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cousinfloyd

should I freeze pea/bean seed?

cousinfloyd
10 years ago

I've read several suggestions that on a home scale, keeping things simple, it's better not to freeze pea/bean seed, but how else do I kill the eggs of insects that might damage the seed if I don't freeze it? I've had seed get buggy before leaving it out in the (un-air-conditioned) house. Garden pea seed is especially challenging in my relatively long season, humid climate, because I harvest it June, when there's still lots of heat and humidity ahead. I'm concerned about damaging the seed by freezing it with too high moisture, but I'm afraid I'll over-dry it if I try to use desiccant packs/silica gel and hurt the germ that way instead. What do you all do for pea/bean storage? I'm especially interested in what those of you do that harvest seed with long, humid summers still ahead.

Comments (9)

  • dlsm
    10 years ago

    cousinfloyd, during the summer months I put the seed under the air conditioner and it will take all the moisture out in a few days. Then I freeze all my seed until they are needed. They will keep for years in the freezer. I have been doing this for years with good results. Some folks just put their seed in a refrigerator. It depends on your space.

    Luther

  • cousinfloyd
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks, Luther. I don't have/use an air conditioner, and I have limited fridge space -- freezer space is less limited for me -- but I could make some space in the fridge if there isn't another good option for me. At some point the seed is going to come out of the fridge, though, and if it hasn't ever been frozen, will insects not get started at that point? Or will they get started in the fridge even?

  • dlsm
    10 years ago

    cousinfloyd, the refrigerator will also take the moisture out of the seed. Put the seed in the freezer long enough to kill any insect eggs and then store most anywhere if you are going to use them the following season.

    Luther

  • cousinfloyd
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Luther, thanks for helping me think this through and understand things better. What about over-drying, though? My understanding from what I've read is that if pea/bean seeds get too dry they go into a kind of irreversible dormancy or in any case won't germinate any more. Is there not a danger of over-drying pea/bean seed by letting it dry out in the fridge? I generally put dehydrated silica gel packs in sealed containers with my seed to try to make sure me seeds are plenty dry that way, but I've always avoided doing so with pea/bean seed because of what I read about the risk of over-drying peas/beans.

  • dlsm
    10 years ago

    cousinfloyd, if you are going to leave them in a refrigerator over an extended period of time I would vacuum pack them. If you are going to use them the following season put them in a sealed container.

    Luther

  • drloyd
    9 years ago

    I recently asked Bill Best's colleague Frank Bennett about long term storage of bean seeds in a freezer. He said that they triple bag them in 4 mil plastic bags. Then they let them come to room temperature before opening the bags. - Dick

  • jmlemay
    3 years ago

    Dlsm. It’s nice that you tried to help. But you don’t answer the question. I think cousinfloyd must have given up trying to get his question answered

  • happydog
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Years ago I discovered an infestation of bean weevils in some of my newly harvested bean seeds. I put all my bean seeds in plastic bags and then in mason jars and put them in the freezer. I noticed when I pulled them out a few years later that they looked as fresh as the day they were harvested. The biggest difference could be seen in the more colorful beans. I had a bag of 2 year old Soissons Vert that had been stored at room temp. The 5 year old Soissons Verts seeds from the freezer looked mint green and fresh enough to eat. The 2 year old seed was already losing it's color and looked dull and old next to the ones from the freezer. So now I store all my bean seeds in the freezer. Be sure they're thoroughly dry before storing, and be sure to give them a day at room temperature before opening them, so they don't get condensation.

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