TIPS ON SAVING AND STORING SEEDS
Your garden is planted for the season. What should you do with those leftover seeds? Should you store them? If so, how? How long will they remain viable?
The good news is that properly stored, this year’s seeds will last about three years. Here are some tips for proper storage:
How to Store Seeds
- Seeds should be stored in a cool, dark, dry place and kept at a constant temperature. Store them in a cool cabinet, metal canister, or in a sealed container in the refrigerator. The refrigerator is an ideal place to store seeds, but they should be kept away from the freezer section.
- Store your seeds in clean, dry, airtight containers, such as sealed plastic envelopes or airtight glass or plastic jars with lids. Add rice or a silica gel packet to absorb moisture. The object is to keep the seeds dry or cool. You can put partly used packets of seeds inside a screw-top glass jar with a packet of silica gel, for example.
- You can also use powdered milk to keep seeds dry. Make a stack from about 4 unfolded facial tissues and put 2 tablespoons of powdered milk in the center. Fold over the tissues, tape shut, and drop the milk pouch in your container. Replace the pouch in about 6 months, if need be.
- Labeling is essential. Include the source of the seeds, the variety, if known, and the date saved. Store each year’s seeds together. Since seeds last about three years, you’ll be able to see at a glance if a container has seeds that are likely to be viable when you’re ready to plant them.
How to Test Leftover Seeds
When the next planting season rolls around how can you tell if your saved seeds are still viable? If they aren’t, planting them would just be a waste of your time and effort. Fortunately, there is a way to test your leftovers and make sure they will still grow. Here’s how:
- Place ten seeds of the same variety on a damp paper towel and cover them with another damp paper towel. Mist the paper towels occasionally to keep them moist during the germination period Or roll them up carefully and store them in a warm place in a sealed plastic bag.
- Find how long it takes them to germinate by checking “germination time” on the seed packet or looking it up on the Internet. When the time is up, see how many seeds have sprouted. If 7 or 8 have sprouted, the seeds are viable. If less than 50% have sprouted, don’t use them.
