Preserving Annuals?

Question

Do all annuals produce seeds? I would like to plant snapdragons and such in the spring but I would like a way to plant them again next year without buying more. Any advice on annuals?

Answer 1

Yes, they generally all produce seeds. Some self-seed more readily than others - and it also may depend on your climate. I'm in zone 6, and snapdragons self-seed quite well. Not all annuals will have seeds that can over-winter here.

If you're good at starting seedlings indoors, you could try collecting seeds after they ripen, saving them inside, and sowing them in flats n early spring in a sunny window. Or save them, and sow them outside at the right time. Or just shake the seed pods over the ground, and let them do it themselves.

I often merely trod on my dead marigolds...In June the following year I have babies coming up. When they get a couple sets of true leaves, I'll transplant them around - since they usually sprout about 100 individual plants all in virtually the same spot.