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Lupine seeds are easy to grow. Learn how to collect lupine seeds, and harvest and store them for planting in your own perennial garden.

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Most lupines here grow as wildflowers, however the seeds are easy to collect and bring home to grow in the garden.

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Mid to late June is the time when lupines bloom in our area. They cover the countryside with waves of purple and pink.

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You can forage and collect viable lupine seeds if you harvest them at the right time. Seeds should mature on the plant.

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The trick to collecting lupine seeds is to catch them at maturity, but before they are dispersed by the seed pods.

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Harvest time will be approximately several months from bloom time, at which time you will be able to collect the mature seed.

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Lupines readily self seed. The seeds are dispersed with some force as the pods explode their contents a distance away from the mother plant.

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Late in the season if you forage for lupine seeds, you can find unopened pods on the lupine stems along with these curled and empty pods.

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Make sure to harvest mature brown seeds. These seeds are still green in early August and likely are not viable.

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Lupine seeds are oval shaped, shiny and brown in color when mature. The seeds are initially green, and gradually turn darker as they reach maturity.

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Harvest lupine seed pods on a dry day when the pods are free of moisture if you plan to take the seed pods home for further drying.

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If harvesting individual pods, pull them gently from the stem making sure not to squeeze them, causing the seeds to be dispersed.

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To remove the seeds from the pods, gently squeeze the sides of the pods to open them up at the seams. When you press on the seed pod it will open with a pop.

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As you open the individual seed pods, place the seeds in a clean bowl to inspect your harvest. Seed harvest per each pod is generally two to seven seeds on average per pod.

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Store the lupine seeds in a paper envelope until dry. Keep them in the envelope in a cool dark place, or place in the fridge until you are ready to start the planting process.

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For more information on collecting lupine seeds, be sure to see the full tutorial!