Poppy seeds

debs64

Hi all, I consider myself a fairly experienced gardener but one thing I have never really tried is harvesting seeds from plants. On my allotment compost area there are the most beautiful poppies growing with large deep purple flowers and I want them in my garden. What is the best way to go about it? 

Any tips and advice gratefully received thanks 

Butterfly66

Just wait until the seed heads go brown and develop a rattle - then the seeds are ready so you can just snap them off - best have a paper bag or old envelope handy as the seeds fall out if the ripe heads very readily. The other trick is to tie a bag over the poppy head so it collects the seeds - just snip the stem with bag in place once they rattle - I guess if your are on the allotment that might be the best way. The advice usually says a paper bag but how that is supposed to work in the rain, so I would use a small plastic one and if it’s clear then you can also see if the seeds are ready.We have lots of poppies in the garden and I scatter the seeds as soon as they are ripe but I suspect you could store them if you wanted - usual advice is somewhere dark, dry and cool (re the cool, I just keep all my seeds in a seed tin in the dining room and they seem fine so not sure how much temperature matters). 

fidgetbones

Store seeds in paper envelopes,never plastic as they sweat,  but the very best things to keep seeds in are madopar jars with the dessicant in the cap. Next is a glass jar with tight sealing lid with the dessicant sachets in. You probably know a good place to get these. I used to get the dispensers doing the dosette trays to save all jars with dessicants for me.

debs64

Thank you @fidgetbones I am a dispenser myself so will save the dessicants. 

@Butterfly66 will definitely do as you advise the poppies are such a gorgeous colour and just growing wild.