New Grower At what point should seeds be preserved?

[Peter Wiggins]

I produced a large quantity of seeds last summer. I chopped the plant down towards the end of september. The seeds have been in a cool dry place in tins since this time. When should I freeze them for long term storage?

Thanks in advance for any and all insightful replies!

 

[alley_walker]

You are going to run into a lot of opinions on this one. Some people will say keep them in the refridge and others will say freeze them. But most will say keep dry -cool and in a sealed container. A little rice along with that wouldn't hurt. Personally I keep them in the refridge. But if I happen to have a hard time with a certain batch of seeds, I will freeze them for a week and it seems to help with the germination rate.

 

[*headpiECE*]

Definitely many opinions. I'd say refrigerate them, what's the harm? As alley_walker said, maybe add a few grains of rice...lightproof container obviously. Old film canisters are my (and many) favorite...

If you do refrigerate them, a little heat when germinating, say a seedling mat, can speed things up...I like to soak mine in water overnight, then take them out and let them come to room temp for 8 hours or so, THEN germinate...but that's just me. One of those "if it ain't broke don't fix it..."