Make your own seed packets

I've got a fun little project for you with a little garden education mixed in!  I want to show you how to make seed packets.  They make great little gifts and if you are an Etsy seller, could also be perfect for that extra something special to include in your orders to say “Thanks!”
 

Before we start on our project, let's go outside and I'll show you what two flowers we are going to harvest seeds from.  Both of the flowers I am showing you are annuals, meaning they don’t come back every year like perennials.
 

First up, we have Cosmos.  I love these flowers, they are so dainty and happy!  The ones in my garden are different shades of purple and magenta.  As you can see in the picture, there are some dead blooms still on their stems.  To get seeds when they are ready, you have to wait until the dead bloom falls to the ground.



Here’s what the bloom looks like after the petals have all withered and fallen off.



Grab some of those and start pulling it apart.  Inside you’ll find these brownish black seeds.  You don’t want to open it up outside, though.  Keep the seeds out of sunlight so they will be able to germinate properly and store the seeds in a dry, dark area for 6 weeks.



Now for the Marigolds.  Marigolds are part of the daisy family and wonderful to add to any flower or vegetable garden because they are known to repel various types of plant eating bugs.  Different species of Marigolds repel different kinds of bugs but they have to be the fragrant kind.

You don’t have to wait for Marigold blooms to fall like Cosmos.  When you see them turn brown, pick the heads off.



Pluck all the crunchy dead petals off and pull the little hairs that remain sticking out.



Those little hairs are attached to the top of the seeds.  The seeds are the brownish black things you see above.  These are my favorite to harvest.  I don’t know why but I really enjoy pulling the seeds out of the flower heads.

Do you have a garden?  What kind of flowers do you have and do you take the seeds from them?

Now let’s go inside and make our packets to hold the seeds.  I’ve included a free template for you to download to make your own envelopes or you can take apart any small envelope you may have and make a pattern from it.

Download the template here.


The best way to get use out of the template is to trace it onto cardboard and use that.  That way you can use it over and over.  You can find some really cute scrapbooking paper at Walmart for cheap and if you don't have a garden just find some seeds in the garden center.

After you cut the shape, fold in the two sides and secure with a bit of glue (stick is best.)  Then fold the bottom up and glue.



Now you can fill them with seeds.  I like to put two flower heads worth of seeds in, but you don’t have to stop there.



Use a bit of washi tape to secure the open flap down.  I think it makes it that much cuter and easier for the recipient to open rather than tearing through glue.




Add some stamps, lettering, stickers or whatever you’d like to embellish and label.  Now they are ready to give.  It would probably be a good idea to send a little instruction on how to plant the seeds if you plan on giving these to customers.