Best seed saving storage

This is a 2 parter. First I have heard of all kinds of ways to save seeds, keep in cupboard, freezing, to back of fridge, storing in basement ect... What ways do you save and is there a rule of thumb? Next this is not on topic but might help me from asking questions that have been asked before. The search engine, is there a way to make it work better. Like a advance engine or something with more options. I use the one at the top of each forum section IE (plants) near where I can use (new topic) button. Is there a different one that covers all forums and is there a way to make particular word pairs show up in order desired or just subject line ect...?

TO: Dos Zagone

FROM: Eric Koperek = erickoperek@gmail.com

SUBJECT: Planting Seed Storage

DATE: PM 5:46 Wednesday 9 Mars 2016

TEXT:

(1) Mix air-dried planting seeds with wood ashes, at least 2 pounds wood ashes per 100 pounds of planting seed. Larger amounts of wood ashes will not hurt planting seed.

(2) Place wood ash treated planting seed into air-tight containers like big glass jars or plastic lined garbage cans.

(3) Place a 1 to 2 inch layer of wood ash on top of planting seed. Make certain that seeds are completely covered with wood ashes. No seeds should be visible.

(4) Seal storage container tightly to exclude air.

(5) Place seed storage container in a cool, dry place where there is no direct sunlight. A basement is a good place to store seeds.

(6) Mixing wood ashes with seeds kills any bugs that are in the seeds when harvested. The layer of wood ashes on top of seeds prevents any bugs from re-infesting planting seeds.

(7) Sift seeds with sieve or screen to remove wood ashes as necessary, or use a commercial seed cleaner or common household box fan.

( You can also store smoked or salted meats in HARDWOOD ashes. Just bury meat in boxes or barrels of wood ashes. Make certain that there are at least 2 inches of wood ashes covering the meat. The wood ashes prevent flies and beetles from laying eggs on the meat. Dust hardwood ashes off meat then wash with pure water before cooking meat.

(9) For more information on old-fashioned biological agriculture please visit: www.agriculturesolutions.wordpress.com -- or -- www.worldagriculturesolutions.wordpress.com -- or -- send your questions to: Agriculture Solutions, 413 Cedar Drive, Moon Township, Pennsylvania, 15108 USA -- or -- send an e-mail to: erickoperek@gmail.com

end comment.

dos zagone wrote:The search engine, is there a way to make it work better. Like a advance engine or something with more options. I use the one at the top of each forum section IE (plants) near where I can use (new topic) button. Is there a different one that covers all forums and is there a way to make particular word pairs show up in order desired or just subject line ect...?

At the very top of the page there is another menu, and non-traditionally, the search function is the top LEFT item on the menu. Once you click on it, you can search by keywords, phrases, in any, some or all forums, also by poster. You may have to actively scroll up to find it. Hope that helps!

Thanks I never heard of using wood ash before. Im going to look in to this now for the meat as well. And now that you say where the search engine is I see. Thanks.

Best seed storage for common temperate vegetables is cold, dark, and dry. The fridge and freezer extend the storage life by slowing down the rate of decay. Being dry slows down the rate of decay. I suppose that fresh wood ashes would also aid in drying the seed in addition to any insecticidal properties.

I tend to store seeds in 5 gallon buckets, or various sized glass bottles, because they are impervious to mice, insects, and moisture. I cycle many species of seeds through the freezer to kill bugs: Especially peas and corn. My seed stash is bigger than can be stored in the freezer, so I put the seeds in for three days or so.

I tend to store small quantities of seeds in plastic bags. And make sure to store them someplace free of mice.

Glass Jar Seed Storage:


Plastic Bag Storage of Small Quantities of Small Seeds:

We store dried seed in cloth bags or envelopes (I really like the ones that the bank uses for cash) in either ammo boxes or old pressure cookers. You can get the ammo boxes as surplus although the prices are now quite high. Being rectangular they hold envelopes or seed packets neatly. Old pressure cookers can be picked up cheap at yard sales, etc. We melt candle wax into the vent hole and seal it with electrical tape. Makes a nice sized, airtight container for several pounds of beans or corn in bags. The only caveat is if you buy several at once you may be a suspect for making explosive devices, or at least get weird looks from the seller. We used to use individual glass jars for some of our bigger seed batches but having grouped bags/packets of seed is more convenient at planting time. Just need to grab the container of pole beans or corn/grains, for example, and I've got everything I need for the task at hand.

I store my seed in the refrigerator. I planted some bok choi seeds that I collected 21 years ago and got almost 100% germination. Obviously not everything will last that long. Onions seem to have a shorter life than most.

I don't have massive amounts of seed, but I do have quite a variety of them. I group them by types in individual zip lock baggies.

I store most of mine in glass mason jars. It probably isn't the "best" method, but for me it works well enough and is very easily available.

Joseph Lofthouse wrote:
Best seed storage for common temperate vegetables is cold and dry. The fridge and freezer extend the storage life by slowing down the rate of decay. Being dry slows down the rate of decay. I suppose  that fresh wood ashes would also aid in drying the seed in addition to any insecticidal properties.

I tend to store seeds in 5 gallon buckets, or various sized glass bottles, because they are impervious to mice, insects, and moisture.

I believe properly dried seed in glass bottles in cold storage should be fine for many years.  But I just saw a perhaps-overcomplicated seed storage arrangement that an Amazon seller is using, intended for freezer storage and touted as a "time capsule" good for many decades.  I am not endorsing that sales hyperbole, but I did think they had a nifty idea that one could easily replicate for seeds you want to keep a long time.  Basically they were using small glass phials with plastic screw-top lids, plus they are putting some dessicant beads in the bottom with a bit of cotton wadding between the dessicant and the seeds.  They included a nice photo of their setup.  I rather like it, although I doubt I'll ever get quite so fancy.

Are there some seed that will be damaged by freezing?

I have a wide variety of seeds I was thinking of freezing for the winter in a Tupperware container. I have quite a bit of freezer space. I'm just reluctant to try freezing them for some reason.

Tropical seeds can be damaged by freezing.

I routinely freeze all species of temperate seeds, in tightly sealed containers, without problems. Insects can be voracious predators of seeds. I haven't yet found a seed predator that survives the freezer.

Seeds also need to be properly dried before freezing.  If they're too moist, the frozen moisture damages them.

If you're worried about freezer damage, experiment with just a small amount, rather than your full stash.