Long term sead storage, any ideas.

[opiemaster]

I have been hearing about these non hybrid seeds on the radio, I think it is a good idea to have some put up, but I dont know how or where to purchase these at a reasonable price, any ideas?

 

[Wifezilla]

www.rareseeds.com

I ordered from them earlier in the year.

 

[k0xxx]

I second Wifezilla's suggestion. I have ordered from Baker Creek for the past 4 years, and they are great.

I vacuum pack my left over seeds. I don't know if it helps or not, but some that had been stored for 3 years had a near 100% germination rate. We use the Vacuum sealer for a lot of stored items.

 

[Wifezilla]

I love my seal a meal. Got it at a garage sale for $4 I haven't used it for seeds yet, but I will after I am done trading on the BYC seed train.

 

[TanksHill]

I tried to get my name on the list for the Baker Creek catalogue and the link was broke. Ahhhh I hope I can get one!!!!

I bought a can O garden seeds from Emergency Essentials and keep it in the freezer. They are non hybred and sealed up all nicely for long term storage. I can't imagine why you could not do the same for your own seeds.

good luck, gina

 

[sufficientforme]

I too ordered my seeds from beprepared.com (aka emergency essentials)they are on sale right now for 37.99 and here is the article they include with them.

Includes an 8-page instuction booklet. Get started now with this complete garden in a can. With the contents of this can you can grow a garden the size of 2 basketball courts. Includes peas, radishes, onions, spinach, cabbage, swiss chard, beets, carrots, lettuce, beans, corn, cucumbers, zucchini squash, peppers, winter squash, and tomatoes. These seeds are non-hybrid seed hermetically sealed in E-Z Lock Reusable Triple-Layered Foil Bags. These special non-hybrid seeds allow you to harvest your own seeds for future plantings. Non-Hybrid seeds produce true to variety seeds to replant for future harvests. Adequately dried seeds sealed in moisture barrier containers can be stored safely for 4 years at 65-70 temperature and much longer at lower temperatures. Each 6 drop in storage temperature may double the storage life of most seeds. Critical factors are temperature and moisture content. Store as cool as possible. Can should remain sealed until ready to use. For best results store unopened can in a refrigerator or freezer. Keep out of sunlight. Packaged in accordance with the Federal Seed Act rules and regulations for hermetically sealed seeds.

 

[patandchickens]

While I suppose there is some value to having some seeds stored away -- though you need to be aware of what kinds of veggies' seeds remain viable for a long time and what kinds tend to poop out after just a few years -- but I would strongly discourage people from making this anything except your last fallback Plan Z. You need to be PLANTING those seeds every year or two, and GROWING them, and saving NEW seeds... partly for viability reasons, but 90% because just owning seed is a looooooooong ways away from having the experience to get an actual crop out of it.

The valuable survival supply is not so much the seeds, it is the know-how to get them to perform sufficiently well for you. Which is a matter of mileage, growing a garden every year (in whatever space you have, even if it's just containers).

JMHO,

Pat

 

[Wifezilla]

You need to be PLANTING those seeds every year or two, and GROWING them, and saving NEW seeds... partly for viability reasons, but 90% because just owning seed is a looooooooong ways away from having the experience to get an actual crop out of it.

Yes yes yes!!!!

Nothing beats knowing first hand how something grows (or doesn't) in your area.

A couple of the things I tried from baker this year DID NOT DO WELL in my climate. Nothing wrong with the seeds, but Colorado can be a tricky plase to grow anything. Short season, low night temps, very hot summers, you get the idea.

Instead of trying new exotics next year, I saved seeds from stuff I got at a local farmer's market that I know were grown in the area. Fortunately for me, I like squash, because squash does wonderful out here. I even live near a pumpkin farm

 

[TanksHill]

That's great advice Pat. I have the same can of seeds in my freezer. I think I will plant it this spring. Two lessons there. How well do they do in my area, and how well they hold up. I think mine have been in the freezer for minimal 1 year. Maybe a bit longer.

Then I can re fill with the seeds that produce and eliminate the stuff that bombed.


gina

 

[Mackay]

Seeds will keep indefinately if kept dry and out of the light.
I keep them in the spare frige in mason jars and ziplock bagsd.

One time someone gave me a second generation white bean seed. The first generation was from white beans found way inside an Anasazi cliff dwelling a while back. It went to a university and was grown and some of their seed product came to me. They grew just fine! Now how old were they? who really knows....but certainly a thousand years!

I purchased quite a bit from rareseed last year. look at their site frequently cause seeds run out sometimes shortly after they are put up for sale. I would never purchase anything but untampered seed. I want my plants to become grandmothers and grandfathers!
not impotent whimps!