For record keeping I have just started using my Excel program. I have just up dated it to the point that I now use separate pages for those I have filled and those that need seeds and those I have requested seeds, etc. I found that for me the best addition I have started adding to the program is the Posted by: Hyperlink. These has allowed me to go directly back to that persons home page for more information, such as what they have to trade or their want list. I found they do not always state what the original request was. For me it is easier to check their site to have a better idea what their wants are and how to contact them later in case I run out of seeds but have fresh seeds later, etc. I post the date, name, hyperlink, email address, physical address, request and my response. Once the order has been filled I cut off that page and paste it onto my finished page. Cuts down on the confusion of having to check if I have filled their order, etc.

I just rub the robes from top to bottom over a bowl or cut a bunch off and shake really good within a large paper bag than dump the seed/chaff into a bowl. Either way after you do that you can try taking your deep sided bowl outdoors on a slightly breezy day and winnow the chaff by blowing over the bowl hard enough to get the chaff to float out. The seeds will swirl around in the bowl :D The seed are not disk shaped but are tiny light pink (almost clear)beads. They do self-sow too, but nearly as much as 'Intense Purple'. Use the seed in breads, cereal, grind into flour,ect. Here is a link that might be useful: Mother Earth News~Amazing Amaranth

Hibiscus Seed Capsules Seed saving is a lot of fun and it's easy to do! This is how I do it....and these are general and universal instructions. Mother Nature is pretty easy to figure out if we keep with the idea that SHE needs to keep it simple too. Take a good look at a flower. When the flower fades leave it where it is, do not remove it. Eventually at the base of the flower there will be some swelling. This is where the seeds are forming. Do keep the petals where they are and let them fall naturally...I don't touch it or bother it, I just leave it be. The base of the flower will swell even more and soon you'll notice that the flower stem and the swollen base are turning a papery-brown. This is a very good indication that the seeds are almost fully ripe....in effect the plant has achieved it's goal of reproduction for that flower...it has produced viable seeds and no longer needs to expend energy to keep it alive, so it doesn't sends it's sugars and water up to the stem anymore. That's why it's turning papery-brown. It's no longer being supplied with nutrients and so it's dying back. The drying action will continue and as the swollen pod continues to dry you will see it start to open....some pods will open in a starry design, plants like poppies create a ridge of tiny little circles near the top of the pod....they make themselves into something like a little "salt-shaker" (sorta...but you could imagine it.) All flower pods will open in some manner when the seeds are ripe....it's so they can disperse their seeds. When you see that the pods and stems are both brownish in color, AND you notice that the pods are starting to open you can then collect the pods. I place the pods on an open plate or in open bowls in a safe place where they won't be disturbed and let them continue to dry naturally for another week or two. Then I remove the seeds from them. To assure that the seeds are thoroughly dry I let them dry on an open plate for a few more days...I even will stir them every now and then to make sure the bottom layers will get a chance to dry too. Storing the dried seeds is easy. I use paper envelopes. I make my own with my printer, but you could use coin envelopes or even mailing envelopes will do fine too. Label them so you know what's inside. Store them where they'll be away from heat or direct sunlight. I use cardboard file boxes to keep my seeds in and those do just fine. Another good place to keep them is in your dining room drawers. Those are dark places and your dining room is sure to be safe from extreme fluctuations in temperature. Good luck with your seed saving! Trudi

That's interesting and encouraging, Hoov. I had read that aloes are difficult to grow from seed- that they "damp off." What medium do you use to start yours? What temperature? Do you sow them as soon as they're ripe, or do you wait for a specific season or temperature? Do you leave them on top of the medium or cover them? I have a very shallow tray with a mix of perlite and vermiculite...and who-knows-what, on a windowsill that I use to root leaves. I have several other trays also, but something about this particular little box works better than any of the others. I rooted a tiny aloe pup in it, and it's grown crowded with a tangle of happy baby succulents. I thought I'd try a seed or two in it since it's done so well, but it is very, very crowded now. I've also recently had success with another tray of peat and perlite (finally successfully started my first E. runyonii 'topsy-turvy' leaf in it), so I thought I'd give it a shot. They all sit on a windowsill seed warmer. I have not had good success with straight vermiculite, or with grit or straight Turface for leaf-starting. I presume starting seeds will be similar. Rot rules in the Pacific Northwest. Algae, moss, and fungus thrive here- succulents... not so much. It is cold, damp and grey, even indoors. My succulents spend the winter on heat pads with mirrors behind them. What would you recommend for starting aloe seeds in the gloomiest climate in the country? Peat and perlite? Straight perlite? A peat pellet? Something else?