08/11/2020 / By Zoey Sky
Growing your own food gives you access to fresh fruits and vegetables – something that is invaluable post-SHTF.
Knowing how to store seeds properly ensures that you’re always ready for the next planting season. To the untrained eye, dry and brittle seeds may seem useless. However, gardeners know that vegetable seeds are key to starting and maintaining a bountiful garden. (h/t to GardenerThumb.com)
If you’re not sure where to start, check out this chart of how long vegetable seeds last.
Storing seeds properly ensures that you have good samples when testing for viability.
Drying
When gathering seeds from your own crops, spread the seeds on a newspaper and let them air dry for one week. Label the seeds so you don’t get confused while drying. (Related: A crash course in intensive gardening.)
Once the seeds are dry, pack the seeds into small envelopes or paper packets. Label each envelope or packet with the plant name and other details.
Alternatively, you can dry saved seeds on paper towels. The seeds will stick to the towels when dry. Roll paper towels with seeds tightly before storing them. When it’s planting season, tear off bits of the towel one seed at a time then plant the seed and towel right in the soil.
When saving your own seeds, plant open-pollinated varieties because they will come back true while hybrids won’t.
In airtight containers
After packing seeds, keep the packets inside plastic food storage bags. Alternatively, you can use glass canisters or Mason jars with tight-fitting lids.
Using airtight containers can keep your seeds moisture-free. To keep seeds dry, add two and a half tablespoons of powdered milk in about three-and-a-half layers of facial tissue. Place the milk packet inside your storage container for seed packets.
For best results, add silica gel and replace it every six months.
Store containers in a dry and cool place
Humidity may decrease a seed’s shelf-life. While it’s safe to store seeds in the fridge, you shouldn’t store them in the freezer.
Store seeds from the same year together and label them so you can easily tell which container has planting potential.
Come planting season, remove containers from the refrigerator and keep them closed until the seeds have warmed to room temperature. This prevents air moisture from condensing on the seeds and making them clump together.
To test seeds for germination, prepare the following materials:
Steps:
First, count the number of seeds that have sprouted, then multiply that number by 10. If eight out of 10 seeds sprout, the seed has a viability rate of 80 percent.
Note that a germinate rate below 50 percent means you need to replace your seeds or plant more than what you would originally need.
Learning how to save seeds is crucial for home gardeners and preppers. Saving your own seeds can help you save some money and stock up on seeds before SHTF.
Sources include:
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