Topic: Old seeds - false economy?

[galina]

Thinking now of putting all my lettuce packs into the fridge so that over the season, when I try them out, they have already been chilled.

I would not put them in the fridge now.  Putting seeds in the fridge, unless they are in a moisture proof jar, means that they attract moisture, which will definitely shorten the seed life.  Putting them in the fridge just before you intend sowing, on the other hand is very recommended for lettuce seeds.  Good luck

[Vinlander]

I have a guilt complex about buying kitchen wipe, too...

You could use the cheapest kind of black non-woven 'sheet mulch' over the J cloth - that's re-usable and definitely a barrier to roots - forces them to crawl over the damp surface rather than through it (see my Top Tip on capillary mat systems), but I think that breaking up paper pulp around the roots in it protects more root hairs.

I have meanness complex about using toilet paper - it's pure paranoia (ie. I haven't proved it yet) - based on the idea that because we don't have to buy kitchen roll, and seldom have a need to buy it urgently, it's actually cheaper than the other stuff we "have to" buy; (the alternatives aren't really worth considering unless eg. you're too poor to have access to a computer).

I'm pretty sure this idea is very likely to be true in terms of £/Kg but I haven't yet worked out if it is powerful enough to be true in terms of £/m²...

I use old J cloths as capillary strips embedded in the bottom of pots and bags over a reservoir, and as  mini-capillary matting for platforms in small trays (I always use the aforementioned barrier).

Oh, and I carry clean-ish or cleaned ones when going to the allotment - they are great as flannels/towels when washing mud off my hands.

Cheers.

[Jeannine]

Have you found a use for dryer sheets yet?

[Vinlander]

Have you found a use for dryer sheets yet?

I had to look up dryer sheets because we use the house as a dryer when it's raining - my wife uses radiators exclusively (it keeps them clean) but I'm not above hanging coloured stuff over open doors, handrails and banisters...

It depends on how fluffy they get in use? - they look like a white version of the black barrier mulch stuff, but they'd have to stay really hard and smooth after use to be any good as a substitute.

On the other hand if they go really fluffy like make-up removal wipes? then they would be as good as used wipes are as flannels/towels for muddy hands.

If the texture's in between then I'm not sure. In its fresh state it looks like the stuff they lay to stop floor coverings sticking themselves to the floor or the underlay...

Cheers.

[galina]

Have you found a use for dryer sheets yet?

Are they impregnated with chemicals that might harm defenseless seedlings?   

[Jeannine]

I did hear they contain formaldehyde but I don't know if this is true,,need to google I think. It seems a bit harsh to me, and if it is good for babies bum nappies one would think it is Ok for baby plants

[galina]

I did hear they contain formaldehyde but I don't know if this is true,,need to google I think. It seems a bit harsh to me, and if it is good for babies bum nappies one would think it is Ok for baby plants

Sorry Jeannine!  I was being a bit sarcastic here, but am personally very wary of using them for their intended purpose, let alone for seedlings.     

[Jeannine]

 Galina, I am pretty careful about most things but when I way up the options, it's kinda like taking meds one has to weigh the good with the bad for oneself. If I don't use them I get awful static from my clothes and I am very prone to it, it really hurts, the sheets completely eliminate that, plus I no longer iron anything much either. So for me it a necessary evil. I don't like the liquid stuff one pours in the last rinse though.

Once through the dryer, they do resemble lightweight baby wipes, very very thin though,

XX Jeannine

[galina]

Jeannine they can do that?  I thought they were only to give clothes freshness and a nice smell.  Live and learn.   

Sorry everybody, a bit of a thread drift into general frugality.  I think most serious gardeners have it in their blood to re-purpose something for the garden and to make purpose-bought items last, like seeds.

As much as I try to match my purchases to my actual sowing, every year I find some old seeds somewhere.  At the planning stages the garden always seems bigger and energy seems boundless and the weather always co-operates.  Reality soon sets in though.

Half the problem is the maxim 'never sow all of anything' - if it is a rare variety don't sow all seeds in case there is a disaster.  Usually there is not such a disaster and that leaves the second half.  Often I sow the following year, sometimes these seeds end up in the freezer and sometimes in the back of the drawer.  Every year at 'audit' time there are some rather elderly seeds.  And let's face it - when they germinate it is a thrill, otherwise they become 'seed compost' ?   

[Jeannine]

I have  heap of really good brassica seeds fro, 2011 and 2012, I wonder just how long they will be good for. I have been using some for microgreens but of course then I sow a whole packet so would have no idea what the % would be.

Galina..yes 100% static free

XX Jeannine