How to Harvest Lavender Seeds

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When it comes to gardening, nothing is more rewarding than harvesting your own lavender seeds. Lavender plants are easy to grow and maintain, but they do need a few things in order to produce the best possible harvest for you. It’s important that you understand how to properly care for them if you want that fresh scent all year long. Let’s take a look at how to harvest lavender seeds and the best ways to store them for later planting.

When To Harvest Lavender Seeds

It’s simple to gather lavender seeds and save them for next year, or to give them away to friends. To produce seeds, don’t deadhead the flowers during the plant’s growth. Allow the seeds to develop on the plant instead of removing them.

After they’re mature, gathering lavender seeds from the garden takes very little effort. The flowers on the lavender plant produce lavender seedlings inside the flower heads, so allow some of them to dry out on the plant.

After the flowers are gone, lavender seed pods will begin to appear in their place. Allow the seed pods on the plant to dry completely before removing them.

The flowers will turn an ashy brown/grey colour. If you gently shake the plant, seeds will fly out.  This applies to both English lavender varieties and French lavender varieties.

Your lavender seeds can be stored for winter planting by placing them inside a paper bag and sealing the top with a rubber band. Then, store them in a cool dry place until springtime. You might also choose to plant your lavender seeds right away, but keep in mind that they may not come up as quickly if you plant them now.

If you’re planning on growing lavender from seed in the spring, don’t store them during the winter months. Instead, plant the lavender indoors right away to ensure a successful harvest next year!

What Do Lavender Seeds Look Like?

Lavender seeds are pretty small, but it’s not hard to see them. The seeds are dark brown or black, and they’re about half the size of a sesame seed. It’s important to harvest them before they fall out of the flower head because once they’re on the ground, these seeds are difficult (if not impossible) to find.

How to Collect Lavender Seeds From Your Garden

To harvest lavender seeds, I prefer to gently shake the seed pods in a bucket or other similar container.

You may also clip the seed pods off the plant and drop them into a paper bag when harvesting lavender. Then fold over the top of the bag and shake it to release the lavender seeds from the pod shells.

Because of their small size, lavender flower seeds come out of the pods clean in most cases. However, there will be some chaff (additional bits of seed pods and other plant debris).

If you want to remove the chaff without wasting any seeds, place them on a flat surface and lightly blow on the mound. The lighter chaff fragments will fly away. But don’t worry, this isn’t a compulsory step.

How to Store Lavender Seeds After Harvest

Allow lavender seeds to dry out entirely before storing them. To germinate, lavender seeds need to be kept in a cold environment for several months (also known as cold stratifying).

Lavender seeds may be kept for up to a year if kept in an airtight container, a paper bag, or small envelopes. I keep mine in a plastic shoebox, but if you’re more organized than me, a seed keeper would be ideal.

Seed Storage Containers

Small glass jars with tight-fitting lids, such as condiment jars, are ideal for keeping seeds. When empty, wash the glass jar well and let it air dry before reusing. It does not matter if the old label is still on the jar. Simply replace the top or write over the existing one with a permanent marker to update it.

For storage, frozen freezer bags can be used. Before sealing securely, label and push out as much air as possible. You can also store your seed packets in an egg carton if you have one handy. It will keep them together and provide some insulation but allowing a little air circulation.

Make the Most of your Seeds

Now that you know how to harvest lavender seeds, it’s time to decide what you want to do with them. The options are endless when it comes to growing your own plants and there are lots of types of lavender to try.

You can collect your lavender seeds and then remove the seed head from the plant before storing them for later planting in springtime. This way, they’ll be ready for whatever season you choose. You can also plant them right away in a container, or wait until the weather warms up and then transfer your lavender seedlings to a garden bed.