After seed material has been harvested the seed commonly needs to be released from the fruit. For quantities of about 15 gallons or less of harvested material, breaking loose the seed with a grain mill is a good option. For large amounts of material this is time consuming and using a hammer mill is recommended [[link to Releasing Seed with a Hammer Mill write up] . The grain mill works with harvested material which is well dried and brittle, but some seed is best sown fresh. If you are not sure check the seed harvesting list closest to you.[[ link to seed harvesting list]].

The grain mill has an auger feed, a fixed plate, and a rotating plate. The plate gap can be adjusted for the seed size. While the auger will feed the plates, you will need a tamper as the material is often non-free flowing. While the mill will grind stems, often it is move efficient to strip heads and fruits off by hand before feeding. Mills come hand operated or motorized. Low cost and long lived they are worth considering. Even for those with access to a hammer mill, for spot harvested material or single species, using a grain mill has a place. Once the seed is milled, it is ready for cleaning or dispersing [[link to Seed Cleaning write up]].