Did I kill my seeds by putting them in the fridge?

I recently bought a bunch of packets of seeds and put them in the fridge, being under the vague impression that this would help them stay viable until it was time to plant (our garden is still buried in snow.)

After a couple of weeks I read that some kinds of seeds are killed by cold! Eek!

I took my seeds out of the fridge; do you think any of these would have been damaged by a couple of weeks in my fridge?

coleus
parsley
German chamomile
nasturtium
cosmos
morning glory
poppy (P. rhoeas)
hollyhock
sunflower
blue-eyed African daisy (Arctotis grandis)
catnip
California poppy
alyssum (Lobularia maritimum)
cilantro

Thanks in advance!

I am in NO WAY AT ALL any kind of an expert, but I don't think you've harmed your seeds at all. You're probably remembering something you heard in the past about storing seeds from one season to the next in the fridge. You and your seeds should both be just fine! When you hear about seeds being killed by cold my guess is that it's the kind of cold you might get in, oh, say, Vermont, not your fridge which doesn't get below freezing. Even here in the fairly deep south (Savannah, GA) we have temperatures that dip below freezing and I'm constantly finding "volunteers" that survived. I'm sure more knowledgeable folks will respond, but my instinct is not to worry.

With the exception of blue-eyed African daisy & coleus, I've had them pop up in Spring as volunteers. So, don't worry about a cold period . Many seeds require a chilling period.

As long as the seeds are dry and not being frozen, they should be allright!

The cold isn't the only thing to worry about when you put your seeds in the fridge. If you have fruits and veggies in there many of them emit ethylene gas which can cause the seeds to spoil. This is the reason most fruit packaging has air holes in it, to let the ethylene out. Because a fridge is a fairly small, airtight space, the ethylene can build up inside it enough to spoil your seeds.

Does this even happen when the seeds are still in their original packing?

Possibly. If the seeds are packaged in paper, yes, because gases can penetrate paper. But, sometimes seed packages have a sealed plastic or even metallic lining that helps keep gases and moisture out, so in that case, no.

Pfew! That's a relief.....

I know better now, but some years ago I bout a pack of carnation seeds and it said they needed to be chilled for two weeks, so I just put the packet straight into the freezer. For TWO WEEKS!!! The amazing thing though................is that the majority of them actualy sprouted!!! So I'm going to make a guess and say that since most of the seeds you have listed there are fairly tough they'll probably be just fine :)

I know a lot of people say to put your seeds in the fridge, but here in UK, we get really cold weather and frost, but most folks just keep the seeds in a cool area like the garage
It's cold and dark, dry too, but it does get confusing for sure, some seeds say scatter the seeds onto the compost, cover lightly and leave in the fridge for a couple of weeks, then bring out to the room temp, even that's confusing as we all like different room temp for comfort, just go with your gut feeling, if in doubt, cold room/garage should be fine. good luck, you will have to get back to us to tell us the outcome.
WeeNel.