What to put seed into (for storage)?

I've been trying to find the best possible thing to keep my seeds in until planted. I have my impatien seeds sorted by color... my daylily seeds sorted by plant they came off of. Keeping them in plastic containers doesn't allow them to dry as I kinda need them to for next year. Like the seed pods for the daylilies get soft in plastic containers. I need to find a solution that allows air in and out... allows the moisture to escape... yet will not be a difficult task of getting the seeds out of, as the impatien seeds are tiny.

Any ideas? What do you use to temorarily or longer term storage?

Also, I've seen the acronym SASE thrown around... what does that mean?

And one more question, what do you use to mail your seeds in?

Thanks,
Donna

I believe (one of the seed saver experts will correct me if I'm wrong) that you let the seeds dry before you store them. For storage (and shipping, I presume), I've done the following:
* Put dried seeds in a paper envelope
* Placed the paper envelope in a ziplock bag after removing as much air as I can
* Put a small amount of uncooked rice in the bottom of a jar to absorb ambient moisture
* Placed the ziplock bag in the jar and sealed the jar
* Stored the jar in a cool, dry location (my basement)

SASE = Self Addressed Stamped Envelope

kurtwall,

Thank you very much for your tips. I find them helpful. I never thought of using dry rice for moisture once you pack them up.

Take care,
Donna

Lee Valley makes cool little containers I'll use for seed storage this year. They sell a "seed keeper," but it's basically a photo album. These little cases are great for lots of things.

http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=2&p=44948&cat=2,2260,47776&ap=1

Hi,
I store newly harvested seeds in coin envelopes which are readily available from Staples and perhaps other "office supply" places. For longer term storage, I use a system that works well if you are storing lots of seeds. I purchase glassine envelopes that are used for stamps, I think, via the internet. I get plastic "organizer" containers (they are used for storing things like different sizes of screws and other small stuff) from the local hardware store that have "rows" with dividers, so seeds can be grouped by type or alphabetically. The envelopes are a bit wider than the "rows" in the container, so I use small rectangular things (cant recall what they are called, they come with the sticky side on a sheet, kind of like labels, also available in office supply places) to seal the envelopes after I fold them into a size small enough to fit in the container. I then refrigerate the seed--you will find that refrigeration (freezing not required) will greatly extend the life of most seeds to several years at least. If you are not storing a lot of seeds, the paper coin envelopes can be put in ziplock bags as another poster stated.
Sieves such as might be used to strain pasta (with a screen) are useful for cleaning seeds, so less space is taken up by chaff.
Bubble envelopes are best for mailing seeds.

I found the niftiest thing at Walmart tonight to store my seeds in. It was in the hobbies section. It is used to keep beads and such in. It came with 24 smaller containers... like the ones tic-tac's (the breath ments) and they all fit nicely into a larger case. All clear. All air tight. I can use a grease pencil to mark the outside... or tape... to mark what's in them. Add a bit of rice as suggested before to absorb any residual moisture. The cool thing about this ... they had several varities by the way, but it only cost $4.

I'll lay the seeds out to dry completely before storing them.

Do ya'll think that's a good idea?

Donna

Those craft containers are a great way to store seeds, & you can see what is in each compartment as well. They also prevent any escapee seeds - the compartments usually close tightly. If moisture is a concern, you can use the silica gel packs (found in medication/supplement bottles) to keep the seeds dry. I have heard that some folks use rice for the same purpose.
Some of these seem like they are almost custom made - the various sixed compartments seem to suit seed saving perfectly :)
Julie

I put mine in the little plastic baseball card holders ,then fold over and put in the pages with pockets for cards in a notebook tape them shut with cheap tape [ easier too open ] .
Slide in a piece of paper with name .
You can store in the botton of cool , dark closet or cupboard in garage .
I like the clear plastic because you can see if they are getting moldy .

That is a good idea as well - I wouldn't have thought about baseball card sleeves.
I use a plastic storage box on wheels, with 6 thin drawers & a wide top drawer. I never thought I could fill it up, but I store my glassine baggies & small plastic containers, markers, silica packets, files for seed scoring, germination guide & my seed inventory list in there as well. I mark each drawer - "Trades", "Garden 2006", "misc" (for store impulse purchases, friends etc.) I placed them in alphabetical order (but the slippery baggies got mixed up very easily.) At least all of my seed supplies were in one location.

JRush, I like the thought of your wheeled storage. Can you tell me where you got it, if you remember? Hardware store?

I have accumulated hundreds of seed packets, many of which are in commercial envelopes (large!) and coin envelopes, so I'm trying to find something that would accommodate those sizes ... and still help me to get organized!

I'm seeking all storage ideas, if anyone else wants to share their tips.

I started using the "cone" coffee filters ... someone mentioned that to me.
I keep them there until I'm sending some out -- this way, i know they are dry
then i put them in those little 1.5 x 3 lil craft zip loc baggies. [i got'em at Michaels]

Since this is my first year collecting and sending seeds ... I'm still learning.
Eventually, DH will tell me to get that big basket of seeds off the top of the frig.
I'll probably move it to the garage or sunroom for the winter..

I think I found it at a crafts store, like Michaels or AC Moore, but you can find them at department stores like Wal - Mart too. Check out the sewing & crafts section, the sporting goods section (fishing & tackle boxes) etc. Another possibility are the bed & bath stores - they often have storage containers, drawer dividers, kitchen organizing tools, etc. You could even look into office organizingf tools. Mine is just a plastic box with drawers, on wheels. It is small enough & the wheels allow me to roll it into the garage. The garage is cold enough in the Winter to stratify most seeds, with the exception of some trees.

Thanks, I forgot to update this thread. I found a storage container that I like at Linens n Things. Three bins that snap together... now the hard part is deciding how I want to organize my seeds in the bins. :)

It makes for a good excuse to learn the true names. I keep a printout of the seeds, with true & common names, in case I forget one or the other.

wrightie........that is what I have...however I bought mine from Walmart's........I have mine in alphabetical order in large envelopes....I have used common names of the seed as it is easier to remember for me.

Deann

Ugh, I guess I'm going to have to tackle that "filing" job pretty soon. Before I know it, I'm going to need to start sowing them. I still haven't decided upon straight up alphabetical vs height/color ...

You are all so organized! I dry my seeds, then put them in paper envelopes, then sort the envelopes according to which month the seeds must be started, then put all that month's seeds in one big baggie, then put that baggie, along with the other baggies in the bar fridge - which means the bar fridge hardly has room for beverages!

wrightie......your putting way too much thought into this.......when it becomes a job, then its no longer any fun.....you have to organize what is best for you and what you feel comfortable with. There are folks out there that are really anel about it, and some who just do what I do or Seandor does.....and in the long run, the seeds still pop up and put on a show for us in the spring and summer......

lol -- the seeds won't grow if I cannot *find* them to sow them. I assure you that I am having fun, especially since finding a groovy storage system. Over n Out...

wrightie...........May The Force Be With You..... LOL

Michaela, I sort my seeds like you - except by week: "6 weeks before last frost date", "direct sow", "summer sowing", etc.

I've got a neat idea for those small glassine envelopes (1-3/4" x 2-3/4"). I like using them, but their size is hard to store. I discovered they fit perfectly in those plastic holders Crisco sticks come in (see pic). Each holds between 40 and 50 envelopes.

>>Crisco sticks come in (see pic).

perfect!! i think i have a few of those laying around.

Now that is brilliant! I knew those would prove useful - now where the heck did I put them . . . .

This is my first year to save seeds. How do I store the ones I'll plant next year? Someone told me put them in the freezer, someone else the fridge, and someone just to put them in a cool room.
Now I want the real skinny.

Generally speaking, a cool dark and dry place is where I store mine (a room in my cellar), but lots of people keep them in the fridge or freezer provided that they are not tropicals. You kind of need to be aware of what each seed can tolerate, so it's hard to give an all-encompassing answer.

I scrapbook, so I have these pages,(like pages in photo albumns)
that are seperated into 4 or 5 little pockets. Will that work .
I was afraid it would rot them

Many perennials require a cold spell, or stratification. Otherwise, they may not germinate. Some require moisture as well, in cycles. Other tropical seeds may be harmed by exposure to cold. The best way to figure out what needs what is to refer to the seed germination database. I store a copy of the "bible" in my seed cart for quick reference. It is perfect!
http://www.backyardgardener.com:80/tm.html

I put leftover seed in small envelopes, stuff them in a wide-mouth quart jar and put 'em in the fridge. I have kept seed viable for years like this. The only trouble is I run out of room! I heard seeds, since they are living, actually need to breathe, so I open the lid for a minute once in a while to air them out.

Yes, breathing is good! I'm glad we have a 2nd fridge in the basement that I can use.

Here's what I did. Hope it works..I dried the seeds, took ziplock storage bags, put a paper towel in them just in case, drove nails into the wall in my junk closet, then hung the storage bages on the nails. I did have to punch a hole in the bag to hang it up, but I figure it needs air.

Good idea! I love to drive nails in the walls of my house - but it drives my dh crazy!

This closet is in my junk room, I keep all my scrapbooking stuff and whatever else I think of in there. So no one is brave enough to go in there. One side of the closet doesn't have shelves, so I can just put seeds everywhere.
I've got some of the craft containers with the little bins in it I can put tiny seeds and seeds I don't have a lot of.
Course I'll change my mind a thousand times

But that's a woman's prerogative!

I knew someone said that!!! Cause I change my mind a lot. My kids and people who know me say I think out load, so if I'm trying to figure out what to do, they just wait and never take me at my word the first or second time!!! That's just sad.

I also got one of those three drawer 12 X 12 at Walmart. One drawer for envelopes I'm making One for tags already done and some of them with seeds, just in case. Then if someone wants something, I can just grab it.

Third I put the seed packages with instructions, and any other instructions I can get. I want something on each plant I get in trade

To make envelopes of different sizes "stand up and stay in line", I cut the bottoms off boxes of cereal or crackers or whatever. When the box is just the right width, it makes a tiody tray.

And I cut it to less than the height of the envelopes, so I can riffle through them and see labels.

But that doesn't work for inside-the-fridge.

For that, I put small plastic zip-locks inside larger zip-locks, alphabetically. Then they all go into plastic jars, like 4-pound tubs of peanut butter or peanuts. I put some Drierite dessicant into the big jars.

Right now the jars are:
Commerical Flower seed
Vegetable seed
my saved seed (which i watch closely for mold)

Thus I can pull out one jar, and open just one large Zip-lock, and only expose the "L-N" seeds to humidity, while the others stay sealed and dry.

(I'm trying to decide whether the fridge isn't worse than room temp, since pulling jars out of the fridge to access them exposes them to chnages in temperature and humidity. And if I don't wait for the whole jar to warm up before I open it, there is actual condensation, which I am sure is bad for them.)

Corey