How to Save Broccoli Seeds (With Pictures)

Broccoli is probably one of the most loved vegetables on the planet.  Of course I don't know if this is fact or not, but I've never met a kid who doesn't love eating "baby trees" and with it's mild flavor even the pickiest adults I know enjoy it.

Let's talk about HOW TO SAVE BROCCOLI SEEDS

First, grow some broccoli.  As difficult as it is to NOT harvest it, leave it alone.  

After the head starts opening you'll see shoots with pretty little yellow flowers come up.

Aren't those pretty, happy flowers?  

When all of the seed pods that develop where the flowers were swell, cut down the stalks and place in a brown paper bag.  There was a mishap with my GrowBox and I had to chop the stalks down earlier than I would have liked to.  Hopefully the seeds are still viable.

After the pods are dry and crunchy pick them off.  I suggest doing this over a bowl because I had broccoli seeds flying everywhere.

When you've loaded up your pods, smash them.  I used my hands to do this.  Just crunch and smash.

To separate the seeds from the pods I got out my two favorite kitchen tools...The colander and the bowl.  

I placed the colander inside the bowl.

I gave it a gentle shake and swirl and the seeds fell through the holes.  Ideally this was a perfect plan.  I didn't account for (a) some of the pods going through the holes and (b) not smashing enough so there were still some unopened pods.

As any OCD Gardener would do, I picked through the pile one by one to make sure I didn't miss any seeds.  There were also a few pods that weren't fully dry.  I would have let them sit longer but we're hosting a party this weekend and I needed to get the bag of seeds off my kitchen floor.  The green pods went into the container and will be tossed into the compost.  Who knows, I may get some volunteer broccoli out of it.  

When I finished searching through the pods this is what was left.  I bin for the compost and a bowl of seeds to grow.

My finished broccoli seeds.  Some folks are extra OCD here and remove all the little bits of chaff from the bowl.  I figure it's just some extra organic matter for the garden so I leave it.  

The next step will be testing germination of the seeds, but I haven't gotten that far yet. 

The seeds I originally planted were purchased from MyPatriotSupply.com.  This specific variety is called Green Sprouting Broccoli.