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Growing from Seed

Foodsaver Vacuum Sealing Questions

12 years ago

Hi all,

I know that there has been some discussion on this board about using a foodsaver vacuum sealer to store seeds. I had a few additional questions.

1) I'm interested in very long term storage, and I heard that you can freeze seeds to keep them viable for many years. Is there anything wrong with sealing seeds in a vacuum sealed bag and tossing the bag into the freezer? How long do you think they would last?

2) I know that humidity control is as important and temperature control, but is letting the seeds get too dry a big problem, esp for extremely long term storage? I have been thinking about sealing the seeds with a pack of silica desiccant, but would this take away too much moisture?

Any help is appreciated!

Comments (3)

empgardening
Original Author
12 years ago
If anybody has experience with sealing and or freezing seeds with packets of silica desiccant I'd love to hear what type of packets you used.
empgardening
Original Author
12 years ago
Ok so I did a bit more digging around and pulled up some interesting facts:

1) Contrary to what a lot of people say, drying seeds to 0% humidity might not be bad, according to this site:

http://www.seedcontainers.net/a_guide_to_long-term_seed_preservation.html

2) Certain seeds can be dried "desiccation-tolerant":

http://howtosaveseeds.com/store.php

Any additional comments would be appreciated!
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calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
12 years ago
I think you would learn a lot by reading the work of Norman C Deno. The professor spend many years experimenting with seed viability and storage. His work is now free on the internet. Look under his name or 'Seed Germination Theory and Practice'. Al

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