Seed storage?

[Kiana]

Aloha! Any tips on a good way to store our planting seeds? Even some of the 2013 seeds lose their viability once opened. They are currently kept in ziploc bags in a bamboo cabinet in the house, but my guess is the humidity is finding them. Thank you for any suggetions!

[Carey]

One of the FREE newspaper this week, Big Island Weekly, has an article on seed saving & some of the 'how-tos' - just read it this mornig...eems a refrigerator can be handy for seed storing (I would have thought that would not be good for low-chill seeds...if there is such a thing):
http://bigislandweekly.com/sections/news...upply.html

[kalakoa]

Order some packets of food-grade desiccant from Amazon, get some mason jars from Ace or Walmart, put the two together and you can store anything almost indefinitely.

For important papers (and other rectangular things) use an appropriate Pelican case instead of a mason jar.

[Kiana]

Thank you so much for the great tips and article. I appreciate the help and info!

[Rourk]

I don't know about long term, but used tic tac containers are great.

[MarkP]

Temperature is a big deal. While dormant they are still metabolizing their stored reserves. The higher the temp they are stored at the less time they remain viable. Hard core storage would involve a freezer.

[Kiana]

I wondered about freezing. Are ziploc bags good enough, or should we use something with a seal like Tupperware? Mahalo to all for the tips!

[kalakoa]

quote:

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Originally posted by Kiana

I wondered about freezing. Are ziploc bags good enough, or should we use something with a seal like Tupperware?

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Neither is actually a "seal". If this is really long-term (years), use at least a vacuum-sealer.

With desiccant packs, a vacuum-sealer, and a deep freeze, your seeds will remain viable for at least three years, probably much longer.

[MarkP]

I read on the internet that once you get them cold and dry it doesn't matter what the gas surrounding them is. They can be in air, nitrogen, CO2, or a vacuum and it makes no difference, but cold and dry are a big deal.

For some seeds like peas there is such a thing as too dry. It makes the seed too hard and it has trouble sprouting. Given that I would say that a vacuum is bad since it would tend to cause any remaining water to evaporate.