I do use a lot of small brown paper bags. As well as envelopes for small amounts of seeds and recycled baby food jars, butter containers or even large yogurt containers for lots of seeds (like marigolds).
In the fall I'll walk around my yard with a wad of lunch bags, some paper and a pen. As I collect seeds (right on the stems or whatever) in a bag I'll write down the variety and year on a slip of paper and put that in the bag too. I like the bags because they breath and allow the seed pods to dry out well after harvesting. I usually don't staple the bags shut but just fold the tops over a few times to close.
Later, as I have time I will clean the seed in the bags and transfer them to smaller containers for storage. Transfering the piece of paper witht he info on it too. Of course I don't always get through all the bags, but that's ok too :)
I like to write the variety and year on a small piece of paper so I can re-use the bags from year to year without having several different varieties written on the side.

This is certainly an interesting topic, I'm looking forward to hearing how others harvest their seeds :)

I use a small plastic cup or equivalent. Then put them inside my basement on a coffee filter which is marked with the type of seed it is. I let them dry out there until I have time to put them in small coin envelopes marked by the type of seed and throw them in a extra fridg I have in the garage.

Wow...thinking of harvesting already! Nothing like getting prepared LOL!
I use envelopes, bowls, paper plates, ect. to dry...mostly envelopes though. Mark of course! They file pretty easy on a book shelf or stack alright it not too bulky. After they've dried they get cleaned of chaff as best as can be, then are broke down for trades into small zip-lock bags (found at crafts, office supply or online stores) or little homemade paper envelope packs. I file all my potential trade packets in one box separated in individual Manilla envelopes for annual and perennial dated "2008 harvest" ect. All stored in a cool, dry location.

Stuff like Amaranthus Love-Lies-Bleeding or Intense Purple I just take the ropes or plumes and put into a large paper sack and shake. Put in a large sided bowl and winnow the chaff away :D

That's about it :D

If you know anyone who has a baby and uses the Gerber rectangular baby food containers they are ideal. They are like the Glad containers but small. This is a great way to reuse them. Be sure the seeds are very dry first and then put them in and snap the lid shut. These are very light weight and can be stacked. I put a label on the end, writing the seed variety on before attaching to the end of the container. I have knocked over a whole stack of these and when the lids are snapped shut they don't come open. And they can be used over and over by just putting a new label over the old one.
Tina

I use plastic bags which the newspaper gets delivered in. I write the plant name on the open bag and hang on a small clothes line in the staircase to the basement where it's dry and cool and dark. The bags usually contain whole heads of seeds and sometimes even stems. They just accumulate until after the holidays when I start trading. At that point I shake the bag to release the seeds, get rid of the stem and chaff, and place in small envelopes.

I harvest seeds in anything that is available and will hold the amount I am harvesting. Rose of Sharon usually requires a large brown bag as well as the butterfly bush pods. Regular envelopes work well for smaller seed/pods,but make sure you tape the openings at the bottom of the envelope ,over time it seems to separate at the corners and let seed escape.I agree with Vera,that seeds are easy to store in the regular white envelopes,you can file them and they let the seeds breath.

I just love this seed thing. So basically except for the collector using the coffee filter, you can take the whole stem, put it in a bag, stick it in a dry place and sort the seeds and mark them after the holiday? If this is correct, I am going to need a lot of bags!!!!!! LOL
Thanks, Sybil

Sybil:

Last year was the first year I harvested flower seeds. I just put the seeds on plates and let them dry for a few weeks before putting them into plastic bags or handmade seed envelopes made from garden catalogs. Someone on this forum posted a thread showing how to make them. I am thinking I will try paper bags this year for flowers anyway. Plates worked fine, but it's no fun if you knock one over, and I'm on the clutzy side. Also, it seems like they would take up less space.

I was so excited to see snapdragon and hibiscus sprouts this year from last year's seed harvest. I sowed snapdragon seed heavily, and there is a solid carpet of green, so it looks like every seed germinated. I have a few petunia sprouts as well. I will be planting some harvested morning glory seeds when it warms up a bit.

You will get so addicted to seed saving. By the end of summer, it was difficult to restrain myself from grabbing seedheads from random plants I saw along the road or outside at shopping centers.

To experienced seed savers:

I'm planning to save vegetable seeds like squash, gourds, tomatoes, beans, etc. After rinsing/processing them , can I put these in paper bags or would paper plates be best to help them dry more quickly? How long do you dry these vegetable seeds before moving them into storage?

This past summer was my first year collecting seeds. And what I did was I had a bunch of the foam cups and I only have a small amount of seeds but I pretty much knew what they were so I had wrote the names on the cup. And to make it easier to carry I uses a rubbermaid container to hold the cups I think it held like 12 or so at a time. And then I just went on way collecting seeds and putting them in the right cup for that plant. And then I let them sit in the cups over night and then I emptied the seed pods onto dessert size paper plates with the names wrote on as well. And here they stayed for a bit longer to make sure they were dried out good enough. And then I transfered them into a reg. size envelope again with the name on it. And here they sit until the envlope was getting full and with this I mean just a layer on the bottom (smaller seeds like petunia). And then they were transfered to the final storage which was a clear little baggie found in the jewery section of wal mart. And I used a sharpie to write the name on the baggie. And then the baggies went into a photo box.

I know it seems like a lot but with the seeds going into plastic baggies I just wanted to be sure that they were dry and were not going to rot and make a mess. And the good thing is I saved everything so I can reuse them this summer when I start collecting seeds again.

Paula

Sybil,
I use all the above methods! Envelopes, lunch bags, plastic bags, cups & coffee filters. It depends on the size of the seed & seed pod. I've even been known to use a napkin if I have nothing else available! I lay things out to dry on some cheap pie tins and some old cafeteria trays I found at a tag sale. I put a slip of paper in to identify them, and then I can stack them so they take up less space. Also, if you keep them in the house you risk bringing in bugs & spiders! I keep mine on the porch:)!
etravia

Last year was my first WSing and I got into the seed saving in a BIG way (ask my family, there were paper plates of drying flower heads all over the house!) They got to the plates by all the methods mentioned above (collected in any kind of container really, then put on plates to dry.) But it was the seperating the seed from "the rest" that took a tremendous amount of time and effort for me. Some are easy (shake in a bag,hard,heavy seeds fall to bottom) but some are very tricky. People on this forum were very helpful and chatty in the fall about seed saving - what works best for seperating certain seeds/chaf, etc. I'm sure that will happen again.

I also wanted to participate in the "Round robin" big seed swaps and felt that I should make labels on the computer for the little zip lock bags I was sending so the recipients would know something about the seeds (name, ht, color, etc) That took a lot of time, both creating the labels and then placing them on the baggies. And I soon discovered that many others don't do this...more than 50% of the wonderful seeds I received just had a handwritten name on the envelope, leaving it to me to look up information. But now that I have a ton of them on my computer already and will just have to do the printing, I will do the same thing again anyway. I'd be happy to share the word label files with anyone who wants them for their seeds.

The amount of seed and variety of seed I received in these swaps (I did three, sending and receiving around 100 each time)was incredible and I highly recommend that you try them if you haven't. It was like christmas morning apporaching the mailbox to see if the packages arrived, and I would sit for hours just sifting through the packages of seed, amazed by the "riches" in front of me!

So for me seed saving is just the "other side of the circle" - I've been able to put out over 200 containers of seedlings this year so far with saved/swapped seed. LOVE IT!

Nancy

I use mostly brown paper lunch bags now to collect and dry my seeds in I have a huge basket I collect in,and mark the seed names on the bag.(I reuse these bags a few yrs but have already bought 300 to be ready)In the winter I have a tray,small trade baggies,some paper plates I clean the seeds in and a trash bag.I select a few bags and this is my night time regime while watching tv.I just have to post this photo of 2nd yrs harvesting..and had to clean this up for Thanksgiving guest.lol This in my dining table also had the buffet and 2 side tables full.I even had coffee filters stacked full of seeds in the china cabinet-yep,I am an addict to seeds.
moonphase
{{gwi:372549}}

I walk around the garden with paper bags as well, snipping off flower heads into the bags. I bought a "nylon/undie" drier gizmo at the dollar store (circular with plastic clothes pins attached), and hang the bags on the beams of my deck (covered).

Guests think I have goodie bags waiting for them when they come by!

For large seedheads (sunnies, amaranth), I use pantyhose, and sling them up on nails in my garage.

Dollar store strainers are great for removing the seeds..I just dump the contents of the paper bag into them, over a paper plate, and scrunch the pods. Works great for small seeds like poppy, sapiglossis, portulaca, amaranth etc.

I pack in plastic little ziploks, but I also throw in a few grains of rice to take care of any extra moisture. Seems to work.

Wendy

i used to do the plasic container thing, yogurt cups, butter tubs ect. took up to much room. i do the paper bags now. i strung twine all along the walls in my scrapbooking/garden room and i hang the bags with clothes pins. saves a lot of room. looks crazy but it's my room. then i transfer them to the baggies for trading. after that they go alphabetical into envelopes into plastic shoe boxes or whatevers on hand. annuals in one box, perennials in another. it's so much easier. i just wish there was a wat to cut down on the time it takes to seperate all the seeds into the little baggies!!!
Tanya

Oh great thread. this sounds like fun. hope i get to try it this fall. Here are a couple ideas. Save all the junk mail envelopes. I like to shred mine but maybe will save some for seeds. To put seeds in small envelopes or baggies: how about using a little kitchen funnel. I have one that is fairly small and could pour the paper bag contents into the funnel, funneling the seeds into the small containers. I liked the idea from someone for the newspaper bags, hanging the stems into them and holding with a clothespin is what I would do. I recycle these for car garbage bags, but I might save some for seeds.
Laurie

I can feel that addiction rush thing going on in my head! I think making clotheslines in my upstairs seems like a good idea for me. With grandkids and four boxers running in and out of the house all summer, I am afraid that anything left on a table would be a goner. Ok, so now I am thinking I need to send for more foxglove seed, should I wait and trade for it this fall? Sounds like there are
just hundreds of varieties out there for trading? Is that what you guys do? Sybil

I use brown paper sacks (lunch and grocery) if I have stems I am cutting. For the most part though I use those Glad containers. If I have to move them, I can stack them together, or put their lids on them. It works pretty well for me. When they are done drying I transfer them to quart sized ziplock bags. I reuse these from year to year :) They stay in the ziplock until I sit down and transfer the seeds to baby ziplocks and stick their labels on them. Then all the filled baby ziplocks go into another quart sized ziplock waiting to be traded.

Lisa