Visual Guide to Self-Sowing Plants: Grow a Self-Sustaining Garden

With minimal effort, self-sowing plants ensure a vibrant display and reliable harvests season after season. Their seeds are tough enough to weather the winter and germinate again.

Perfect for devotees of permaculture, regenerative gardening, and those who want a self-sufficient garden, this visual guide showcases the top self-sowing varieties for your landscape.

More simplicity and abundance? Yes, please!

These plants not only sustain your family with food and herbs but also enrich your garden with a bustling community of pollinators.

Here’s what you need to know before you have a look at the database of self-sowing annuals:

Self-Seeding Annuals Defined: Self-seeding annuals are a gardener’s best friend. They plant themselves where they see fit. These seeds will withstand winter temperatures and grow when the time is right each spring. Self-sowing plants naturally grow year after year without active replanting or work on your part.

Edibility: Some of these plants are NOT for eating, while others have culinary or medicinal uses. However, the non-edible plants often are found in vegetable gardens as they attract pollinators or are grown for cut flowers.

Beneficial Insects: Speaking of pollinators, many of these plants bring in bees, butterflies, and helpful predatory insects to keep pests out of your garden.

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Each plant comes with categorizations: N for Not Edible | H for Herbal Applications | B for Beneficial Insect Attractant

Best Self-Sowing Plants: A Complete Database

Check out this concise list of self-sowing plants, and then read on below for more detail and best practices for each plant.

Agastache aka hyssop (Chicago Park District)

A beautiful self-sowing herb with a delightful fragrance. Your agastache will delight a plethora of beneficial insects year after year!

For best results: Seeds benefit from cold stratification. Plant in a sunny spot that is well-drained. Low water requirements (Wild Flower Farm).
Properties: Certain hyssop species can be dried for tea.
Beneficial insects: Bees, hoverflies, ladybugs, lacewings, beneficial wasps, butterflies, bees, hummingbirds (Swanson Nursery, Dyck Aboretum)

Amaranth

A pseudograin that has sustained cultures in the Americas for millennia, this self-sowing annual is a winner for the self-sufficient garden.

For best results: Amaranth loves sunshine - the more sun it has access to, the better. Low water requirements.
Properties: Leaves can be eaten as greens, seeds can be processed and eaten as a pseudograin.
Beneficial Properties: Can be a trap crop for cucumber beetles (Park Seed), and also attracts hover flies, ladybugs, lacewings, and beneficial wasps (Swanson Nursery).

Basil (Mother Earth News)

In warmer climates, basil is a self-sowing plant that will come back to add flavor and fragrance to your meals each year. It will self-sow only if you allow it to go to seed, which many gardeners avoid.

For best results: Basil loves a warm and sunny spot. Seeds are tender and will not germinate if exposed to extreme cold, in my experience.
Properties: Basil is delicious in salads, pesto, and dried as a seasoning.
Beneficial Properties: Basil has been shown in scientific studies to help promote tomato growth and harvest!

Borage

Borage is one of those plants that profusely self-sows. It doesn’t mind moving moved around the garden when it is young, so I usually end up placing them in empty spots.

For best results: Borage will grow almost anywhere, but it does best in sunny spots. It does not need much water to thrive. Seedlings transplant well without much care. If borage self-sows in an area where you don’t want them to be you can easily move them.
Properties: Borage leaves produce a lot o biomass like its cousin comfrey. In herbalism, borage can be utilized topically for beauty treatments.
Beneficial Insects: Bees adore borage! You’ll hear them gathered around your plants once they are in bloom.

Calendula

I delight in seeing how calendula self-seeds itself in my garden to produce a bounty of colorful blooms for herbal teas and pollinators.

For best results: Calendula likes well-drained soil and sunshine. It does not require much water to thrive.
Properties: Calendula blooms can be turned into tea or topical herbal products. Do not use if you’re allergic to asters/chamomile/daisy.
Beneficial Insects: Calendula attracts parasitic wasps, hoverflies, minute pirate bugs, bees, and butterflies into the garden (WSU, Wild Garden Seeds, WC.

Pam Zaklan, Master Gardener through Oregon State Extension Service, notes that calendula can deter squash bugs and ar a trap crop for aphids.

Carrots

Carrots will need to stay in-ground for an extra year to go to seed.

For best results: Carrot seeds need consistent moisture to grow.
Properties: Be mindful that you’re eating cultivated carrots and not wild carrots, as some wild carrot relatives are among the most toxic plants in the country.
Beneficial Insects: Carrots and other relatives like dill are very attractive to a plethora of beneficial insects, pollinators, and butterfly species.

Catmint (Denver Post)

Catmint self-sows and grows through runners, so be mindful of the spread of this fragrant plant.

For best results: Catmint (a similar but different plant to catnip) is a Mediterranean plant, so it loves sunshine and warmth, and does not need much water to grow well.
Properties: Catmint (aka Nepitella) can be dried for tea, or worked with fresh for certain Southern Mediterranean dishes, such as this Nepitella Broth and Dumplings dish.
Beneficial Insects: Bees and butterflies love my catmint plants. I often spot a Swallowtail Butterfly hanging out there.

Chamomile

A fragrant plant to help you become self-sufficient in herbal tea, self-sown chamomile plants are a welcome addition to my garden each year.

For best results: Chamomile loves full sun, but can do well in part-sun spots in your garden. I haven’t found it to be a prolific self-sower in my zone 7ish garden, but in warmer climates self-sowing is more certain.
Properties: Harvest the flowers of chamomile for tea. Be certain that you are harvesting chamomile and not another plant.
Beneficial Insects: Chamomile attracts bees, ladybugs, hoverflies, beneficial wasps, and tachinid flies (NGC, OSU1, OSU2).

Chives (NC State Extension)

Chives are lovely because they can spread through bulb multiplication underground and through seeds. You may need to dig some up to gift to friends and neighbors every few years before you have a garden full of chives.

For best results: Chives are pretty easy-going and will perform well in full sun, part sun, and even part-shade.
Properties: Chives make for a great seasoning and add a burst of flavor to salads.
Beneficial Insects: Chives bring in bees, butterflies, hover flies, and beneficial wasps (UADA).

Cilantro (PSU)

Cilantro will need to bolt and stay in place for an extra growing season to be able to self-sow.

For best results: Santo Cilantro is a common variety for gardeners in warm climates, since it is slow to bolt. However, that’s how seeds are produced, so for self-sowing cilantro you’ll need a variety that will actually set seed.
Properties: Fresh cilantro adds a lovely taste (for most people) to dishes, and the seeds are actually coriander, which can be added to food for flavor as well.
Beneficial Insects: Cilantro flowers will attract beneficial wasps and hover flies (UWM).

Cosmos (USU)

These pretty blooms will self-sow if you leave a few behind in the garden.

For best results: Go for full sun and well-drained soil. If you pick cosmos for bouquets, be sure to leave some behind to go to seed.
Properties: Cosmos are beautiful as cut flowers - they come in cheery colors and add a bit of playfulness to bouquets.
Beneficial Insects: Bees, lacewings, tachnid flies, hoverflies, beneficial wasps, and butterflies enjoy cosmos flowers (USU.

Coreopsis (UNH)

Coreopsis is a great plant for regenerative low-input gardens, as it does not need a lot of water to thrive and grow.

For best results: Full sun is best for coreopsis, and it does not like to be water-logged. It’s a low-water plant.
Properties: Dyer’s coreopsis can be turned into a pretty red-orange and yellow dye or pigment.
Beneficial Insects: Known to bring in bees, butterflies, hover flies, lacewings, and minute pirate bugs (OSU; Joyful Butterfly).

Dill (Mother Earth News)

Dill is a prolific self-sower - be mindful of its spread in your garden.

For best results: Full sun is best for dill.
Properties: Add dill to pickles for the perfect summer snack.
Beneficial Insects: Dill brings in beneficial hoverflies, ladybugs, and the Swallowtail Butterfly (PSU, OSU).

Echinacea (Chicago Park District)

Echinacea seeds need a bit of cold stratification and light to grow - be sure not to mulch heavily around your plants to maximize self-seeding potential. Note that echinacea doesn’t typically bloom its first year - be patient!

For best results: Full sunshine, but low-water is best for echinacea.
Properties: A popular plant for its medicinal properties - be mindful of which species you are growing and how it should be harvested for best results.
Beneficial Insects: You’ll see bees, hoverflies, butterflies, and skippers on your echinacea blooms (EotWNPN).

Flax (AHS)

A gorgeous bloom chock-full of essential fatty acids, flax is a welcome addition to any self-sufficient garden.

For best results: Flax thrives in sunshine, but does not need a lot of water to grow well.
Properties: Research your variety to learn if you can utilize the seeds and how to eat them for their omega-3 properties.
Beneficial Insects: Flax brings in bees and butterflies (Diane’s).

Ground cherries (farmacie isolde)

You’ll need to leave some fruit behind in order to see the self-sowing results of ground cherries. Best results will occur if you only grow one variety and keep them away from tomatoes.

For best results: Grow like how you would tomatoes - performs best with warmth and regular watering.
Properties: Tasty treats with interesting husks.
Beneficial Insects: n/a?

Hollyhock (Denver Post)

I love this cottage garden staple! Plants will bloom in their second year, and some can be perennials.

For best results: Hollyhock likes having good air circulation, lots of sun and a good amount of water (WCS).
Properties: Black hollyhock makes a deep violet botanical dye.
Beneficial Insects: Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds love hollyhock plants (burpee).

Kale (working food)

Some perennial kales won’t go to seed, but can be easily propagated with cuttings.

For best results: Plant in full sun during the shoulder seasons; in the heat of the summer plant in part-sun to part-shade.
Properties: Delightful greens for stir-fries or oven roast with seasoning for kale chips.
Beneficial Insects: When allowed to bloom, kale attracts hoverflies (OSU).

Lettuce

Now that I’ve figured out how to let lettuce grow itself, I’ll never have to sow it and it will come up with perfect timing. You’ll need to let some go to seed in order for it to self-sow.

For best results: Lettuce thrives in cool weather, during the summer be sure to plant it in a shady spot. Lettuce does like to be well-watered, too.
Properties: Great for…you guessed it, salads!
Beneficial Insects: Lettuce blooms attract bees in my greenhouse

Marigold (Chicago Park District)

Marigold seeds are also really easy to save once they’ve dried up. Store dry seeds in an envelope and then scatter in the spring if you’d like.

For best results: Full sun is best for marigold, and it does not need a lot of water.
Properties: Beautiful blooms can turn into botanical dye.
Beneficial Insects: Known to deter harmful nematodes, also attracts minute pirate bugs (UH, OSU).

Mustards (working food)

Similar to lettuces and brassicas, mustards will need to be left to go to seed for spread to occur.

For best results: Plant in a cool location, or opt for part-sun to part-shade during high summer. Thrives with a decent amount of water.
Properties: Adds a spicy bite to salads and stir-fries, grind seed for a homemade mustard condiment.
Beneficial Insects: Brings in big-eyed bugs, hoverflies, and minute pirate bugs (OSU).

Nasturtium

Nasturtium is a great self-sower in warm climates. In zones 7 and below, I’ve found it is a mild self-sower. Save some seeds in the fall if you’d like to be sure you get some next year.

For best results: Nasturtium will produce more blooms for you in soil that isn’t top-notch.
Properties: Flowers add a peppery taste to salads, seeds can be pickled and used as a replacement for capers.
Beneficial Insects: Very attractive to hummingbirds and bees (UC Master Gardeners).

Nigella (UNH)

Such a dainty plant with beautiful colors, I love having nigella grow itself in my garden!

For best results: Nigella benefits from sun and well-drained soil.
Properties: Nigella sativa seeds can be added as a spice for various savory dishes (no research has been done on the edibility of other varieties).
Beneficial Insects: Butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds enjoy nigella (seed needs.

Parsley root (farmacie isolde)

A hardy plant to provide food year after year.

For best results: Plant in full to part sun, and provide plenty of water.
Properties: Leaves can be added to meals for garnish.
Beneficial Insects: Bees and butterflies enjoy parsley blooms (Phytotheca).

Penstemon (Denver Post)

Beautiful blooms, low water requirements, self-sowing…what’s not to love?

For best results: Full sun, little water is the way to go for this pretty flower.
Properties: Ornamental, can be a great cut flower.
Beneficial Insects: An assortment of bee species are attracted to this pretty plant (Xerces).

Poppies (UNH)

Leave some pods behind to self-scatter. Poppies do best with a short period of cold stratification. If you live in a climate that never sees frost, you might want to save a few pods and put them in the fridge for a couple of weeks in mid-winter before scattering. Poppies need light to germinate as well, so be mindful not to mulch around these beauties.

For best results: Full sun is best thriving poppy blooms!
Properties: Ornamental beauty and visual delight.
Beneficial Insects: An array of bees will happily hang out with your poppy plants (CNGA.

Salsify (farmacie isolde)

An old-timey plant that adds interest to the permaculture landscape.

For best results: Requires water to germinate, likes loose soil.
Properties: Can be eaten like parsley and provides an oyster-like taste to meals. Stalks and blooms are also edible (farmacie isolde).
Beneficial Insects: Can attract native bees, along with butterflies (BHG).

Soapwort (Denver Post)

A useful plant for the self-sufficient garden - make your own soap and let it seed itself for an unlimited supply!

For best results: Very adaptable, but enjoys moisture to germinate.
Properties: Not edible but can be turned into laundry detergent that won’t drain the color of botanically dyed clothes (farmacie isolde).
Beneficial Insects: Blooms bring in hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and hummingbird moths (BHG!

Strawflower (Chicago Park District)

I love these plants so much. Leave a few blooms behind for a delight of colors next year.

For best results: Strawflower thrives in sunny spots, but doesn’t mind a little shade. Great for low-water gardens.
Properties: Blooms dry for everlasting bouquets and garlands.
Beneficial Insects: The amount of bees and beneficial wasps around my strawflower plants are a sight to behold!

Sunflower

Inevitably, the birds leave some seeds behind to sprout for you next year.

For best results: Full sun and well-drained soil. Most sunflowers don’t need much water once they are established. Keep area moist in late spring to help with germination.
Properties: Seeds are a treat for humans, birds, and wild animals alike!
Beneficial Insects: Bees, hoverflies, and ladybugs all flock to sunnies (OSU).

Sweet Alyssum (Denver Post)

A welcome sight in any regenerative garden, sweet alyssum will self-sow year after year to bring in helpful beneficial insects.

For best results: Keep watered as it is establishing.
Properties: Great companion plant for crops.
Beneficial Insects: Brings in lacewings, hoverflies, mason bees, tachinid flies, and parasitic wasps (EFN).

Tithonia (Chicago Park District)

A lovely plant that adds texture and interest to the garden.

For best results: A nice warm and sunny spot will benefit tithonia.
Properties: Beauty and color to the garden.
Beneficial Insects: Bumblebee, wild bees, syrphid flies, monarchs and swallowtail butterflies are all attracted to this pretty plant (UWM.

Tomatoes (farmacie isolde)

Open-pollinated varieties that are grown with the same variety (so no cross-pollination) do well when self-sown.

For best results: Plant in a sunny spot, water at regular intervals, provide trellis for support.
Properties: Turn tomatoes into sauces, salsas, salads, gazpacho…etc.
Beneficial Insects: Sometimes you’ll see a bee or two on tomato blooms.

Valerian

Don’t sleep on this beautiful insect attractant!

For best results: Seeds nee light to germinate, do not bury. Enjoys decent amount of watering, can thrive in full sun to part shade (EFN).
Properties: Can be found in herbal medicine, and is a plant utilized in biodynamic farming formularies (EFN).
Beneficial Insects: Valerian brings in butterflies, flies, honey bees, hoverflies, moths, native bees, and beneficial wasps (EFN).

Viola/Pansy/Violet (Chicago Park District)

Don’t shy away from growing violets, especially if you have a part-shade border or woodland edge in your yard.

For best results: Plant in full sun to part shade (lean towards shade in hot summer climates). Do not overwater (American Meadows).
Properties: Can have medicinal value, also a lovely ornamental (Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine).
Beneficial Insects: Host plant for fritillary butterflies (Xerces.

Yarrow (Denver Post)

Yarrow comes in an array of colors - grow a few color palettes and be surprised by what comes back each year.

For best results: Yarrow does best when seeds are cold stratified for 30 days before they are sown - this means that they will need to be exposed to consistent chilled temperatures outside for best self-sowing results. Seeds can take over a month to germinate, be patient (Sow True Seed).
Properties: A must-have for herbalists, yarrow also makes gorgeous dried flowers for everlasting decor.
Beneficial Insects: Yarrow will bring in butterflies, moths, bees, and ladybugs (OSU, UC ANR).

Zinnia (Chicago Park District)

Who doesn’t love a friendly zinnia bloom planting itself in the garden?

For best results: Zinnias enjoy full sun, but aren’t a very fussy plant aside from that.
Properties: Adds beauty to your garden, with a wide range of colors to choose from.
Beneficial Insects: Zinnias will be favored by bees, hoverflies, ladybugs, and parasitic wasps (Diane’s Flower Seeds).

Self-Seeding Plants to be mindful of

Bachelor’s Button: Can get out of hand, be very mindful of spread. Do not let spread if you live in Washington State or British Columbia. (AHS)
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Fennel: Listed as “problematic” in coastal California (CNPS SLO, this plant can spread all over your garden and cause issues. Bees do flock to my fennel plants by the hundreds! I also love eating the seed. So when the plants go to seed, I carefully harvest them all so that I minimize seed spread throughout the garden. I also watch the area closely in the spring and pull up any volunteers.
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Japanese Primrose - A story in the American Horticultural Society from Judy Sulilivan, a garden designer for the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, shares that on the school campus, these plants got so out of control that they needed to resort to herbicides. 15 years late and they are still handweeding plants every year. Not safe for consumption.
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Lupine (Denver Post) - be mindful of spread in PNW; note that Lupine is toxic to livestock such as goats and also toxic to humans.
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Morning Glory: AKA Bindweed, this plant can be invasive in areas with mild winters like the PNW. Not safe for consumption.

Mugwort: Invasive in many states such as NY and has the potential to spread readily throughout your garden and yard. To prevent this, I always cut it down to the ground as it starts to bloom. I can save the leaves and bloom buds for tea and add any extras to the compost pile without worry of having a mugwort invasion.
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Mullein: In warmer Mediterranean climates, mullein can become an issue. Cut it back after it flowers but before it goes to seed to prevent spread but still get a harvest of herbal material for tea.
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Oxeye Daisy: A plant that can be very aggressive and has been declared invasive in several states. Not safe for consumption.
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Queen Anne’s Lace: It’s listed as an invasive plant throughout North America. At the same time, it provides food and habitat for many beneficial insects. I have a controlled area where I let two self-sowing Queen Anne’s Lace flowers bloom each year, and during the summer I can almost always find a ladybug or two on them. An alternative, however, is to choose other non-toxic carrot family species to set seed and bloom. Try angelica, caraway, coriander, or dill (OSU), and be mindful of their spread as well. Not recommended for consumption, too many toxic look-alikes.

How to Encourage Self-Sowing Plants

Plants will need to go to seed in order to self-sow. Leave some vegetables behind so that they bloom and produce seed, and avoid cutting back all flowers and herbs.
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Avoid mulching excessively where self-seeders are growing. Some seeds need light to germinate, and other seeds may not be able to push up through the layer of mulch.
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Set aside areas for plants to seed and grow in your garden. If the self-sowing plants are always growing where you’re trying to plant something else, this can be a helpful way to let the plants do their thing without being an inconvenience.

Troubleshooting Self-Seeding Plants

Here are solutions to some common problems with self-seeding plants in the garden.

Poor gemination: This can occur if seeds are mulched over, unwatered, or if conditions weren’t perfect for their germination. If seeds need cold stratification, be sure that your temperatures give them that cold period.
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Low self-seeding rates: Sometimes, a plant doesn’t self-sow as abundantly as you’d like. In that case, save some seeds to scatter during optimial conditions.
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Soil contact: If your plants are along an edge of your garden and are falling into grass or a pathway, they may not germinate. Try to scatter some seeds on the soil, and press them into the ground lightly for best results.
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Poor plant health: It’s easy to let plants crowd themselves in when self-sown. Plants will be healthier with some spacing to allow for air flow and balanced sun exposure. Thin out your self-sown seedlings for best results.

Regional Considerations for Self-Sowing Plants

Your region's climate is a crucial factor when choosing self-seeding plants.

What thrives in a mid-western garden might overrun a Pacific Northwest landscape.

Research your local ecosystem to select plants that benefit rather than burden your garden.

Also, be sure that none of the plants you grow are on your state’s invasive list. Be mindful of a plant’s spread.

How to Manage Self-Sowing Plants

Check in with your landscape to be sure that your self-sowers aren’t becoming too prolific in our garden. Minimize seed spread if this is the case by cutting plants back before they go to seed, or harvesting them carefully.
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If you’re not into chaos gardening and like some order, you may wish to collect seeds as they set in a small paper bag or envelope. Then, you can sow your seeds next year.
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Be mindful of adding plant debris into the compost pile - remove any seed heads first!

Conclusion: The Self-Sustaining Garden Dream

Cultivating a self-seeding garden is an artful balance of letting nature lead while guiding its path. Our extensive database equips you with the knowledge to create a thriving garden that sows itself, year after year.

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