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Saving seeds from garden or wild plants is not hard to do. By gathering seeds from plants you can expand the range of flowers in your garden, ensure the survival of plants which may be short lived, or increase the numbers of some of your favorites.

It pays to remember that if you are saving seeds from hybrid varieties, that the seed saved may either not come true, or may be sterile and not germinate. But even if the seeds don't come true, you may still get some worthwhile seedlings from them. And part of saving seeds is the adventure of not knowing exactly what you will get when the resulting seedlings grow and bloom.

The first step in saving seeds is to gather them. These may be gathered from your garden, the garden of a friend, wild places like state forests and wildlife areas. It is best to check first to see if it is permitted to gather seeds from a park or wildlife refuge before you do it. Many areas have stiff fines for the unauthorized gathering of wild plants.

Use resealable plastic bags to put the various berries, fruits and seed heads in as you gather them. Be sure to label each one as to the date, place found and plant species Put each seed you save in its own bag.

Once you get the seed home, it is best to allow the seeds to dry a few days on a piece of wax paper placed in a warm, dry area out of reach of pets and children.

Seeds in fleshy fruits need to be removed before drying. You can sometimes be remove them by rolling the small fruits or berries between two spoons. Be sure you wash off the spoons and your hands thouroughy after this, as many of these fruits may be poisonous. Wear latex or rubber gloves to be safe.

Once the seeds are removed from their fruity containers, spread them out on some wax paper for a few days to dry. Seeds in seed capsules can also be saved in this manner, allowing them to dry until the pods are dry enough so the seeds will fall out when gently shaken or squeezed.

Once the seed has been removed from the fruit or seed capsules, they are ready for saving. The next article in this series tells you how to do this.

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