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What do you use to store your seeds in?

 
pioneer
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Location: North Texas, Zone 8a, Black Clay
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I use empty pill bottles to store seeds short term (1 year or less).
I store packets of seed in ammo cans for long term storage.
For bulk seed I currently use mason jars. For example, I have one jar full of okra seed from one season.

I'm looking for something better than using the mason jars because they are glass which has the negatives of accidental breakage, light getting to the seeds (even though they are stored in a dark area I still consider it as a negative), and it is also heavy.

I also save silica gel packs from packaging to reuse with my seeds.

I'm interested in what others are using for storing seed. Short term, long term, labeling, any tips or tricks?

 
author & steward
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Location: Cache Valley, zone 4b, Irrigated, 9" rain in badlands.
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I use mason jars.

Label is a usually a loose piece of paper inside the jar.
seed-stash-sharp_640.jpg
Seed storage in mason jars
Seed storage in mason jars
 
pollinator
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Location: SE Indiana
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I switched from glass to the plastic bottles that soft drinks come in. The seal very well, are light weight and don't break. They are still clear of course but only see light when I get them out to obtain seeds to plant. I use stainless steel canisters and Pyrex test tubes for more long term storage of some seeds. Other than that I keep a lot of seeds in 6 mil sip lock bags. I don't mess with silica packs, I just make sure my seeds are nicely dried before storing and have never had an issue moisture or molds.
 
pollinator
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Location: Oregon zone 8b
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l use all of the above. I try to find the best fit for the amount of seeds. I use envelopes I got for free because they were misprinted. (Ask your local print shops if they have anything like that to get rid of!) Then they can be stored in a bag or other container, and into the fridge or freezer or cool dark place.

I keep envelopes in my backpack in case I encounter seeds to collect.
 
steward
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I use junk mail return envelopes.  I get them in the mail every day, almost so there is an endless supply.

Each envelope is sealed, marked with what kind of seeds and dated.

I use a file folder that has dividers with labels A-Z.  Each envelope is placed behind the appropriate divider.

To me, this is super handy and only takes up about 13" X 13" x 6" depending on the file folder.
 
master steward
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I shrink wrap and freeze.
 
J Youngman
pioneer
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I like the idea of recycling with the bottles, I will probably switch to that from some of the pill containers I use since the bottles would hold more.

The junk mail envelopes is also a great recycling idea, I never thought about how many envelopes you might end up with!
 
gardener
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Location: Middle Georgia, Zone 8B
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My two young sons built me a wooden box. I keep all my seeds in their original store bought packaging (or store in homemade paper seed packets if self-saved), then I put those seed packs inside ziploc bags. The ziploc bags go into the wooden box.

I keep the wooden box on the top shelf of my closet, which stays (relatively) dark and cool.

We live in the humid South, so the more barriers I can put between the seeds and the damp air, the better.
 
gardener
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Like Anne Miller does i use paper envellopes. If i get a lot or don’t want to process the seeds i use a small carton box. The glass solution i’ve tried but i get mold. Since there are so many cats here, so far no critters to ruin my seed collection.
 
steward and tree herder
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I use old envelopes too, sometimes the original seed packets, and zip-lock plastic bags.  I store the packets in old pick-and-mix sweetie (candy) plastic pots with a good seal. I keep seeds of similar things together, so a pot for different beans, one for peas, for leafy veg, for roots, for trees and shrubs, for tomatoes (I seem to accumulate a lot of these), for other greenhouse veg, for herbs and for useful perennials.  These pots then go in a closed cupboard in the bedroom to keep dry and dark and hopefully not too warm.
I've been collecting the silver plastic bags from our loose leaf tea with the intention of using these rather than envelopes.  Being metalised they will keep the seeds drier if I want some longer term storage, assuming I can get a good reusable seal on them. Plastic bag clips seem to work fine, but are a bit bulky.  I was even thinking of getting a bag heat sealer.
Off topic: The quantity of these I have built up made me add loose leaf tea to our weigh out area in the shop, even though it's not a particularly high volume product, most use teabags.  We had to change brands but I was getting tired of adding another packet or so a week to my stash, enough is enough!
 
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