Produce > Edible Plants
Seed Saving Circle 2023
juliev:
Hello everyone,
I hope you are doing well.
I have been sorting out my seeds and it's definitely time to start a seed back up in the freezer.
How do you go about freezing seeds? jars, bags? long term vs medium term? Any type of seed that doesn't germinate well after freezing? Any advice would be much appreciated...
galina:
Seeds must be very dry. We can assume they have been dried well enough from the seed circle. But we can add desiccant, like those tiny baggies that come with Covid tests or inside shoeboxes, handbags etc.
Then I pack well before they go in the freezer. Either in a glass jar with a twist off lid or in 3 layers of plastic. I (mostly, could do better at times) label what is in the baggie, so that it can be read from the outside without having to open it.
When you want to take out a variety, take the whole jar or package and leave it for 24 hours or until it has definitely come up to room temperature. Because if the seed packets inside the jar are still cold when you open the lid, they just attract moisture. After taking packets out, just pack it all up again and into the freezer it goes. Storage is for years and decades.
If seeds went in dry, then there are none that will not germinate after freezer storage. Obviously it is different for plant material, seed potatoes or the Babington leek bulbils cannot go into the freezer, but tps can.
juliev:
Thank you so much for your reply Galina. I was concerned the repeat thaw-freeze would damage the seeds. You've put my mind at ease.
JanG:
Galina’s reply is comprehensive and spot on in my experience. I would keep the thaw-freeze to a minimum but accessing packets now and again when necessary should be fine.
I find organising the seeds carefully the most important thing to minimise needing to rifle through too often. I make use of plastic boxes which I label as peas, beans, etc and the year or year range. Boxes will stack well and should be air-tight. But I’m sure you’ll find your own way of organising.
galina:
Just got to open and gaze at my marvellous seed package. Thank you everybody so much. Can't wait to start this year.
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