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  Collecting Seeds    
 
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Planting a Prairie Garden
How Do You Plant?
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Planting
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Collecting Seeds
How To Collect
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          Whether you are collecting seeds for your prairie garden or a large restoration project, you should take careful steps so that your seeds will remain healthy. 

Collect your seeds in paper bags or plastic pails. Avoid plastic bags because they capture and retain moisture, which leads to fungus and mold growth on seeds. Collect only on dry days.

When should you collect?

Most seeds are ripe in the late summer and fall. Usually the seeds are ready about a month after they're done flowering. 

Remember....

Seeds should be collected only when the are fully ripe. 

Unripe seeds are still soft and fleshy. They should not be collected.

Ripe seeds are hard and dry. Most should easily drop off from the plant.
 
 

   
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