How to extract seeds from berries
Plenty of trees and shrubs can be grown from seed extracted from berries. We show you how.
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It's easy to extract and sow seed from fruits and berries you've collected, and it's also free. Plants grown from seed aren't always exactly like the parent plant, unlike those grown from cuttings, so look forward to results that could be new, different, and sometimes better.
You Will Need
- Secateurs
- Kitchen towel
- 9cm pots
- Loam-based compost
- Horticultural grit
- Sieve
Step 1
Choose a healthy plant, such as sorbus, holly, cotoneaster or rowan, and check the berries are ripe by squeezing them. Remove a generous bunch with secateurs.
Step 2
Squash the berries onto a sheet of kitchen towel and clean away the skin and flesh to expose the bare seeds. Alternatively, clean away the flesh by running them under the cold tap in a sieve.
Step 3
Mix loam-based compost with horticultural grit to make a gritty compost. Use this to fill a 9cm pot and sow the seeds evenly across the surface.
Step 4
Sprinkle a layer of compost over the seeds, water, then stand the pot in a cold frame or sheltered place in the garden. Keep it watered and protect it from birds.
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