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drying seed

Posted by mikeharvey1953 (My Page) on
Mon, Jun 1, 09 at 13:35

Quick seed saving questions from a new-be

·Can I use our dehydrator to dry seeds?

·What about the Foodsaver sealed canning jars for storage (with oxygen Pac)
·What about Foodsaver sealed plastic

·do I need to put the jars in the freezer

·or can I get away with just putting in the basement...
Its cool and has only a little filtered sun light through one small window. (when I don’t have the light on)

·Couldn’t I just put the jars or plastic shrink wrapped plastic in a paper bag and fold shut?

Thanks in advance for the answers

Mikeh


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: drying seed

  • Posted by remy 6WNY (My Page) on
    Mon, Jun 1, 09 at 18:15

Hi Mike,
·Can I use our dehydrator to dry seeds? No, let them sit spread out on a paper plate/towel or if pretty dry already in a brown bag. Small little seeds dry pretty quick, larger seeds take longer.

·What about the Foodsaver sealed canning jars for storage (with oxygen Pac) -have no clue what you are talking about
·What about Foodsaver sealed plastic - if the seeds are completely dry they can be sealed. If the seeds are not dry enough, you will kill them.

·do I need to put the jars in the freezer -no unless you are interested in very long term storage. Seeds at room temp will last a few years.

·or can I get away with just putting in the basement...
Its cool and has only a little filtered sun light through one small window. (when I don’t have the light on) -The basement is fine as long as it is not damp. If you keep them in a box, you do not have to worry about light. If your basement is damp, you are better off keeping them in a regular part of the house.

·Couldn’t I just put the jars or plastic shrink wrapped plastic in a paper bag and fold shut? - You can put the seeds straight into paper bags no plastic is needed. I make large envelopes to put the seeds in. I put those in a boxes. I then keep the boxes in a closet that stays cool(middle of house north facing room.)

Hope that helps,
Remy


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RE: drying seed

To dry seeds I just take a paper cupcake-pan liner and write on it what the seeds are. I set the seed spread out evenly in the liner, and set those in a shoebox (so my cats dont get to them). Every once in a while I move the seeds around a little so everything dries evenly. No muss, no fuss!

Hope that helps,
Laura


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