How to Store Vegetable Seeds
When you purchase a packet of seeds from your local nursery or garden store, it is important to save some of the seeds to plant in the following years as you most likely don't need all of the seeds in the packet. You can also store the seeds from your vegetables after you've harvested them. Germination will occur while storing your seeds in a cool and dry location, so it's important to plant your seeds before the germination ends. You should never dry your seeds using a blow dryer or microwave as you could do internal damage to the seeds. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Wash the seeds in cool running water and place them on paper towels to dry. Make sure the seeds are separated as they dry. The seeds should only have a moisture content that is between 5 and 13 percent.
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Put half of the dried seeds into paper envelopes after letting them dry for one day. Write on the envelopes the type of seed and how many hours it was dried for. Let the remaining seeds dry for two more days and then place them in envelopes as well.
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3
Place the envelopes of seeds into a plastic freezer bag. Never store the seeds in a vacuum sealed plastic bag. You can use a regular plastic bag, but freezer bags will work the best for storing your seeds.
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Store the seeds in the sealed plastic freezer bag in your refrigerator. Make sure the temperature remains between 33 and 40 degrees in order to keep your seeds stored for the longest period possible.
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Continue storing the seeds for up to three to five years. Each year you should plant a few of the germinated seeds. Always plant the seeds that weren't dried as long first.
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