How to Harvest Broccoli Seeds

Broccoli is a member of the cabbage family and both its crown and stem are edible. They're a source of vitamins A and C as well as fiber. The crown is a cluster of the plant's flower buds. If you intend to eat it, pick broccoli when the crown is dark green and firm, and before the stem gets thick and tough. To gather broccoli seeds, let the plant stay in the ground until the seed pods develop and ripen. Seeds from green pods do not germinate, even if you dry them before sowing.

Broccoli plant
Mulch
Cloth bag
Hammer

Instructions

- 1
  Select the broccoli plant you intend to use for the seeds. Do not harvest any of its parts for eating.
- 2
  Mulch the plant you chose in the fall to insulate it from winter's cold.
- 3
  Remove the mulch in spring. Allow the broccoli plant to develop undisturbed until its flowers fade.
- 4
  Hand-pick seed pods that have dried and turned light brown in late spring to summer. According to the International Seed Saving Institute, the pods dry in progression, starting with the ones at the bottom of the plant and moving up.
- 5
  Open each seed pod by hand or put several in a cloth bag. Crush them with a hammer or tenderizer to free the seeds.
- 6
  Take everything out of the bag and blow the husks away.

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