Some gardening enthusiasts still have little to no knowledge about seeds, let alone seed packets. All they know is that it is something that you plant on the ground, and then it will grow into whatever plant that seed comes from. As a person who enjoys planting and owns a garden, I have learned a lot about seeds, plants, and growing them.
What most people don’t realize is that seeds have a long lifespan. Seeds can last for much more than a year. Impressively, most seeds can last ten years, and some can last even longer than that. In my case, I never throw out seed packets except for when they have stopped germinating.
Different plants have different properties and this holds for their seeds as well. Some seeds last longer than others. A good example is that onions and parsnips can only last a few years while tomato seeds can last for about 15 years. The viability of the seed is greatly affected by how it is stored. In my case, I have a separate storehouse just beside my lawn.
During winter, the storehouse helps to keep my seeds cool and controls the heat well during the summer season. The best setting for seeds is in a cool place. Therefore, storing them in a sealed container and putting them in the fridge helps to prolong their viability.
Apart from the storage of the seed packets itself, the viability of the seeds can also be affected by how often the temperature and the humidity of the storage space changes. This is why it is advisable to store them in the refrigerators because the humidity and the temperature can be controlled and maintained. In my case, I am keeping them in my storehouse, where temperature and humidity changes vary with the season and weather.
Although this can affect the viability of my seed packets, it is still enough that they can last several years, depending on the seed. The idea behind the changes in humidity and temperature is that every time these factors change, the seeds wake up just a bit, thinking that perhaps it is time to germinate. The key here is to keep them sound asleep. That way, your seed packets can last longer.
I have a fair amount of seed packets in my storehouse. Currently, I have stored over 100 seed packets I am planning to expand my collection to about 300 seed packets. I still have a lot of space in my storehouse, so that should be no problem. I have recently been trying to learn about growing flowers. I think they would make a great addition to my garden.
Maybe next month I shall try procuring flower seeds. I plan to plant some of them and store the extras in my storehouse. You can never be too careful. A lot can go wrong with growing plants, and I want to have extra seeds just so I could try again in case things go wrong with the first batch.
When it comes to organizing, I use pocket folders that allows me to organize my flowers alphabetically and the vegetables by family. I have a pocket folder for the tomato seeds, for the amaranths like beets, and Brassicas like broccoli. I store the seeds in a plastic box that comes with a lid.
So far, storing and organizing seeds has been a great detail in my life. I love collecting seed packets, and I enjoy planting. I feel a sense of achievement every time I look at my garden and see how far I have come and how beautiful it is.
