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rosemctier

seed storage ideas

rosemctier
13 years ago

Looking for new ideas for sorting and storing seeds. my old method of ziplock bags in boxes is an epic failure, especially when i want to find something quickly without having to go through everything. as my collection grows bigger due to gw generosity, i am wondering...what cheap/economical solutions have you come up with for this problem?

Comments (9)

  • naturegirl236
    13 years ago

    I find that the bag within a bag within a bag works fairly well for me. I have several gallon sized bags--one for veggies, one for herbs and one for flowers. Inside those bags, I have smaller bags--for veggies I have one for greens, one for peppers, one for tomatoes, one for squash, one for melons, etc. Then inside the green bag, I have the individual labeled baggies (the tiny ones with the seeds). It's still dealing with baggies but it tends to allow me to access particular seeds more quickly than if they were all just thrown together. I store commercial packets separately--standing up inside of a plastic coffee can to prevent spillage. Everything is stored together inside of a plastic bucket with a lid on top. For current 'in progress' trades I use a large plastic coffee can (Maxwell House has 'cans' with a handle on the side) with sandwich baggies with the trade info on a 3x3-ish piece of paper tucked inside (so it can be seen through the side of the bag).

  • debbiep_gw
    13 years ago

    I have a plastic storage container that is tall/somewhat large.I buy the large manila envelopes and labeled each envelope with the alphabets.I then put the seeds in each envelope,for example all seeds starting with A go there and so on.I just have to look under the right letter when trading.For the seeds that I am keeping for myself(and there are many)I just store those in baskets up on a high shelf.

  • brandon7 TN_zone7
    13 years ago

    I like Naturegirl's idea of using sub-containers to keep things organized. I do that to some degree, but need to rethink that part of the way I store seeds.

    This isn't about keeping the seeds organized, but I keep most of my seeds in the refrigerator. Seeds can be stored longer when kept cool, and I can also keep all my seeds (including the ones being stratified) together this way. Many of the seeds I have need to be kept in a sealed container of some type, because recalcitrant seeds need to be kept moist. I use ziplock bags for those and small manila envelopes for the others.

  • SusanC
    13 years ago

    Below is another great post on this subject.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Seed organization and storage

  • christinmk z5b eastern WA
    13 years ago

    I am the type that gets a bit flustered if I don't have things organized, lol!

    For my seeds to trade I have a wooden box (you can get them at the craft store for maybe six bucks), painted it and put some cardboard dividers in to organize the seed envelopes in alphabetically. Have another box for the veggies/herbs/annuals to trade.

    {{gwi:27026}}

    Here is some plastic drawers (can get them at Wal-mart, etc) I have for seeds I am keeping. As you can see I keep Perennials in one drawer, annuals in another, and veggies in the last. From there I have a couple of ziplock bags or bubble envelopes in each drawer for seeds YET to sow and seeds already sown (extra seeds and the empty baggies).
    {{gwi:27027}}
    CMK

  • medontdo
    13 years ago

    my hubs chews, and he always throws away his cans, so i thought one day, man, those are the perfect size for my seeds, so, i'm thinking i will clean them with bleach and then dry them and see how that works. geeze, we have lots of them! and it would work perfectly! i just don't know about the mosiac disease? would it ok? i mean if it was washed out properly with bleach? if so, then i'd have it made!! **big smile**

  • terrene
    13 years ago

    I also keep my seeds in quart or gallon zipper bags organized by categories "Perennials", "Annuals", "Herbs", "Vines", "Vegetables", etc. The seed packets are in alphabetical order by botanical name inside each plastic bag. I don't bother to zip the bags closed.

    The seeds are stored in one of the produce drawers of the refrigerator which is dedicated just for seeds. Dessicants that are leftover from vitamins or packaging are thrown into the drawer and each of the zipper bags. The humidity lever on the drawer is set to "Low". Apparently storing seeds at low temperatures greatly slows the metabolism of the seed embryo and extends its lifespan up to 10 times longer. This seems to be true, since I routinely germinate seeds that are 10 and even 20 years old. For example, the Genovese basil I've used for the past 3 years was packed for 1991!

    I've been storing seeds this way for 25 years. I don't want more seeds than fits in one drawer. Here's a pic -
    {{gwi:27028}}

  • ishareflowers {Lisa}
    13 years ago

    {{gwi:27029}}

    I store all my seeds this way. They are alphabetical but also subcatagories, so lets say for A, I have A but also have alyssum,asters and so on.. I keep then stored in a dark closet in the coldest room in my house. In the summer I run the air conditioner in that room for my seeds...lol

    Lisa

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