I have heard several people say, they don't like their seeds in plastic. I DONT like my seeds in Paper...LOL. If I receive them in paper it's fine..But I eventually take them out and put them in plastic. I refrigerate my seeds. I have found that when they're in paper...some kind of moisture always gets in. I kept some of my Great-Grandfathers seeds in plastic for 7 years (from 1996). I decided to plant them this year and they grew great! I always thought the seeds stay fresher in plastic. Somebody will have to tell me...Because I just don't know different....Anybody know?
Kim
What's wrong with Plastic?
It does not really matter to me either way. I do have to say the one drawback with plastic-they tend to get static and tiny seeds are horrible to pour out. Well, with paper you have to be careful not to leave your seed box sitting outside (not like I have done *that*). LOL Maybe some people have received really fresh seeds in plastic that rotted?
I prefer them in plastic too....so I can better see the seeds. I do agree with Badseed regarding static.
It can be a royal pain to get certain types out of the plastic baggies..........
Ohhh Marc, I don't feel sooo bad now..LOL LOL. I thought I was the only person that wanted to see my seeds! Ha ha ha Thought it was my kept secret..he he he
Nope, I like mine in plastic too. Haven't had any problems with it. AND I like being able to see them. I was really struggling with the thought of needing to everything in paper until you started this thread. Thanks.
Sherri
I have heard some people contend that the static in the plastic affects germination - I'm not so sure about that. I prefer paper, because I feel like the seeds can breathe and if there is ANY moisture left in the seeds, it can escape rather than rot everything in the baggie (which, yes, I have had happen to me!). As long as I KNOW that they seeds are 100% dry, then I don't mind plastic. I also don't store seeds in the fridge. Most of my seeds that I have in large quantities I store in styrofoam cups with lids that have vent holes in them so they can breathe. I don't know, I just feel better about paper . All the seeds you buy in the store are in paper and I can write on paper easier than those plastic baggies. I recently got seeds in trade in baggies and half the writing had been wiped off of them so I couldn't tell what some of the things even were.
I certainly can see pros and cons to both and you'd have to use your own judgement as to what is best for you.
Onalee
Personally I like the glassine - best of both worlds!
Ok, newby here. What's glassine?
Ohhh Yesss...I really like the glassine too. But I have to be careful with the microscopic seeds and glassine...LOL.
Are the glassine ones like stamps are put in? Where do you get them?
Opps, forgot to say that I also prefer plastic. I'm a bit on the anal retentive side :), and I hate it when the seeds come out of the paper containers and get all mixed up in the bottom of the box. I've not found a paper container that will hold the tiny seeds in yet.
This message was edited Oct 20, 2004 6:37 PM
I get my Glassine from Ebay...Really cheap :-D
I have recieved some seeds in plastic that had moisture in them, some seeds had mold on them. hard to trust some with plastic as they may not dry their seeds completely. If I were to store seeds in the refrigerator I would place them in a larger air tight container and use silica gel to keep away any moisture.
kayaker...I hope those weren't my seeds I sent you???????? Uttt Ohhhhh LOL
I only put my seeds in plastic after they have thoroughly dried. I never used to use plastic but found you can get really cheap plastic seed size ones at hobby or craft stores. Sometimes I still wrap them in a small amount of newspaper or a piece of coffee filter, just in case they are not totally dry. I worry with the plastic that they will get moldy even if kept in the fridge if they have the least amount of moisture left in them.
So what is Glassine????
..... I like my seeds any way I can get them... but if I beg for more "Just Say NO"
Glassine are those whitish envelopes stamps come in....................
I just did a search on e-bay and bought 100 for under $6 w/shipping. They look like wax paper without the wax...sort of.
These are great! I've never used them before. So, how do you seal them?
Maybe you should have bought them from the guy I buy mine on Ebay. I got 100 for under $4.00 including shipping. I'll go find his link. You can seal them with tape or the label you will use to write the seed name on it.
This message was edited Oct 20, 2004 9:09 PM
I use a bit of magic tape - it closes them so the seeds don't escape, but the glassine allows you to lift and reseal. I wasso freaked out by all do's and don'ts when I first started saving tomato seeds (like yesterday - lol) that I was afraid to use plastic - if you don't dry them sufficiently (etc. etc.), so I got some glassine and loved it. Gives breathing room and you can still get a visual. You can get the glassine at most craft stores, too, and I'm told you can even find them at WalMart (?).
I'll look into the glassine bags. My seeds usually sit drying on a paper plate for a long time, so I know they are dry before I put them in the plastic baggie.
I don't know, I've never seen them at Walmart, but that doesn't mean they aren't there.
Here's the person I get mine from..Looks like he went up $.75...ha ha ha..He probably knows US seed savers are buying them.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=16508&item=5528024521
Thanks for the link, Kim. You mean $2.75, right?
Well there's all diferent sizes..But those are 100 for $2.75 plus $1.55 shipping.
Aack! He doesn't take paypal. Too late.
Yesss he does...I thought that too. But he told me when you receive his invioce...It'll tell you where to send the Paypal payment.
ok, he needs to fix that. I did send him a note that I would rather pay with paypal so he will probably let me know.
I got the 2" x 2" for 2.90 Buy it Now. Not bad. Total was only $4.45. I think I can handle that.
I used to leave my seeds to dry until (?) whenever, but then I read a thread where Carolyn said something about leaving them out too long and them picking up moisture from the air - that's when I finally OD'd and went glassine!
Oh dear, I haven't even started to save seeds yet and already I'm getting nervous!!! :)
I bought both, glassine and plastic. I'm gonna' experiment with them both, just to see what happens!
I just love the pastic baggies, the only trouble I had was with hollyhocks, weevils hatched in there and scared me silly because I wasn't expecting that. But, after receiving some seeds in those paper ones (glassine) I really like those too, and will probably use both. Count me in for wanting to see my seeds too..lol.
to help with static in plastic, seedsi recieve i just add alittle dry sand to the bagie before planting ,skake and they all come out fine,hope this helps
p.s. i like plastic to see the seeds also-lol
You seeds, KimGaither, are dry as a bone. Highest of quality!
Great! Had me thinking for a minute...LOL LOL
What if you put a little packet of silica gel in with the seeds? It would absorb the moisture, especially from big seeds or tomato seeds that are hard to tell when dry.
I like my seeds in plastic, too. To stop the static, I just run my fingers all around the inside of the baggies for a bit. It seems to work for me. :)
I get my little baggies at Staples-$1.46 for a bag of 100.
Don't you just Love Staples??? LOL
Kim, I keep all my seeds - paper or plastic in Tupperware in the fridge. The moisture thing I never worried about before since pre-DG all my seeds were purchased seeds. I haven't had any problems but have been a bit wary about putting my saved seeds in the tupperware so far.. I am still new to saving seeds! The Silica gel Kayaker and Calaliy sounds awesome!! Why didn't I think of that??? Since I have always thrown it promptly away anyone have a suggestion on where to buy it? Office Depot/Staples type store I assume?
Thanks for the thread Kim, it's good to read others ideas! (by the way, the lettuce I sent you is purchased so plastic away! LOL)
Nicole
Do you have any shoeboxes laying around the house Nicole. That is where I got my silica gel to put in my seed box. The shoe boxes often have the silica gel packets glued to the inside of the box.
Thanks for the thread Kim. I bought 100 of the glassine envs this morning on ebay. I just hope 100 of those doesn't shock me as bad at the box of 100 bubble mailers I opened today. LOL, who knew envelopes could take up so much room, yikes!!!
Vicki