Seeds can live for several years if stored under the right conditions. Different varieties of seeds will have different life spans so be sure to look up how long your seeds will last before you plan to store them.
To store seeds until the next growing season: Keep seeds in a brown paper bag in a jar with a closed lid away from water, light, and heat. Be very careful to keep your seeds dry, as wet seeds may sprout, even without soil or light.
To keep seeds safe to plant in a few weeks: Keep seeds dry and avoid extreme temperatures (for example: do not leave them in your car or outside).
Self-pollinating plants
Tomatoes, peppers, beans, and peas are good choices for seed saving. They have flowers that are self-pollinating and seeds that require little or no special treatment before storage.
Seeds from biennial crops such as carrots or beets are harder to save since the plants need two growing seasons to set seeds.
Cross-pollinated plants
Plants with separate male and female flowers, like corn and vine crops, may cross-pollinate. It is difficult to keep the seed strain pure.
Popcorn can pollinate a stand of sweet corn from a nearby garden on a windy day. This will affect the flavor of the current sweet corn crop, and a crop grown from these seeds will be neither good sweet corn nor good popcorn.
Insects can cross-pollinate cucumbers, melons, squash, pumpkins, and gourds.
Although cross-pollination will not affect the quality of the current crop, seeds from such a cross will grow into vines with fruit unlike that of the parent plant. This often results in inferior flavor and other characteristics.
Hybrid plants
Hybrid vegetable plants are products of crosses between two different varieties, combining traits of the parent plants. Sometimes a combination is particularly good, producing plants with outstanding vigor, disease resistance and productivity. Hybrid seeds are generally more expensive as they cost more to produce.
Coated or Pelleted Seeds
Pelleted seeds like Enza Zaden and Rijk Zwaan were developed for commercial growers who use machines to sow seeds. Pelleted seeds are simply normal plant seeds that have been coated to give them a round, smooth, uniform shape and size, making it less likely for them to jam a mechanical seeder, and increasing the accuracy of the seeder in terms of spacing.
Pelleted seeds are also helpful to the home gardener because they are easy to see and handle, especially when compared with the "naked" version of tiny seeds like tomatoes and lettuce.
There are only two precautions to take when using pelleted seeds. First, be sure that the growing medium remains consistently moist, but not soggy after you've sown the seed and you're waiting for it to sprout.
Safe Use of Pelletized Seeds
With the use of the treated seed, you must observe precautions for your own safety and the protection of the environment. Keep reading to find more information about these precautions.
In general: Do not use treated seed for human or animal consumption or for processing. Keep out of reach of children, livestock, and wildlife. Handle seed packages carefully.
Avoid contact with skin and respiratory tract and wear suitable protective equipment during seed handling and equipment cleaning. Wash hands and exposed skin before meals and after work. Remove any seed spillages. Keep treated seed away from surface water.
Keep pelleted seeds in an air-tight container inside the fridge or in an airconditioned room between 10-22 degrees Celcius.
Before sowing
When opening seed bags and during, the filling or emptying of the drilling machine, avoid dust exposure. Avoid the transfer of dust from the seed bag into the sowing machine. Do not treat the previously treated seed with additional products.
At sowing outdoors
When using a pneumatic drilling machine, dust from treated seeds should be directed to the soil surface or into the soil through deflectors. Sow at the recommended seeding rate. To protect birds and mammals, the treated seed must be covered by soil, also at row ends.
Germinating Seeds
The first step to germination is to rehydrate the seed. Once a seed has soaked up all the water it needs, it will begin to germinate at the right temperatures. Most seeds ideally germinate between 26-29 degrees Celcius but will still germinate (just slower) at temperatures above or below that range.
If a seed fully dries out during the germination process, it may not survive, be sure to take extra care and keep your seeds moist until it has grown roots and leaves.
We recommend a horticultural sponge for faster and more efficient seed germination.
Related page: "Grow Your Own Food with Hydroponics
Troubleshooting Germination
Unless collected from your own garden, there is very little chance you could purchase bad seeds. The most common reasons seeds do not germinate are underwatering, overwatering, or cold temperatures.
If you are germinating seeds indoors, remember that the smaller the container of soil that contains the seed, the more rapidly it will dry out. If you need to leave your seeds un-watered for the weekend, you should plant your seeds in seedling sponges with water underneath so they don't dry out. Germinating seeds in trays such as egg cartons is not recommended as they will dry out too quickly.
If your seeds are not germinating, they most likely will need to be watered more frequently or less frequently to see better germinator results. If you have overwatered, your seeds will soften and mold. Cold day or nighttime temperatures will slow seed germination significantly. Wind and sun may dry the top layer of soil in your garden within a day. Check the temperature and soil moisture each day. If you are still unsure as to why your seeds have not germinated, consider reaching out to us provided that you bought the seeds from us.
Related page: "Grow Your Own Food with Hydroponics"
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