Collecting:

Angelica seed (pictured below middle right) is ripe for harvest when it falls into the hand with a gentle tap of the seed head.

If you are unsure whether the seeds are ripe, gently tap the plant. If seed falls off it is time. take a paper bag, or a seed tray lined with newspaper, to the plant to avoid dropping and spreading seed in the garden in areas where you do not want the plant to grow.

Use separate bags or trays to collect different seeds so as not to confuse them.Take a plant label with you to place in the bag or in the tray to identify the seed.

Woad seed pods

Drying:

Clean the seed by removing it from the stems, stalks or any other chaff. Small seeds, like those of incense plant, are hidden in the bract and require a lot of cleaning before the seed is revealed, while foxglove seeds are easy to extract from the dry seed pods simply by shaking them vigourously.

Once extracted, spread the seed out thinly on a piece of muslin or kitchen towel. Place in a dry, airy room and leave the seed for a few days to dry out completely.

Storing:

Store them in a dark glass jar, cardboard box or paper envelope, clearly labelled. Write on the month and year that the seeds were collected, so that you can check that the seed is still viable when you come to sow it in following seasons.

Once harvested and dried, herb seeds have different lifespans: nasturtium seed can last for up to 5 years; pot marigold seeds for longer, while angelica seed is only viable for 3 months - after that it is hard to germinate.