How to Harvest Seeds from your Heirloom Broccoli
One of the great adventures and benefits of growing Heirloom Quality vegetables is harvesting your own seeds for planting and growing next year.
Harvesting seeds from your Brocolli or any member of the “Cabbage or Cole Family” (including Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts and Kale) actually starts long before the end of the growing season- the process begins with planting! Members of this family can cross-pollinate and should, ideally, be planted at least 1,000 feet from each other to prevent cross-pollinatation.
If you have a small home garden and would like to harvest your own Broccoli Seeds, try planting only Broccoli (or whichever Cole Crop’s seeds you hope to harvest).
If you planted multiple Cole Crops, have already reached the end of growing season, and would like to try to harvest seeds- Go For It! It’s always worth a try!
Harvesting Broccoli Seeds
- At the end of the growing season, stop trimming the Broccoli heads for consumption.
- First you will notice small yellow flowers then, the small green pods will begin to form.
Green Broccoli Seed Pods
- If you only want to collect a small amount of the seeds, wait for individual pods to dry to a light brown color. Pods toward the bottom of the plant will dry first, followed by those higher on the plant. Once a pod appears dry, you can pick it and open it by hand or by walking on it.
- If you would like to collect the maximum amount of seeds, pull the entire plant from the ground after the majority of the pods appear dry.
- You can place all of your dried pods in a cloth bag and open them all by smashing them with a mallet or walking on them.
- Green pods will rarely produce viable seeds- even if the pods dry after the plant is pulled.
- All harvested seeds should be stored in a cool, dark and dry environment until you are ready to plant them.
Thanks this is a very helpful and informative post.
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I wanted to harvest my broccoli plants for their seeds and I’m not sure what to look for and where to look. The green buds have started yellowing, I’m very new this gardening thing, let alone trying to collect the seeds. This will be my first time saving seeds from something I grew, and did not buy and eat and clean.
If anyone has any tips or advice for harvesting broccoli seeds, I
would be a much appreciated bloke.
Joe- Thanks for your comment it sounds like you are well on your way to becoming a broccoli seed harvester! Those yellow flowers will soon turn to pods
Read above to see an explanation on how to maximize the number of seeds you harvest or how to just harvest a few for fun!
Good luck. Let us know how it all goes down!
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glad i stumbled over your website. Great and informative article you have here. They are indeed helpful especially to garden enthusiasts.
Thanks for the tips! i will try them out some time.
I have just pulled six broccoli plants with pods I thought were ready before I read this and realized they are supposed to be yellowing first
is there anything I can do to ensure the seed is useable??
Hi Sarah-
Sorry about that.
Unfortunately, green pods will rarely produce viable seeds- even if the pods dry after the plant is pulled. If there are any pods left on your plants, let them go brownish before pulling them. You can wait and let your green pods dry off and harvest the seeds out of them and try to plant them- however you may not get many, if any to germinate
Jut so I get this clear. Do I leave my broccoli planted until the pods dry or go brownish. In other words don’t pull the pant out until the pods are dry. Should I support them whilst planted as they get top heavy and lean to the ground. I too am trying his for the first time.
Thank you.
Darren- Congratulations on your new experience in saving seeds!
Yes, you are correct, leave the pods on until they dry- and yes, you can stake the plants so that they do not topple over!
All the best