Seed Shelf Life

[Landshark]

New here, so any onfo is appreciated. If there is a thread for this elsewhere please feel free to poont me in that direction...

What is the best shelf life you can get out of seeds? I began thinking about this looking at the price of corn steadily rising. How feasible is it for me to buy a bunch of corn for planting and having it on hand for this year, maybe next year and the year after...I guess until I can figure out a way to come up with my own seed stock.

Thanks in advance

[EDDIE BUCK]

Originally Posted by Landshark

New here, so any onfo is appreciated. If there is a thread for this elsewhere please feel free to poont me in that direction...

What is the best shelf life you can get out of seeds? I began thinking about this looking at the price of corn steadily rising. How feasible is it for me to buy a bunch of corn for planting and having it on hand for this year, maybe next year and the year after...I guess until I can figure out a way to come up with my own seed stock.

Thanks in advance

Glad to have you here, Landshark. Do A" seed viable" search , you'll find a chart. Eddie

[pickapeppa]

Different seeds have different shelf lives. When working for an agricultural company, we had seeds that were viable after 50 years in storage in a temperature and humidity controlled storage area. They got about a 50% germination rate. Not bad for 50 yo seeds.

I have boxes of seeds that I've been collecting for about four years now. They haven't been kept in a humidity and temperature controlled location. Some of them hung out in the greenhouse during the summer time for a few hot days, damp, etc. Most of the time they've been in the house though. This last time I lost them, they were outside in a rubbermaid, covered in snow and tipped on it's side. Apparently they were hanging out on the deck when dd and dh were decorating it for my surprise party. I wondered what happened to them, and looked everywhere. It was just by chance I found them there about a month ago. Lol.

Some of them are pretty old, and most have germinated. If not, I'm assuming I had the peat pots too wet and they rotted. Will try those again. But there were very few that didn't sprout.

It's amazing how hearty seeds are. An old way to check for viability is to float them in water. The sinkers are viable, and floaters are not. Take this with a grain of salt. I checked my lettuce seed for viability and threw out a bunch of wet seed in a plastic cup. Guess what? They were floaters, and they sprouted in the cup. So, there ya go.

In short, I guess a good rule of thumb is to save about three times more than you think you'll need. One for you, one for wildlife, and one for the Lord. ;-)

[culpeper]

I posted one recently.

Seed viable???

[jenofthewoods]

Thats a good question and you asked it right "what is the BEST seed life?".

Under the best storage conditions.
I would think it matters alot on how they are stored.
I was always told dry and cold are the best. A normal fridge has too much moisture for long term storage. For short term its fine but not long term.

[Landshark]

Thanks for the info guys. Much appreciated.

[Forerunner]

Change your long term perspectives.
Research heirloom seed saving techniques.
The day is fast approaching when only the diligent will have seed.
The corporate world is stacked against the common man learning that crucial skill. Other cultures in history didn't spend 80-90% of their time and resources
tending to horticultural pursuits for nothing.....
The consumerism party is about over.
It's time to face and prepare for reality.

Different seeds have different shelf lives.
Different seeds have different storage and viability requirements.

Research
Research
Research

If you're new to this, get a copy of Carole B. Turner's
"Seed Sowing and Saving", by Storey Publishing.
ISBN 1-58017-001-3

[JGex]

If you want to save them long term, vacuum seal and freeze them. Most will keep significantly longer this way.

[EDDIE BUCK]

Not meaning to highjack thread, but its on the same subject, how do you tell when the seed are dry enough they will keep? Eddie

[Forerunner]

We dry our seeds on old window screens, out of the direct sun, but in the heat of August/September. They have a distinct sound when they are dry vs. too much moisture to keep. It may be an acquired skill to discern.
Err on the side of too dry.
Corn is easy. It will come off the cob nicely when it's dry enough.
When it's too moist, it's tough, and a bear to shell.
Tomato seeds, spread on a screen with the pulp, will develop a "skin" of dry pulp between them. That skin will crackle when brushed or handled when the seeds are dry enough. The seeds will dislodge from the dry pulp fairly easily, and will pour readily rather than sticking together.
Peppers I cut in half and dry the entire fruit. I scrape the seeds out and then pulverize the dry peppers for winter chili seasoning (yum)
Melon and pumpkin seeds dry similar to tomato. They come off the screen and pour easily when dry. Most salad plants, i.e. lettuce, spinach, mustard, cilantro, radish, carrots etc. dry in the pod and are easy to shell out of the pod when dry. Same with beets, turnips, parsnips....
Start with the basics and you will develop a feel for it.

You can store seed in paper envelopes, which breathe and tend to prevent mold in case the seeds weren't quite dry enough.
I store my seeds in glass jars, in a dark closet. If I have any doubt about moisture levels, I leave the lid loose and set the jar on the shelf by the wood stove for a week or so before sealing.

[EDDIE BUCK]

Originally Posted by Forerunner

We dry our seeds on old window screens, out of the direct sun, but in the heat of August/September. They have a distinct sound when they are dry vs. too much moisture to keep. It may be an acquired skill to discern.
Err on the side of too dry.
Corn is easy. It will come off the cob nicely when it's dry enough.
When it's too moist, it's tough, and a bear to shell.
Tomato seeds, spread on a screen with the pulp, will develop a "skin" of dry pulp between them. That skin will crackle when brushed or handled when the seeds are dry enough. The seeds will dislodge from the dry pulp fairly easily, and will pour readily rather than sticking together.
Peppers I cut in half and dry the entire fruit. I scrape the seeds out and then pulverize the dry peppers for winter chili seasoning (yum)
Melon and pumpkin seeds dry similar to tomato. They come off the screen and pour easily when dry. Most salad plants, i.e. lettuce, spinach, mustard, cilantro, radish, carrots etc. dry in the pod and are easy to shell out of the pod when dry. Same with beets, turnips, parsnips....
Start with the basics and you will develop a feel for it.

You can store seed in paper envelopes, which breathe and tend to prevent mold in case the seeds weren't quite dry enough.
I store my seeds in glass jars, in a dark closet. If I have any doubt about moisture levels, I leave the lid loose and set the jar on the shelf by the wood stove for a week or so before sealing.

Thanks for the answer.Last year I saved about a quart of collard seed. They felt dry and came out of the pod like they were dry and then put them in pringle potato chip can with the top on. I planted some in the fall, none came up. I checked the can and yep they were molded

[culpeper]

Oops!

[wolfwalkerpa]

All i can tell you last year
my brother found a bunch of old (1976)pickle seeds and thought he would till them in the soil never saw so many pickles in my life. over ran his garden lol