bags before but found they can collect condensation and form mold, ruining the seeds.

→ Pro tip: Don’t forget to label your seeds! Write down the date harvested, variety, and even location in the garden where you harvested your seeds from.

Won’t marigolds just self sow? Why bother collecting them?

In my own garden, I thought the same thing. I even would scatter the seeds in the autumn, thinking that for sure they would germinate on their own the following spring. I made the mistake of thinking that the seeds would over-winter in my climate. Even though my winters are fairly mild and I’ve tried this even in my greenhouse, this never worked for me.

I think this is likely due to my winters being very wet for months on end (hello, PNW), with periods (albeit short) of freezing temperatures.

Since marigolds enjoy germinating in drier and warmer temperatures, my guess is that the seeds likely got oversaturated and froze before they had a chance to sprout. With their origin in Mexico, it makes sense that these seeds didn’t evolve to want cold stratification in order to trigger growth.

You might also have better luck with self-seeding if you don’t live in a climate where it rains so much, as your seeds are more likely to stay in place and not get washed away.

I've heard of folks having their marigolds self-sow in other parts of the United States. You could experiment by saving some seeds from a few different plants, and also scattering some seedheads on the ground. Observe what happens and then continue to do what ever works best in your environment for yearly blooms.

Tips for germinating your seeds

I have a detailed guide here on marigold seed starting, but here are some quick tips:

• Start your seeds indoors as early as 6 weeks before last frost.
• Use a grow light, like an LED shop lamp for best results.
• Best temperatures for marigold germination are around 70°F.
• Plant out your marigolds in a full sun spot for the most blooms.

Environmental Considerations: Leave Some for the Birds

This may sound silly, but I didn’t realize this until recently - birds like to eat marigold seeds! I had half a dozen birds in my greenhouse recently, pecking around on the soil below some marigolds, and perched above them too. I watched them quietly, curious as to what they were doing and not wanting to disturb them - especially if they were eating pests like slugs, I wanted them to continue on! Imagine my surprise when I figured out that they were eating the marigold seeds!

I did some research and found that National Geographic recommends marigolds as one of the top ten plants to attract songbirds, in part because they make a great late-summer and autumn snack for these winged friends.

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Ready to plant your marigold seeds? See my visual step-by-step marigold guide for tips and best practices

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