It’s Tree Seed Gathering Season!
22 September to 22 October is tree seed gathering season. The perfect time to collect native tree seed and grow your own tree.
Grow the Trees of the Future
As the nights become longer, it might be tempting to stay indoors. However, this is actually the best time of year to explore your local woods or nearest park. Take the opportunity to gather seeds, nuts, and fruits that will grow into the next generation of life-giving trees, shrubs, and hedgerows.
The 22nd September to 22nd October is The Tree Council’s Seed Gathering Season. Seed gathering is enjoyable, free, and simple. No matter where you live or how old you are, you can take part. You don’t need to be a tree expert or have any specialised equipment – just a love of trees and nature and lots of enthusiasm!
Why Should We Gather Seeds?
Gathering seeds is important for many reasons. Here are some key benefits:
- Conservation: Collecting seeds helps protect and increase plant diversity. This, in turn, supports animals that rely on plants for food and habitat. By growing new plants from gathered seeds, we can restore habitats, stabilise ecosystems, and help endangered species like pollinating insects, birds, and amphibians.
- Climate Change Mitigation: Climate change is affecting how and where seeds grow. Gathering seeds from local plants is essential. It helps ensure that future generations can enjoy the same plant species we have today. Think of it as leaving a green legacy.
- Community Engagement: Seed gathering and swapping are great ways to connect with others in your community. Work together with friends, family, or local conservationists to create a greener environment.
- Personal Development and Health: Learning about how to gather seeds and identify plants can help you appreciate nature more. It also encourages you to spend time outdoors, which is great for your health. This activity is fun for people of all ages and is perfect for families.
Saving seeds from your own garden lets you grow your favourite plants and share them with others. If you are concerned about consumerism and the impact of transporting goods, gathering seeds is a helpful activity. Plus, it can save you money!
Seed collection techniques
Before setting out to collect seeds, it’s worthwhile to familiarise yourself with proper techniques to avoid damaging the plants or causing unintended harm to the environment. Here are some guidelines to follow:
- Always obtain permission before collecting seeds from private land or protected areas.
- Use clean equipment and containers to prevent cross-pollination and contamination.
- Harvest seeds from healthy, vigorous plants to maximise genetic quality.
- Don’t take all the seeds; leave enough behind for natural dispersal.
- Handle delicate plant material gently to minimise damage.
- Keep the ripe seeds cool and dry to maintain their viability.
- Take note of the species and location to submit your sighting to NESBReC.
Remember, think North East Scotland native.
It’s incredibly important to think about what is native to North East Scotland during tree seed gathering season. Unfortunately, we do have a lot of non-native trees, which makes our native tree population struggle. Learn more about other native plants and why they are important to grow in your green space here: Native Plants & Wildflowers – Wildlife Gardening – NESBiP.
A good starting point
- Goat Willow – one of NESBiP’s Big 5!
- Grey Willow
- Hazel
- Kilmarnock (Weeping) Willow
- Purple Willow
- Silver birch
For the adventurous!
- Rowan – excellent for hedgerows
- Crab Apple – excellent for hedgerows
- Wild Cherry
- Juniper
- Pedunculate (English) Oak
- Yew
A full list of native trees and more detail on where to plant them can be found here: Trees and Shrubs Native to North East Scotland.
Lots of free resources!
The Tree Council have done a fabulous job at creating free resources to help you this tree seed gathering season! Find them below.
- The Tree Grower’s Guide: A beginner’s guide to identifying and growing trees from seed, and starting a Community Tree Nursery.
- What seeds have you gathered? A guide to identifying tree seeds.
- Growing trees from seed. How to gather, prepare and plant your seeds.
- The Young Tree Grower’s Guide. Fun activities to grow massive trees from tiny seeds!
Adding ladders to our drains, is a simple solution to the death traps in suburbia - Image by Trevor Rose
