10 Tips For Preserving And Storing Seeds For Short And Long Term

Many people don’t know how to store seeds, this article will guide about seed storage for long and short term. One can save their seeds and can plant them later on; some steps should be taken in order to store them. The most common seed, which one can store, are of cantaloupe, pumpkin, watermelon, eggplant, tomatoes and different seeds of different herbs. They always have a successful growth and will give one an amazing and enjoyable experience. One can also store seeds of pomegranate, apple, apricot, pear, peach, cherry and others. In order to plant garden seeds and to know how to store seeds long term, then here are 10 points which can guide you to seed storage.

        1) When one is taking seeds direct from the plant they should first clean and dry them. In order to clean them, the entire soil and dust residue should be removed by using a tissue paper or a kitchen towel. They should be dried properly by using a kitchen towel and leaving it under the sun for a while. Place them in a zip log bag and store in a dry area.

        2) When taking a seed of the plant, remove all the additional matter which might be present. With the help of the fingernails remove the gel coating, shell, husk or the cob which might be present. Dry them and store in a zip lock bag. This will prevent them from having fungus, moisture and molds.

         3) For storing seeds long term, one should know how to preserve seeds in the fridge or the freezer. First of all one should clean and dry the seed and then store it in a zip lock bag. The temperature provided with the seeds in the refrigerator and freezer should be constant until the seeds are ready to be used for plantation. The seeds should be kept at the back of the freezer or refrigerator where it is away from the fan and has a constant temperature. The enzyme activity will be stopped in the seeds and this is the best method for the long term seed storage.

         4) To store seeds in an open atmosphere, one can use an airtight jar or a storage container. In 4 layers of tissue paper, add 2 heaped tablespoons of milk powder, fold and keep it with the seeds in the air tight jar. This will prevent any moisture to enter the container, or one can also use silica gel, replace after every six months. This is the best way to store seeds, especially the rare seeds and exotic seeds for a longer term.

          5) Whenever one is storing seeds for a longer term in the zip lock or air tight jar, always label them with the date and year in order to know which seeds need to be planted since the prime time for the seed storage is around 3 years.

          6) In order to store veggie seeds, spread them out on a kitchen towel. Once dried roll them over and store in a zip lock bag. Whenever one wants to plant them, they can tear down the kitchen towel roll and plant the seed along with the towel in the soil.

          7) The best way for storing vegetable seeds, especially for cucumber, then here’s a tip. Squeeze out the pulp with seeds and add them in a container with water stirring for a week. The dead seeds will appear up, discard them again and then add water until the well seeds are cleaned. Once cleaned, dry them and lay them out on a paper to dry and then store in a zip lock bag.

           8) To store seeds from fruits or vegetables, take the most ripen one and then wash them clean and pat dry. Keep them secured in an airtight jar or zip lock bag.

           9) One can store seeds in a container with cotton balls, make sure there is no moisture otherwise the seed germination will start.

         10)  For storing pomegranate seeds, scoop out the seeds and wash them properly, pat dry and store in airtight container in the refrigerator where the temperature is constant, which is in the back area.