Saving Broom Corn Seed

flower farminggardeninggrowingseed savingseed starting

Mar 29

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This post is part of my series on saving cut flower seeds.

Please see the Save Your Own Cut Flowers post about methods for selecting, harvesting, processing, and storing your seeds!

Broom Corn

Sorghum bicolor

This is an example of a plant whose ornamental part is the seed. Just choose a few heads whose color or form you love, tag them, and let them sit in the field a bit longer than the rest. Then dry upside down for a couple weeks in a mouse-proof place (!) and rub vigorously on a screen or in your hands to separate the seeds from the stalks. They need a good rubbing but will come off if dry. Despite the common name, this is not a corn, but rather a sorghum, so no worries about it cross-pollinating with your eating corn.

After rubbing, pass your batch through your screens and winnow to remove light material. You should get a good amount of seed that will be much less expensive than buying it in and will germinate like a dream. Store in a freezer if you have space, or in a cool dark place that has a stable temperature.

For more on seed saving and other gardening topics, check out my 2021 Workshops.

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