Question: what do you know about storing seeds? Are store bought seeds, like from The local hardware store any good to keep? And if so, how should I keep them? I have room to grow if needed, and acces to water. - Upgoat

Question: what do you know about storing seeds? Are store bought seeds, like from The local hardware store any good to keep? And if so, how should I keep them? I have room to grow if needed, and acces to water.
submitted by 1Icemonkey to preppers 3.7 yearsSep 30, 2021 20:58:51 ago (+8/-0) (preppers)

[ - ] MaryXmas 4 points 3.7 yearsSep 30, 2021 23:19:50 ago (+4/-0)

Vacuum sealed container is the best way. Then freeze. I don't freeze but people seem to like it if they are really serious. Don't open the frozen packet otherwise the seeds may get frost(moisture) on them. Wait for it to thaw fully to room temp.

In general, what you will lose with older seeds is consistency of germination. It just makes it harder to figure out how many plants you have.

Organic, non-gmo, heirloom. You will have the best quality and un-adulterated strains. Maybe they cost .50 cents more for the good stuff.

Also, seeds will be in sale from the end of last growing season. Just keep an eye on how you store them.

[ - ] La_Chalupacabra 4 points 3.7 yearsSep 30, 2021 22:38:22 ago (+4/-0)

There's something they do to some commercial crops that makes them unable to produce viable seed.
Stick with heirloom varieties and learn controlled pollination techniques to ensure that GMO/wild genes don't find their way into your crops.

[ - ] Unreasonable 4 points 3.7 yearsSep 30, 2021 21:44:46 ago (+4/-0)

Freezer. Seeds keep 3-7 years in the freezer. Just soak em 24 hours when ready to plant.

[ - ] bosunmoon 4 points 3.7 yearsSep 30, 2021 21:39:25 ago (+4/-0)

Just keep them dry and dark. They're not worth buying if they aren't heirloom seeds, so keep an eye out for that. Also the yield will go down year by year so if you're buying little packets buy twice what you could grow.

[ - ] UncleDoug 2 points 3.7 yearsOct 1, 2021 00:45:58 ago (+2/-0)

Seeds are not viable for more than a few years at room temp if kept dry, even freezing can damage the seed. You need special seed bank freezers and a technique to snap dry freeze them to keep them viable past 10years.

[ - ] 1Icemonkey [op] 2 points 3.7 yearsSep 30, 2021 23:57:54 ago (+2/-0)

Thank you all for your input on seeds. I didn’t know about heirloom. I will put this to good use.

[ + ] Ifuckdolphinseverday

[ - ] Ifuckdolphinseverday 0 points 3.7 yearsOct 1, 2021 01:20:27 ago (+0/-0)

You're going to want to prepare for solar minimum. I recommend adjusting your stash of seeds to include cold/ winter season crops as well. Look into microgreens/vertical setups, i highly recommend getting a double layer membrane set up.

I'm thinking about having anchors (PVC Tubes) in the ground around the garden and using pvc pipes to create the frame. A nylon mesh for the summer and a 3 mil clear membrane for the winter. Each row then getting a smaller set of the frame and cover so that in the winter you'll have a dual membrane system to better control heat. It will give you ~5F soil temp with lighting maybe more.

[ - ] Yargiyankooli 2 points 3.7 yearsSep 30, 2021 21:17:54 ago (+3/-1)

Also interested

[ - ] account deleted by user 1 point 3.7 yearsOct 1, 2021 00:52:16 ago (+1/-0)

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[ - ] AnmanIndustries 0 points 3.7 yearsOct 1, 2021 05:17:33 ago (+0/-0)

Something more reliable than seeds (assuming you have your own permanent land in the long term) is fruit trees in pairs. Keeping two of each fruit tree allows you to take cuttings that you know will produce fruit to grow another fruit tree. Growing from seed is not reliable for fruit trees.

If you have any reservations on fruit trees as a long term fruit supply, drying fruit can make it last a long time. We are giving away dried fruit as the next season has started and we still have dried fruit from last season.

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