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Saving Seeds
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Posted by ceresone missouri ozarks (My Page) on Fri, Dec 29, 06 at 8:10
I'm new to saving seeds--altho a old gardener.
my question, if i properly dry seeds (ferment, etc, those that need it) and put them in baby food jars, in the freezer, how long will they be viable?
will this depend on what (tomatoes, beans), or are they in "suspended animation" by freezing?
I'm mostly going to try it with heirloom tomatoes this year- but, alas--i'm so old and theres so much to learn-- |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Saving Seeds
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| A generally accepted figure by seed banks is that frozen seed will remain viable for at least 40 years. The key words there are "at least," because much stored seed has been in those freezers a lot longer. But still grows fine. Also keep in mind that "viable," as used in this context, has a precise definition. What it means is that at the end of the viability period (for tomatoes that's normally 4-10 years, depending on variety)"only" 50% of the seed will germinate. Viability then drops off, at a diminishing rate, each year after that. This is why so many people have been successful growing old, so-called out of date, seed. Let me urge you, too, if you're interested in seed saving to obtain a copy of "Seed To Seed," which is the bible of seed saving. Almost everything you want to know will be found in its pages. |
RE: Saving Seeds
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if i properly dry seeds (ferment, etc, those that need it) and put them in baby food jars, in the freezer, how long will they be viable... ceresone, a basic thing to me on seed saving (regardless the environment) is the "drier the better." Especially if stored in air-tite containers. I would recommend never using air-tite containers to store most seed. There is really no advantage to that practice, in my view, unless one is into cryogenetics. Reg |
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