Tips on harvesting:

• Cut seed heads from the stems and place in paper bags and store in a cool, dry place until fully dried.
  
• Most seeds are best collected when the seedpods turn brown and start to split open. Some pods which explode are best cut off just as they turn brown (e.g. hardy geraniums).
  
• When fully dried, remove all chaff and other debris. Removing chaff is best done by blowing gently into the bowl of seeds which have dropped out of the pods in the paper bag or by blowing gently as you pour the seeds from one bowl to another to allow the chaff to blow away. Some seeds need to be picked out individually and the use of a sharp knife helps when the seeds are poured onto a clean white sheet of paper. Sieves of various sizes also help in separating seed from chaff.
  

Store seeds in well-sealed paper envelopes (not in plastic bags), labelled with the following information:
- Plant Name (common and botanical) and Cultivar (if known).
- Plant Type (e.g. annual, perennial, bulb, vine)
- Flower Colour
- Height (centimetres)
- Comments (e.g. easy to grow, bloom time, attracts birds)

Please combine all seed packets into a large brown envelope and enclose a listing of your donations along with your name, address, telephone number and email address. If any seeds are late ripening, please include a note indicating that those seeds will follow later.

If possible, please complete the form available on this website and submit it by email to seedexchange@torontobotanicalgarden.ca. A copy of the form may also be printed and completed by hand.

Any TBG member can order from the list of donated seeds which will appear in the January/February 2008 issue of Trellis. Remember, donor's orders are filled first!