How to store vegetable and flower seeds
Around
Our State
WVU Extension
Service: 100 Years
of Trusted Research
and Local Experts
Not every organization can
claim to have been created
by an act of Congress –
but West Virginia
University
Extension
Service
can! In
1914,
the United
States Congress
passed the Smith-Lever
Act, creating a unique
educational system.
This year, WVU Extension
Service joins with other
Extension services and
land-grant universities
across the nation to
celebrate its centennial
Indeed, our faculty agents,
specialists, and staff are
the “extension” of the
university, with our
WVU Extension county
offices serving as the front
door to the university in
all 55 West Virginia
counties.
We’re proud to
continue our
tradition of
service to
West Virginia.
ii / Summer 2014
M
any gardeners enjoy saving seeds
from their favorite vegetables and
flowers. Excess seeds leftover at the end
of the gardening season can be stored
for use later in
the season or in
the following
growing season.
in storage, it will deteriorate. A small
increase in seed moisture or elevated
temperature can reduce the life of a seed
by 50 percent. The sum of the storage
temperature and
relative humidity
should not exceed
100. When seeds
are purchased, it is
When selecting
important to keep
seeds for future
them in a storage
planting, make
location or container
sure the seeds
that is free of high
retain their vigor
humidity, such as
and viability.
an airtight container.
If seeds are not
Tomato seeds air-drying on a wet
Seeds leftover from
paper towel.
stored properly,
spring planting can
all the effort
be temporarily stored for fall planting in
in collecting the seeds and preserving
paper seed packets or coin envelopes in a
a valuable variety is lost. Many seeds
cool location (including the refrigerator).
that are purchased from commercial seed
For long-term storage, seed packets can
companies are relatively expensive; proper
be double-bagged in plastic bags and
storage saves the cost of purchasing fresh
placed in the freezer.
seeds every gardening season.
Most vegetable seeds can be stored
Harvesting
as long as 5 to 6 years. Onions, leeks,
Select seeds for harvest from your
peppers, and sweet corn store well for
garden planting that are true to type,
approximately 2 years. Beans, carrots,
physiologically mature, and dry prior to
broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, peas,
storage. Many flower and vegetable seeds
pumpkin, tomato, and watermelon
can be harvested by cutting the dried seed
seeds store for 4 years. Cucumber,
heads (or pods) and placing them in a
eggplant, lettuce, and radish seeds store
paper bag. Popular garden flowers, such
for approximately 6 years. Most flower
as Zinnia, are harvested when the flower
seeds will store well for 5 to 8 years.
petals fade and the entire flower head
Test seed viability each year before
is dried. Seeds from fruiting vegetables,
planting. Spread the seeds between
such as tomatoes and melons, must be
two wet paper towels and place at room
collected from vine-ripe fruit, and then
temperature. Be sure to keep the towels
either fermented or washed free of pulp
moist. After approximately 7 to 10
in running water and allowed to air-dry
days, the number of seeds germinated
on paper towels. The seeds can be spread
can be counted. Seeds that are stored
evenly on paper towels and air-dried
properly should have a high percentage
in a sunny location for approximately
of germination. If the germination
2 weeks. After drying to low moisture
percentage has decreased below 50%, the
content, the seeds can be stored.
entire lot should be planted or discarded,
Storage
so it is not placed back in storage.
Never store seeds in areas where
By Lewis Jett, WVU Extension Specialist,
temperature and humidity fluctuate.
Commercial Horticulture
If the seed is too moist before placing
Insert Provided by WVU Extension Service and Davis College of Ag., Natural Resources, and Design
14 West Virginia Farm Bureau News