seeds Saving seed

[Adam]

I am saving seed for the first time and I have read from a fairly trustworthy source that once the seeds are properly dry to put them in a zip bag in the freezer. i'd heard about putting them in the fridge but the freezer?

 

[SuperHot]

I heard of the fridge, but not the freezer. I would be careful about putting them in the freezer!!

 

[Hammerfall]

i have read that the human seed reserve (somewhere undergroung in norway or ice cap) is at -18Celcius

This reseve hold seeds for most plant and trees if tehre was a huge event that would wipe out most of plants and trees. we coudl replant with those.

Seed vault

'' Spitsbergen was considered ideal due to its lack of tectonic activity and its permafrost, which will aid preservation. The location 130 metres (430 ft) above sea level will ensure that the site remains dry even if the icecaps melt.[sup][5][/sup] Locally mined coal provides power for refrigeration units that further cool the seeds to the internationally recommended standard −18 °C (0 °F).[sup][6][/sup] Even if the equipment fails, at least several weeks will elapse before the temperature rises to the −3 °C (27 °F) of the surrounding sandstone bedrock.[sup][1][/sup] ''

Hope this helps and give some new knowledge to others

Cheers!

 

[Crusher]

i have read that the human seed reserve (somewhere undergroung in norway or ice cap) is at -18Celcius

This reseve hold seeds for most plant and trees if tehre was a huge event that would wipe out most of plants and trees. we coudl replant with those.

Seed vault

'' Spitsbergen was considered ideal due to its lack of tectonic activity and its permafrost, which will aid preservation. The location 130 metres (430 ft) above sea level will ensure that the site remains dry even if the icecaps melt.[sup][5][/sup] Locally mined coal provides power for refrigeration units that further cool the seeds to the internationally recommended standard −18 °C (0 °F).[sup][6][/sup] Even if the equipment fails, at least several weeks will elapse before the temperature rises to the −3 °C (27 °F) of the surrounding sandstone bedrock.[sup][1][/sup] ''

Hope this helps and give some new knowledge to others

Cheers!

My understanding of this stock, like the one at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, is that the seeds go through a very special freezing process so that the water in them does not crystalize and cause damage to the seeds. I would think that even a dry seed has some inherent moisture that could cause damage during freezing, but I am no expert.

 

[HeirloomChef]

My understanding of this stock, like the one at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, is that the seeds go through a very special freezing process so that the water in them does not crystalize and cause damage to the seeds. I would think that even a dry seed has some inherent moisture that could cause damage during freezing, but I am no expert.

Yes, the seeds are dried to a extra low moisture content before being sealed for storage. I've imported seeds from seed banks before and most of them come with instructions to open the package and let them absorb some moisture from the air for several days before attempting to germinate them.

Now, I don't know specifically about peppers, but for example tomato seeds survive being frozen outdoors just fine. Every year I have tons of volunteers pop up and we routinely get down to -10F or lower for weeks at a time, the ground is frozen solid 2 feet or more down and it doesn't hurt them. For maxium germination it's the moisture that is the key. I bought something like 1000 small dessicant packs that I run through the dehydrator and put one in with each type of saved seeds to ensure they're dry. Absolutely frustrating to pull out your stash of bagged, true seeds in the middle of winter to start planting and find them molded from being stored before they were as dry as they need to be.