Apartment Garden Blues (Blog): Seed Storage System

Seed Storage OrigamiYou always see the advice to store seeds in a “cool, dry place” until the next planting season. Where is that cool, dry place for you? How do you keep your seeds? In their original seed packets? In a cute little box or homemade seed packet origami like in the picture to the right? Do you have a system when it comes to storing your seeds?

I keep my seeds many different ways, but they’re all located in one place: in a big Ziplock bag in my storage cabinet. I have a couple of labeled pill boxes I use to store my container plant seeds. I keep some seeds in their original seed packets so I can easily see the seed’s information – most importantly when they expire. Other seeds I’ve collected myself, and I label the bag with the year they were collected, plus any interesting notes about that plant, like where the plant originally came from. (I’ve participated in a couple of online seed exchanges and also have received seeds as gifts and like to make a note of that.) I also make a note if it’s an heirloom plant or a certain hybrid or variety, and if it grew well in my garden. It’s always fun to look through my big bag of seeds and reminisce about my past gardens with these little notes.

What’s your system for storing seeds?

 

_______________________________________

Alexandra Martin is a professional writer from Southern California who grows vegetables, herbs, lots of aloe vera and one giant Boston fern in her balcony garden. She also grows dracaena, pothos and English ivy indoors. She loves traveling and birdwatching in addition to gardening.

Additional information