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We’re going to talk about a question that I get so often that I probably get it on a weekly basis: How long can you store grass seed. So I figured out why not do a blog entry on this topic. Hopefully, this on my short, is going to apply to you and this is how to store unused extra seed a lot of times.
As gardeners, we have you know that urge to get out and buy so many seeds. I am one of those people that when I pass up a seed booth I have to buy something.
It’s just there is something ingrained in us that must tie back to our ancient ancestors where they loved hoarding seeds. So whenever I buy seeds, I sometimes buy too many and I know there’s a lot of people out there like that.
So when we plant our seeds sometimes we even have some seed left over in a package or maybe we don’t even plant it at all. So what do we do with that seed?
To make sure that it stays viable a lot of times, people worry that their seed won’t sprout the next year. However that’s totally false and it is absolutely something you do not need to worry about.
Seed if kept cool, dark and dry, just remember those three things and your seed will stay for five to ten years. That’s not to say the germination rate won’t drop off a little bit because as many of you know, old seed does, in fact, not germinate as well.
However, if it’s one, two or three years, you’re going to have no problems.
Keep In Dry Jars
So one thing that I would like to do for the dry aspect:
No reason at all why you cannot have a good investment in some mason jars. They’re really dry, they stay nice and sealed and you can also hook them up to a vacuum sealer and pump some of the air out as well. So that’s a good method that I like to do.
Use Silica Gel
I personally don’t suck the air out. I just put them in there and then what I do is actually take some of those silica gel, the things you sometimes get in your shoes boxes that no one knows what to do with.
And there is actually a use for those gel, just take a silica pack, put it down in the bottom that’s when you absorb any moisture there is. And it’s also going to keep your seeds dry.
So there’s the dry part now in a cool place. Put it in the back of your fridge. Put it in your basement or your garage down in our basement. It’s pretty chilly, the floor is definitely got a cool touch to it.
It’s probably about 55 to 50 to 55 degrees and that’s a great temperature that is still considered cool by all means. So you can definitely do that and you’re going to have quite a bit of success there.
The next thing is dark. How do you get a dark place? In your fridge it should be dark if everything’s closed up. But another place I like to just get an old toolbox.
I got one at a garage sale, it’s a super high quality toolbox, heavy duty plastic. It keeps things again dry, not totally airtight sealed but it keeps them dry. But the big thing is it keeps them dark. Because anytime you get sunlight on your seeds, it doesn’t work.
For example you got some bean seeds, you got tomato seeds, cucumber seeds, just tons and tons of seed and that’s where they goes because often times when you get seeds, you may think you’re going just store in a ziplock baggie. Or sometimes you are the type of person that likes to store them in a jewelry bag.
I’m that type of person I think they’re very cost-effective, you can reseal them which is worth a million bucks to me. So the seal every single packages don’t come in paper. If they come in the clear resealable bags just toss them into a dark thing like a tool box or a tackle box.
You can get it pretty much at any outdoor store, hardware store or even a garage sale and I got my storing box for about 2 bucks so it’s earned itself. I hope you all enjoyed this tips about how to store your extra unused seeds.
Here is a video about overseeding with low-quality seed:
