Don't miss opportunities to collect seeds in your garden. Having some seeds on hand is convenient for establishing new beds or trading seeds with friends. I try to collect a small amount of each garden species each year. Seeds loose their viability over time so it is best to replenish each year. I store my seeds in small brown coin envelopes but regular or homemade envelopes work fine. Be sure to mark the date on the seed packet so old seeds can be disposed of.
Some plants are very easy to collect like coreopsis and columbine. For these I hold a clean tub beneath the plant and just lean the seed head over and pat it to let the seeds fall into the tub. Many beetles etc will also fall into the tub but they will leave if the seeds are laid out in the sun for a bit.
Fluffy seeds like asters and liatris can have their heads clipped off and put them into a paper bag. Then I close up the bag and give it a good shaking to free the seeds. The seeds will fall to the bottom and can be poured out.
Another way to collect seeds is to cut off the entire plant. I keep them loosely in a trashcan until they have dried. I strip off the stems as much as I can and then stomp the whole mess into a mulch. The seeds will be mixed in with lots of debris but can be sown directly all together. Some times the seeds can be screened or winnowed out of the mix.
Remember that you don't need to collect every seed. There is no need to fuss around cleaning every little seed off of a plant, leave some for the wildlife.
When propagating the seeds I use this propagation guide
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