I would like to keep my open polinated seed for the following years, How do you keep It fresh.Can you freeze seed?

-- Irene orsborn (tkorsborn@cs.com), April 19, 2001

Answers

Response to The best way to keep open polinated seed for next year?

irene, keep the seeds in a glass jar with a tight lid in your refrigerator. Most seeds will last 3-5 years this way. I know there is one in particular that has to be purchased new each year, but I can't remember which one it is- an herb, though. Anyone? Good Luck!

-- Kristin, in La. (positivekharma@aol.com), April 19, 2001.

I keep my seeds in a glass jar with a tight lid. I throw in some cedar chunks to discourage the bugs,and keep the jar in a dark, cool (but not freezing) place. My basement works just fine. The seeds don't do well if they get damp or too cold.

-- Deborah Lawton (jlawton@kaltelnet.net), April 20, 2001.

Irene -

After they thoroughly dry, I put them in small envelopes, seal tightly in a glass jar and put them in the back of the fridge on the bottom shelf. Its dry, cool, and mostly dark, and has never been a problem. Just make sure to tell the family to leave it alone!! Hubby tried to throw my jar out one year. Thought I was nuts.... Till the following spring... (!!)

Make sure that you label the envelopes with pencil... If there DOES happen to be a little condensation, its a pain trying to read running ink!!

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), April 23, 2001.

Seeds keep best if you put a pack of silica gel in the jar to absorb air mosture it is also best to let the jar come to room temperature before opening it, warm air has more moisture than cold air does and it sort of sucks moisture into the seeds when they are cold.

-- Thumper (slrldr@aol.com), April 25, 2001.