| Well, you beat me hands down; I thought I was a packrat when it came to hoarding seed packets! Ideally seeds should be stored in a cool dry place such as the veggie drawer of the fridge. At our MG greenhouse we use a second hand fridge to store seeds in zip lock bags. If you wish to make seed hoarding a hobby you may want to do the same. Seriously, do you need to hang onto so many packets? If so, I suggest you sort them by type and length of seed life (you may have to look up some on the Internet).
Then bundle and store in zip lock bags with moisture absorbing crystals and write that info on the bag - or some similar arrangement. Cool storage will extend seed life considerably. Seeds kept too long or in hot conditions decline and may not germinate, or if they do may produce weak plants. If you have doubts, conduct a germination test with a damp paper towel (10-20 seeds) placed in a zip lock bag in a warm place; check for germination in about 5-7 days then compute the rate. It may be better to share your excess seeds with fellow gardeners and figure out what your true needs are before you purchase another packet! Seed banks grow out a portion of their stored seeds, saving seeds from those plants provided they meet the standards for the plant being grown. Check Seed Savers web site for tips if you want to try this - remember those gardening friends, they could help with this endeavor. Happy Gardening Tommie C.
Recovering Seed Collector
Dale, Texas | 
