How to Harvest Fuchsia Seeds

The pendulous double blossoms of the fuchsia flower make it an attractive addition to most gardens. While fuchsia plants are often purchased as nursery seedlings, you can also grow the plants from seed at home. Fuchsia seeds don't remain viable for long, so harvesting them from your existing plants is the surest way to ensure that your seed stock is fresh. Fuchsia flower mainly in spring and summer, but indoor plants can flower year round, which provides you with a consistent supply of fresh seed.

Inspect the plants for berry formations after the fuchsia flowers wilt and fall off. Berries are dark purple to nearly black in colour and form at the base of the old flower.

Pick the berries from the plant when they are still smooth and firm. Shrivelled berries may still hold viable seed, but the seed in fresh berries is more likely to germinate.

Split the berry open with the tip of a knife. Pull the seeds out of the berry and place them in a fine mesh sieve.

Rinse the remaining berry pulp from the seeds with lukewarm running water. The sieve prevents the seeds from washing away.

Pat the seeds dry with a paper towel. Plant immediately or store them for two to three weeks in a cool, dark place.