How to collect orache seeds

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Friday, 28 June 2019 at 8:08 am

Orache is a hardy annual bearing delicious, edible leaves. We show you how to collect its seeds.

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Collecting seeds from the plants in your garden is an easy way to get new plants for free.

Orache, Atriplex hortensis, is a hardy annual from the amaranth family, Amaranthaceae. Red-leaved Atriplex hortensis var. rubra looks fantastic in a border setting, but it's the leaves that really make it worth growing – they're a tasty, healthy addition to salads.

If you've the space, a bed of hardy annuals like orache, cornflowers and California poppies will reward you with masses of summer colour, and provide plenty of pollen and nectar for pollinators. For smaller plots, try this summer pot for pollinators.

Follow these quick steps to collect orache seeds, below.

You Will Need

Scissors, snips or secateurs
Paper bag or envelope

Step 1

Collect seed on a dry day, mid morning, once the dew has evaporated and snip off the whole seedheads rather than trying to remove individual seeds.

Step 2

Placing the orache seedhead into a paper bag

Place the dry seedhead or shake the seeds into a paper bag, not polythene, to prevent mould.

Step 3

Label the bag so you remember what they are when it comes to sowing. Store in a cool dry place over winter, then sow direct in a sunny site next spring.