Keeping Seeds

[kint]

I recently got in a little order from the Victory Seed Company. I wanted to do onions, and I wanted to do heirlooms so... ta da! I'm a bit late in the year to be starting onions, but I'll give it a go. Usually we're supposed to do long day ones in the more northerly climes, but as the days are getting shorter now I got a long and a medium to try. It may not work out well, but that's ok -- the seeds should still be good next year. Regardless, I got bunching onions (scallions), too, and I'm hopeful those should work out pretty well.

They included a little note about storing seeds, and as the information was new for me I figured it may be for some of you folks out there so I thought I would share.

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Keep seeds in a labeled container or envelope in a cool, dry place where they are protected from insects. Storage life of seeds varies widely. Here is a guide:

• Short-lived seeds (1-2 years): corn, onion, parsley, parsnip, pepper
• Intermediate seeds (3-4 years): asparagus, bean, broccoli, carrot, celery, leek, pea, spinach
• Long-lived seeds (4-5 years): beet, chard, cabbage family (Brussels sprouts, cauliflower), turnip, radish, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, muskmelon, pumpkin-squash group, tomato, watermelon

An ideal way to prepare seed for long-term storage is to place seed packets in a jar, seal the jar tightly and place it in a refrigerator. To help absorb moisture, place a small, cloth bag filled with dry, powdered milk beneath the seed packets in the bottom of the jar. Use about 1/2 cup of dry milk from a recently opened package.