How To Save Zinnia Seeds - The Kitchen Garten

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Did you know it’s super easy to save your own zinnia seeds to grow the following year? Maybe you want to stop buying zinnia seeds each year and instead learn how easy it is to save seeds from your own dried flowers? Zinnias are hands-down one of my favorite flowers to grow each year, and I’ve tried many different varieties.

Grow beautiful zinnia plants in the garden every year for free in just a few steps! Zinnias produce beautiful flowers that bring in pollinators and beneficial insects and add vibrant colors to the spring and summer garden.

Why save seeds?

Saving seeds is key to creating a self-sufficient garden. Though one of our main reasons for saving seeds is to save money from year to year, there’s also a great deal of comfort that comes from knowing that if times get hard, I can still have as many zinnias as I’d like.

Saving seeds can also be a blessing to others, since you can can easily save enough seeds to share with all of your neighbors and still have enough for yourself. You can also spread the wealth by giving seeds to your local community garden or master gardeners to use in their gardens or for local plant sales. The possibilities are endless!

Choosing Zinnias to Save Seeds From

Not all flowers are created equal, right? If you’ve seen my article on How to Grow Zinnias, then you may know that zinnias are prone to certain issues like powdery mildew and leaf spot. For saving your own seeds, you’ll want the parent plant to be as healthy as possible.

Select several zinnia flower heads that are from healthy plants, meaning no leaf spot, no powdery mildew. Then follow the seed saving instructions below.

Also remember that while you can save seeds from hybrid plants, the new plants that grow from those seeds may not have the same qualities as the parent plant. For best results with seed saving, I prefer an heirloom variety. Here are some beautiful non hybrid varieties to consider (all of these zinnia varieties come from True Leaf Market, a fantastic resource for high quality seeds):

• Pumila Pompom Zinnias: This is a great old fashioned variety that has fully to semi double flowers.
• Canary Bird Zinnias: ​Think Big Bird, but in the form of a flower!
• Red Beauty Zinnias: A perfect choice for any cut flower grower, Zinnia Red Beauty blooms beautiful deep red double flowers, with golden tips in the center.

If you choose to buy a packet of zinnia seeds to then get started on seed saving, just double check you’re not buying a hybrid zinnia variety.

​Where are the seeds in a Zinnia Flower

Before you begin saving zinnia seeds, let’s talk about where the seed actually is. I find that information to be pretty important; this way, you know what to look for! A zinnia flower is what is known as a composite flower, much like a sunflower, and that simply means that the leaves are opposite from one another on the stem, and the petals themselves have a few different parts.

A zinnia flower has two different types of petals or blooms. If you see the image below, you’ll notice the large red and pink petals (ray petals), but there are also the tiny yellow ones in the center (disk blooms). At the base of both of these types of petals will be seeds attached.

For more on the specifics of zinnias, check out this article from Las Cruces Sun News.

When to Save Zinnia Seeds

Plan to save zinnia seeds in late summer or early fall when the flowers have fully developed and are drying out. Since the seeds are at the end of the petals, you want to give seed heads time to fully develop.

You’ll notice the petals begin to dry out and turn brown on the ends. A dried flower head is the easiest way to harvest those precious seeds.

How to save zinnia seeds

Here’s the step-by-step guide to saving your own zinnia seeds, plus a video! The process of saving zinnia seeds to use next year is quite easy. In fact, the most difficult part is in waiting for the flowers to dry out! Here are the steps I use:

1. Allow flowers to dry out on the plant until they are brown and petals are crunchy. Remember to choose flowers that are healthy. Using a good set of clean pruners, cut flower off of plant.

2. Remove the dried petals from the plant and set to the side or compost. (Learn how to compost here!)

3. Break apart the center section of the flower that’s left, and find the seed pods. They resemble tiny arrowheads. As you harvest the zinnia seeds, place them on paper towels, paper plate, or in a clean container. Pick out any dried petals that may be mixed in with the seeds. (You can leave them if you like. They shouldn’t really affect the saved seeds.)

4. Store the seeds in an airtight container or paper envelope in a cool, dry place.

If saving different types of zinnias, be sure to store seeds in separate envelopes and label each with the specific variety. Once you’re ready to start your seeds the following spring, check out my full post on How to Grow Zinnias for instructions on starting your seeds indoors or direct seeding in the garden.

Seed Saving FAQs

Have some questions about saving your own seeds? Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about zinnia seed saving in particular:

• How long can I store saved seeds? Zinnia seeds will remain viable for 5-6 years if stored properly. So be sure they are fully dried out before storing. Moisture is the enemy of seed saving.
• Can seeds be sown directly after saving for next year? I’ve certainly had zinnias come up where I’d let some go to seed the year before, but it won’t be as consistent as saving seed and planting them intentionally the next year. Winter sowing is also a very popular trend, and zinnias could certainly be tried with this method.
• Can you save zinnia seeds from cut flowers? If the flower has dried out on the plant, yes. If the flower was cut while in full bloom and dried out after being on display, then there’s a possibility that the seeds were not yet mature and ready for saving. You can certainly break open the bloom and see if the seeds are developed (more plump).
• How can seeds be tested to see if they’re still viable? Seeds can easily be tested before planting in the spring by following these easy instructions for testing seeds.

More seed saving helps

• How to Save Tomato Seeds: Save tomato seeds from your favorite homegrown varieties right at home! This is one of the easiest seeds to save.
• How to Save Dill Seed: Learn how to save dill seed for planting the next year and for using in the kitchen. This is a great ingredient to have around for pickling.
• How to Save Basil Seed: Basil is such an easy seed to save. One plant will give you enough seeds for everyone on the block. Find out how easy it is to harvest basil seeds!
• Free Seed Inventory Tracker: Need to keep track of all of the seeds you have? Download this FREE seed inventory tracker and never forget what you already have. This has saved me so much money!