Can I buy seeds now and then save them to start seedlings for next years flowers?

Here's the thing. I dont have alot of extra money but I like to have flowers in the spring/summer. I noticed seeds are much cheaper than packs of flowers. But I dont want to have to wait for them you grow this year. If I buy seed packs now of the flowers I want next year and then save them to start seedlings indoors around next March. Would they be to old by then?

Can I buy seeds now and then save them to start seedlings for next years flowers?
That's exactly what you should be able to do. The plants should produce seed and at the right time you should be able to collect the seed for next years crop. A good method of growing seed plants is to mark the individual plants you want to produce seed for you. Put a colored twist tie around the stalks of the plants that you will allow to flower and go to seed. Do not dead head these plants as you would the remainder of the crop. Harvest the seed heads on a dry day, hanging them in an airy, dry spot under a roof until the plants are completely dry and the seeds can be shaken or beaten out of the seed heads and pods.


As far as saving seeds you purchased this year and saving them to sow next spring, you may find that method a little unproductive. Lots of annual seed is good for a limited number of years. Usually only one or two, perhaps as many as five or more depending on the seed variety. Seed germination rates tend to fall as time goes by. Perhaps the best way to preserve seed for extended periods of time is to put the seed packets in a closed plastic plastic bag and stick them in the freezer. One method of collecting seed for next years garden is to ask your friends and neighbours if they would allow you to collect seed heads from their plants. Often the plants that our neighbours and fellow gardeners grow are the ones that do well in our areas. Many flowers will seed themselves and if you collect the seed then sow it in the fall, in the spring those seeds will germinate and grow new flowers. I grow poppies, calendula, cosmos, johnny jump-ups, violets, forget-me-nots and several others that will seed themselves and grow every year with little help from me. If you have some good friends or generous neighbours perhaps they would allow you to take a root divisions from their flowering perennials, either now or in the fall. Perennials will establish themselves and produce beautiful blooms year after year with some feeding, weeding and general maintenance. I grow peonies, delphiniums, various lillies, day lillies, angelica, monarda, echinacea, lungwort, bleeding heart and various bulbs such as tulips, crocus and daffodils. All of the plants flower at various times of the season and continue to propagate new versions of themselves on a continuous basis throughout the growing period. Try trading some gardening time with your friends and neighbours for seeds and plant divisions. Not only will you end up with some fine plant specimens, you will get to know your neighbours better as well as learning more about various garden plants and various methods of gardening. Have Fun!
Reply:Not all of them. It depends on what kind of flower seeds you purchase, the quality of the seeds, and even the storage of the seeds.


Annuals are very cheap at Lowe's or HomeDepot, and they continue to bloom from April until late September, even in Pennsylvania, where I live. They increase the "curb appeal" of your home.
Reply:Each seed has a limited amount of food it slowly feeds on while dormant to still keep it alive... the length of time that seed can survive is called viability... its different plant to plant... but your best bet would be to just wait... you can order seeds you wouldn't find in stores from the 2 sites attached...