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This year I have harvested more seeds than I will use next spring. I plan to vacuum-seal them and I want to know if, except for drying them really well, I should consider anything in particular.

These seeds were harvested from plants that belong to the following genera: Calendula, Celosia, Centaurea, Cosmos, Dianthus, Echinacea, Helianthus, Lavatera, Matricaria, Tropaeolum and Zinnia.

Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL
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Alina
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    Can't speak for all of them, but Calendula and Nasturtium seeds I've just popped in an ordinary, sealed letter envelope (once they were air dried), folded up and put inside a tin, and they still grew five years later – Bamboo Dec 16 '17 at 19:33
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    At first I thought that you collect seeds with a vacuum cleaner. – VividD Dec 16 '17 at 20:10
  • I would just put them in the plastic and vacuum seal away. As long as they are dry they would be best preserved in a vacuum sealed bag in the freezer. I am still on the fence about freezing or just cool, dark, stable temperatures. Mine are all vacuum sealed.. – stormy Dec 17 '17 at 04:39

1 Answers1

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The enemies of seeds are: heat, light and humidity, by controlling these you can store some seeds for many years.
Keep seeds at a cool to cold temperature of 40 degrees or less. Avoid fluctuations in temperature such as a garage or storeroom that is cold in winter but blazing hot in summer. Avoid light and never store seeds in direct sunlight or a well lit room.

Jason Delaney
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