Harvesting milkweed seeds

Learn what to do with the milkweed pods found on plants at the end of the season. Harvest and save the seeds for late fall or winter sowing.

Learn how to collect, harvest, and plant common milkweed seeds to attract monarch butterflies to your garden.

Harvesting milkweed seeds is fun and easy! Although humble in appearance, milkweed is a hero to monarch butterflies and should be included in all gardens.

Fall is here and the time has come to harvest mature milkweed seeds from milkweed pods. But how do you separate seeds without making a fluffy, white mess?

If you want to grow milkweed from seed, fall is the perfect time to collect seeds and start sowing. We know we can't have monarch butterflies without specific milkweed plants (Asclepias spp.) so we need to protect this vital, host larval plant. Plus, the native species make a beautiful addition to the garden.

Monarch butterfly chrysalis ready to emerge

Milkweed is a traditional food, and can be sustainably harvested without impacting monarch butterflies. Learn how to harvest and identify, with recipes for cooking and enjoying safely.

Collecting butterfly weed seeds is easy. Follow my step by step guide to learn how to harvest and save them to plant in your garden next year.