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37K views 25 replies 20 participants last post by  tismark 
#1 ·
Would storing seeds in air-tight jars keep them good for a few years?
 
#6 ·
each vegetable seed variety has a different germination seed shelf life. i think carrots are 3 years, cabbage is 5 years ect ect. these times and all storage times are based on 70 degrees. it is a standard rule that every 10 degree drop in temp doubles the storage time. make a list of what you like to eat and know how to grow. think about how many plants you need to eat of each variety, look at the seeds count per weight. find the amount you need. multiple that number by 7. when seeds arrive split up into 7 small baggies of each separate variety. put each years baggies (maybe 12 different vegetables) into one vacuum pack bag, suck out the air and store in the freezer. wha-la. your set to go for seven years. very simple and you save lots of money because seeds are very less expensive in bigger bags. works like a charm. i like johnny's select seeds cause they have several size bags of vegetable seed
 
#8 · (Edited)
while i'm on a roll here: when you decide which 12 crops you want to grow that are perfect for your photoperiod (daylight hours) and zone (growing days available) you need to study up on these crops from several sources. for instance string bean seeds grow best if innoculated, beet and radishes may need bonemeal, spinch may need fish emulsion, some crops need boran admentment (borax) to the soil, do you need lime because your too acidic. what i'm trying to say is you have 7 yerars of seed now make sure you have 7 years of fertilizer ect for each indivdual crop. it won't take much storage you will only need a few 20 lb bags but you will be an expert on your crop. it is not time to be learning after problems. become an expert now and have what you need.

also go on-line and write down/print 50 recipes for each crop and have the spices, vinegars, salt, wide mouth jars, and 7 times the lids for the amount of jars, pressure cooker ect.

this is also important with your storage supplies. what good is 100 lbs of cornmeal without 50 recipes for polanta, cornbread, muffins ect ect and having all the appropiate baking powers, canned cheese, tomato paste ect. think it though.

TAKE WHAT YOU HAVE AND MAKE WHAT YOU WANT
 
#16 ·
All of my seeds are stored in the freezer. I bought a plastic tub from the local china mart - its about 2 feet long, 14 inches wide and about 4 inches deep.

Video about my seed stocks

YouTube- Seed Inventory
Thank you Kev for the video! Helped me realize I need get organized! Going to store many in freezer also. I think Im going to also try some with a vacuum sealer with mylar. And also as the poster above suggested, metal paint cans. My sister purchased one of those time capsules with seeds. I suppose if we try many forms of storing, something is bound to last, hopefully(thinking long shelf life, many years). But I am going to start the freezing for sure. Watching your video really made me realize I have to get organized with them. I love buying them, probably to much, but not very organized. My daughter is prepping to make a bigger garden this year in our backyard. We are going to get the ladybugs this year and see how that works. I saw your video on how to take the seeds out of I believe it was zucchini and that is what we are going to do this year, try drying many ourselves.
 
#15 ·
I use empty paint cans. You can buy them anywhere they sell paint.
That is a really good idea - I like that.

I'am thinking of getting a couple of paint cans, filling them up with different types of seeds, and storing them in the freezer at the camp.
 
#19 ·
Ever noticed how fresh-turned ground soon sprouts a crop of weeds that were not present before? :) It's something that has been bred out of most cultivated species of plant: dormancy.

Not to seem like I'm an amaranth freak, but the weedy members of this family (such as Lamb's-quarters or pigweed), have seeds which can remain dormant in the soil for decades. As they are not super-hybrids, I would suspect seeds from commercial grain amaranths would also have a long shelf-life, and seeds collected from the native weedy annual types would remain viable longer.

Granted, native and/or weedy species might not produce as abundantly as cultivated species, but it's better than nothing when you bust into your buried super-emergency stash twenty years down the line. Seeds are small, and they don't take up much space.

I don't know if anyone has bothered to research length of dormancy in the following, but it might be worthwhile to put some seed aside just in case:

amaranth and pigweeds
wild mustards
dandelions
stinging nettle

and any other potentially useful annual weed that piques your interest. :)
 
#20 ·
I like to use one gallon freezer bags. Seeds are placed into sandwich bags (purged of air) then placed into one gallon freezer bags.
I'll group five varieties together in one gallon bag according to sowing times.
Each one gallon bag is carefully purged of air and placed into another one gallon bag, then another...three one gallon bags per group.
This way each seed variety goes dormant with 4 layers of plastic for protection. All bags are labeled with variety names and date. The seeds are placed in the freezer, and thats it.
Heat and air are the enemy, and this method helps eliminate both.
This method also uses much less space compared to a solid container type of storage. Properly purging air in those situations would be more labor intensive too.

Been doing this every year since 1989 in my small farm operation, and have 10+ year old seeds.... still viable and healthy.
Have not seen any difference in longevity between the small seeds with no outer shell (like carrots), and larger seeds with outer shell (like squash)... all germinate and perform well.
LCC
 
#23 ·
This is my first year saving them on purpose (previously, I just saved extra packets wherever I ended up leaving them).

I started to save them in baby food jars, and I ended up filling one of the bottom drawers in the fridge with them. There's about 60-70 jars. Right now I'm going on over 125 varieties of seeds, and so the baby food jar idea doesn't really work with that many (I don't have the room for all the jars in the fridge).

Now I save most of my seeds in little plastic envelopes (most of the ones I buy on eBay come like that already), and I put them into white envelopes with a label (i.e. Tomatoes - Early; or Squash - Summer), and I put all of that in a large plastic coffee can, and I keep that in the fridge. In the spring I plan on storing most of the seeds in baby food jars like this, too.

At one time I thought that you didn't want to freeze your seeds, as that would kill them, but it seems that's just a rumor.
 
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