seeds Seed Storage

S

schrade82

How does everyone store their seeds?  I have some from 2012 that don't seem to be germinating...  I can't imagine they are to old, but then again I just had them in a container on a shelf in the garage.  Thought I would see how everyone else stores them so they stay good for a few years.
 
Thanks!
 
Gun safe is a cool idea. I have mine in little bags in a small black filing box. And i put that in a drawer. Main thing is to keep them dry and cool. And the temperature and humidity needs to remain stable
 
I found a LOT of seeds stored in the same place,seeds from a LOT of different stuff seem to be not effected by the same conditions while others need babying.

IN general,Cool/Cold and dry along with MAYBE dark are the best for general seed storage.

I've had 2yr old wilds be useless and 5+yr old cancun habs sprout fine.
(stored at room temp.)
I've had wilds,fresh picked not sprout after a winter at room temp. or stored cool dry and dark.

I don't think you can say any storage temp. is perfect,or a must do.
I think cool to cold and dry is the all around best way to store seeds.

But I think in general it probably depends more on what the seed genetics are-nature of the beast.

I've had seeds I kept in the fridge that sucked after 2-3 seasons and had stuff kept at room temp. do just fine.

Best germination I've ever gotten was fresh seeds out of the pod put in soil-no drying or storage.nature doing it's thing.

Gun safe-they say plants can hear music,if you talk to them they make nice...
If I was locked away with a few guns in a safe,I think I'd do whatever the guy who put me there expected. :)

In reality I'd think a gun safe would be a good place,Dry.Constant temp. etc.
With the price of seeds these days you might need a safe to store them.
 
I use to keep them in pill bottles but that isn't a real good option once you find out how many awesome varieties there are.. Now I'm keeping them in jewelery bags(in jewelry section in walmart) then I keep all the bags in one of those big butter tubs with some coffee filters for germinating.
 
I put mine in small zip lock bags inside a mason jar with a couple of silica packs to absorb any moisture. I keep it in the garage which is dark most of the time.
 
I keep mine in stacked plastic cups.
 
Remarkably space-efficient once you've got more than a few varieties, and probably something that everybody here has laying around anyway.
 
In paper coin envelopes. They help keep out moisture.
For christmas I got a binder made for baseball cards that is working great for organization. Got bbcard binder idea from a forum member that has one hell of a seed bank.
 
Wow, lots of good ideas. The baseball card binder may be the winner, I like that it allows you to keep the organized too! Thanks for all the good ideas everyone.
 
I treat for a few minutes with H2O2 then dry, then put them in a bag or tube etc. With a desiccant packet and leave at room temp for a couple weeks, then finally move to a fridge set in the 40s (still with the desiccant packet). This gives them the so-called ultra drying andwwill maintain viability for many years. I can testify to 5+ years myself, but others have reported much much longer. They may take longer to germinate when you use them though.
 
Proud Marine Dad said:
Not sure I would agree with the one post who said they put them in the freezer. I would think that would cause some bursting inside the seed.
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+1 freezing can easily destroy the seeds if they have much water content at all.
 
impending_bending said:
+1 freezing can easily destroy the seeds if they have much water content at all.
Click to expand...
I've done this for years and have had zero issues. I have seeds that germinate from fruit that has fallen on the ground from the previous season and it gets allot colder than my freezer here.
 
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