Storing seeds in brown paper bags to dry.

Welcome folks! I just have placed my Ohio pole beans and others in brown paper bags to dry and ripe. Anybody tried it before? Please reach me if you all need me. Thanks!

Please let us know how this works out.

Usually, my seeds need air circulating around them to keep them from molding.  When mine mold I have been throwing them away.  Are molded seeds still viable?

I use my laundry room/storage area to dry my seeds because it is out of the way and I don't run the washer every day.

Spreading the seeds to dry on brown paper might work well for me.

Are the shells already drying up and changing color when you picked the beans?

I haven't checked yet, but I'll go look.

Anne Miller wrote: When mine mold I have been throwing them away.  Are molded seeds still viable?

They might still germinate, but unless it is some sort of precious seed that you can't live without, I'd not really want to start them off moldy as I would think you'd risk damping off and other problems.  That said, I live in a moldy climate - my gut feeling is that the risk would be lower in a dryer climate.

I often put the seed heads upside down in a brown bag, and then hang the bag. The bag catches the seeds, but with the top of the bag open, there's more airflow.

I often don't have the option of leaving beans on the plant until they're dry, so then I spread them on a tray for a few days in the hopes the pod will give more ripening to the beans, then I remove the pods to discourage mold. I'm getting better at tossing things that don't look right... it's hard because there's life in those little seeds...

Jay Angler wrote:I often put the seed heads upside down in a brown bag, and then hang the bag. The bag catches the seeds, but with the top of the bag open, there's more airflow.

I often don't have the option of leaving beans on the plant until they're dry, so then I spread them on a tray for a few days in the hopes the pod will give more ripening to the beans, then I remove the pods to discourage mold. I'm getting better at tossing things that don't look right... it's hard because there's life in those little seeds...

Jay, I like your suggestion about putting the seed heads upside down in a brown bag, and then hanging the bag.

What a great idea: "The bag catches the seeds, but with the top of the bag open, there's more airflow."