How to store seeds?

How do you store seeds? Both unopened bought packets of seeds, and seeds that you have collected from your own garden.

Obviously they need a dry, dark place, which is easy enough, but what temperature do you need to store them at?

I have some Nasturtium seeds that I collected a few weeks ago from my garden, which are still sitting on kitchen paper and look completely dried out. Will a warm, dry room harm their viability? Should I put them in jars or envelopes at some stage?

How long do unopened bought packets of seeds keep?

 

H over the years i found Some seeds last longer than others Some a year while some for years but sometimes my seeds have surprised me
i do prefer to open air dry my seeds and when they are dry i put them in a everlope or zip bag (make sure there no air in there ) write their name and put them in a covered plastic container , i might have some open and unopen pks they go in the container as well and put them in my shed but if all yours are dry turn your seeds to make sure they all dry put them in an everlope then in a containter or jar
You canbuy seed storage containers but most things can be used for storing seeds others most likely will offer you further advice

 

I've found the key is keeping them dry. If you store them before they dry they go mouldy. I learned this by keeping them in jars, where moisture can't evaporate. Let them dry then store them in paper envelopes. If their outer casing is bone dry, then the embryonic plant inside is fully dormant, so light and temperature will make little difference. There are two risks.

1. If the outer casing remains moist, it is prone to mould.

2. If the inner two casings are moist and warm, then they will release a hormone that signals the seed to germinate. That's what happens in nature in spring. You don't want that to happen while the seeds are in storage, hence the need to keep them dry, and ideally cool, but being dry is more important than being cool as without moisture they won't get the signal to germinate.

 

I just keep them in a shoe box in a spare room that is unheated.

 

Given the fact that Kew and other seedbanks keep the majority of their cold and dry. A sealed box in the fridge or a spare fridge in the garage.

 

I keep mine in shoe boxes in a closet. I don't have the middle one now. I use the top one for labels/receipts and the bottom one for seeds using A-Z dividers.

 

You've had good advice from others already, but I just wanted to add on this specific point - the packets should have a best by/use by date on them and I would try and stick to that.

That's because length of time that seed remains viable will depend on the species of plant involved, as well as the storage conditions. I found this seed longevity chart for you though I can't vouch personally for its accuracy.

And here is a way to test seed viability before you plant up the whole packet/ envelope!

 

Apart from maybe tomatoes i tend to not use old seed more than a couple of years old.
I'd rather buy new than mess around with poor germination.

 

I just don't like the idea of keeping them in the fridge at all. Even yogurt turns to a strange texture if it is kept too far back in the fridge, and our small fridge tends to accumulate things like rotting vegetables and once-frozen vegetables, and everything fighting for space and getting moved around.

I can easily do dry and dark, but it is very difficult to find a place that stays cool.

One solution with some of my seeds might be to plant them outside in late summer so that they start growing and flower early next year, this is already happening with some self-seeded Nasturtium seeds, and last year my Nasturtiums were flowering on Christmas day, got a bit weather battered around February, then started growing back in March and were flowering early again. Obviously not something I can do with all seeds, such as Morning Glory that needs to be sown around mid May.

 

I love that idea, keeping precious seeds carefully in a pretty box. That would be my best solution.

My only question mark there is if they will survive winter in a heated room, which is just about the only place I have to keep them.

 

i believe they do best in a cooler environment. However "dark and dry" will do as that is how mine are kept.