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bogfrog

Long term storage for seeds.

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In preparation for "armagedon", new zealand's horrible food bill or whatever else might be heading our way, I am purchasing a bulk amount of organic heirloom fruit and vegetable seeds to ensure my ability to grow my own quality produce in the future.

Is anyone else hoarding seeds as well?

And if so, how are you storing them to retain viability?

The grower who I am buying the seed from reccomended storing them in glass jars in the freezer but I dont thnk that I will do that, as I have never head of freezing seeds and I am guessing that if your freezer stopped working due to a power cut that all the seed would germinate.

Edited by bogfrog

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Depends on the seed but freezing is often used for long term storage

Theres a bit if you UTSE:

http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=19685&st=0&p=196842&hl=+recalcitrant%20+seeds&fromsearch=1entry196842

http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=20740&st=0&p=209618&hl=+recalcitrant%20+seeds&fromsearch=1entry209618

I store my seeds in an airtight preserve jar in the bottom of the fridge. Generaly seeds do'nt like 3 main things heat, light, & moisture.

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Keeping em dry as well will make a huge difference as well, silica gel is good gear. Even better if you can store them in airtight containers flushed with N

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I store mine in the fridge (5°C) but, since loosing some good capsicum genetics due to extreme age, I've been toying with the idea of keeping backups in the freezer.

Most seeds store a looooooong time in the freezer if they are desiccated and never pick up humidity while in the freezer. Pre-desiccating seeds is a must and then they need to be in a desiccated environment. My plan is to get plastic 5 ml centrifuge tubes for small seeds, 30 ml vials and bigger for others, to hold the seed and store them in a reasonably well sealed container which would also have a removable (rechargable) desiccant cell.

I currently use a similar setup without the desiccant cell for pollen, using 1.5 ml tubes, the two year old pollen is still viable.

Some researchers believe that 5°C is just as good as -15°C just so long as the seed are, and stay, desiccated. Just as good being good germination rates after 20 years for most species.

If storing seed for the apocalypse be sure to actually grow the stuff out so you know how to do it when it becomes essential.

And dont use fucking square foot gardening, lol, if theres food riots and total economic collapse you wont be able to do that ridiculously unsustainable system.

Read Gardening When It Counts - Growing Food In Hard Times by Steve Solomon and The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz

Edited by Auxin

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Awesome, thanks very much i'll look into all those suggestions.

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We want to put stashes at various locations in the bush, just in case, together with emergency food rations and water purification pills. The only downside is the possibility of pest damage to the containers thus letting moisture in, and the lack of temperature control - under rocks is the best solution we can think of, easier to remember where we put them too. I would also like to grow the stuff ready in the bush so we wouldn't have to have such a huge stash of emergency rations; trouble is I don't like to contaminate the bush too much with non-natives, which seems to be most of our food crops.

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