which annual seeds are worth collecting

paul2louise

I would like to know which annuals are worth collecting seeds from. I always collect nasturtium seeds that i regrow the next year but what other annuals are successful at regrowth.
thanks

sam.4000

I have found cosmos, sweet williams (though not classed as an annual) and marigolds are all great for collecting seeds and growing next year.

Lotus-eater

Ooooooh ...... beans beans beans beans ..... beans

(chorus)
peas peas peas peas........ and tomatoes

paul2louise

thanks yes i have collected beans before but not if they have grown as well as the ones i have bought. I will try cosmos and marigolds this year. I did try and collect mesembryanthamums but not got anywhere with them.
i will try anything but some seeds must be quite tempremental.

conradmum

Love-in-a-mist grows very well from collected seed, as do poppies, and they even come with their own little container.

foreign_correspondent

tomatoes and chillies!

katiel

If it's tomatoes and veg you'd like save seed from, the Real Seed Company has some easy to follow instructions at http://www.realseeds.co.uk/seedsavinginfo.html.
I don't save annual flower seeds as such, but find that nigella, california poppies, sweet williams, aquilegia, bluebells and hardy geraniums spread themselves around without my help.

paul2louise

great stuff, i bought some california poppy seeds to try this year. I will try and save some of the other plants i grow, never even thought about tomato seeds, i have a a dozen little plants growing at the moment so i will make sure i get some seeds from them.

thanks for this i will get my gardening sorted.

Orange_King

Calendulas and Snapdragons are very successful for me. They produce loads of seeds and the return is impressive.

SaverSueG

Try Sweet Peas, Nicotiana, Black-eyed Suzie.

Just make sure seeds (eg tomato) are not F1 varieties otherwise they won't come true.

Tomatoes are a doddle, just dry on kitchen paper and store somewhere cool. I've grown some this year which were 8 years old.

Have fun. :beer:

Kay_Peel

Pansies.

I watch for the time when the seeds dry out on the plant and the seed pods split but haven't quite burst open. I pick the pods and scatter the seeds about, willy nilly. Some grow into full size plants before Autumn and flower! Others appear in spring. The amazing thing is that they never look like their parent - they have inter-bred to produce something different.