I was reading the article “Collecting & Preparing Seeds” by Robin Hansen in the latest issue of The Bulb Garden that is sent out to PBS members, and in it Robin mentions the difficulty of collecting ripe seeds if some insect or animal gets the seeds before you do or the seed pod pops and scatters the seeds before you get to it. I don’t know if the article is referring to collecting seeds in the wild but I used to have this problem collecting seeds from my own plants until I finally came upon the idea of using those small netted bags that are often used for wedding party favors. I finally found them on Amazon (using the search words 'organza wedding party jewelry gift pouch bags’) and they’re excellent for this purpose. They have drawstrings so they can be tightened around the seed pods long before they ripen, they’re lightweight, waterproof, and the material lets plenty of air through so no mold or fungus forms and the seed pod doesn’t get cooked by the sunlight either, yet the seeds can’t escape and creatures can’t get to them. They come in different colors (so you notice them and don’t forget you’re collecting the seeds—even if you do, the seeds will still be there long after they’re ready to harvest), can be re-used, and they’re pretty cheap; 100 small bags cost about US$8.00 on Amazon. --Lee Poulsen Pasadena, California, USA - USDA Zone 10a Latitude 34°N, Altitude 1150 ft/350 m _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/…