# should i freeze my seeds?



## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

i harvested some seeds last year from various plants. should i freeze them to simulate winter? i have kept them inside since they were harvested and dried.


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## Mid Tn Mama (May 11, 2002)

I freeze my seeds to keep the moisture out of them and keep them fresh.

As for simulating the winter by freezing, you only do this for perrennials that need it. Most annuals and vegetables do not. 

What seeds in particular are you speaking of?


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## Steve L. (Feb 23, 2004)

MELOC said:


> i harvested some seeds last year from various plants. should i freeze them to simulate winter? i have kept them inside since they were harvested and dried.


MELOC, what you're asking about is cold stabilization. Generally, chilling requirements for plants (and most seeds) are satisifed by temps between about 35 and 45Â°F, not by 'freezing'. If you don't know which seeds require stratification, then keeping them in the frig may work. I don't know much about stratification, but I do know that both grape and apple seeds need to be kept fairly moist, as well as cold. I'm sure that this applies to at least some other seeds, as well.


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## Zebraman (Aug 11, 2006)

Hey Guys;Just remember if you are going to freeze your seeds you will have to first use a dessicant to remove All moisture.(ie.Flower-Gel).If there is any moisture it will form Ice crystals within the seed and will rupture the cells and will render the seeds useless when they thaw.This is also why Cryogenics are not yet feasible for re-entry at this time.-


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## meganwf (Jul 5, 2005)

aaah!!! This just answered some questions for me. I saved a bunch of squash seeds--rinsed them, dried them and put them in a baggie. Pulled them out of the fridge the other day and they were covered in mold. Tomato seeds looked ok though.

Can you use the little "desicate--do not eat" packets that come in shoe boxes?


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## LMonty (Jul 31, 2006)

i dry mine in the dehydrator before freezing


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

> Hey Guys;Just remember if you are going to freeze your seeds you will have to first use a dessicant to remove All moisture.(ie.Flower-Gel).If there is any moisture it will form Ice crystals within the seed and will rupture the cells and will render the seeds useless when they thaw.This is also why Cryogenics are not yet feasible for re-entry at this time.-


Nobody tell this to all the seeds out there overwintering in the soil!


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Zebraman said:


> Hey Guys;Just remember if you are going to freeze your seeds you will have to first use a dessicant to remove All moisture.(ie.Flower-Gel).If there is any moisture it will form Ice crystals within the seed and will rupture the cells and will render the seeds useless when they thaw.This is also why Cryogenics are not yet feasible for re-entry at this time.-


In 3 years of college studying Horticulture, I never heard that. As was stated, Mother Nature wasn't clued in on that either.


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## menollyrj (Mar 15, 2006)

Yeah, but in his/her defense, Mother Nature doesn't usually go from below freezing to 75 degrees (room temperature) in a matter of a few hours either...

I have also read that the seeds need to be dry before freezing... 

-Joy


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

wouldnt dehydrating before freezing make them not grow? because dehydrating is like cooking right?


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## Zebraman (Aug 11, 2006)

Hey Guys;First of all,regarding the seeds outside in Nature.Virtually none of them ever grow.And the seeds that are in the soil are also insulated.If all the Mushroom spores were to grow into adult mushrooms the entire Temperate Land Masses would be waist deep in mushrooms on any given day.
Another Idea would be to take your seed collection and stick them in the freezer-To Prove Me WRONG!.....I(Double-Dog) Dare You.-


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Zebraman said:


> Hey Guys;First of all,regarding the seeds outside in Nature.Virtually none of them ever grow.


That statement has been proven to be very, very wrong! In the soil, on the soil, doesn't matter. There's quite a large organization called Winter Sowing that's known that for a long time. If we sow 12 tomato seeds in December, we expect to see 12 seedlings in April. That goes the same for seeds which rely on light for germination. Every seed-bearing plant that ever developed did so long before tilling came along. Same rules apply from the Tundra to the Tropics. And somehow the seeds of most plants have been programmed to survive prolonged periods of freezing despite their tropical origins.

Martin


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> wouldnt dehydrating before freezing make them not grow? because dehydrating is like cooking right?


Yes/No. Depends upon how long you subjected them to heat. Most seeds can be quickly and properly dried if held at 100F for 6 hours. That should lower the moisture content to 10% or less. Water is not a very high priority for the embryo and 5% to 8% is ideal. Below that, however, and the embryo is killed by dessication.

Martin


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

MELOC said:


> i harvested some seeds last year from various plants. should i freeze them to simulate winter? i have kept them inside since they were harvested and dried.


If you are only referring to vegetable seeds, it is not necessary to give them an artificial winter. Freezing will neither improve germination nor hinder it. Although freezing their seeds IS the natural method employed by most of our vegetables, it's always been more convenient and practical for us to simply store them in a dry state.

Martin


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

some were vegetables and some were flowers. i had some onion seeds...the are missing, but i also have beans, asparagus, radishes and some tomatoes that were volunteers the past few years. the flowers are marigolds, gaillardia, zinnia and wisteria.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

menollyrj said:


> Yeah, but in his/her defense, Mother Nature doesn't usually go from below freezing to 75 degrees (room temperature) in a matter of a few hours either...
> 
> I have also read that the seeds need to be dry before freezing...
> 
> -Joy


http://www.mountainnature.com/Climate/Chinook.htm


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## WisJim (Jan 14, 2004)

I store some of my seeds from year to year in the freezer, but I make sure that they are dry first. The little dessicant packs mentioned can help but might not absorb enough moisture. I bought pound of desicant years ago, and reuse it many times a year. I dry it when needed in a microwave--it is the kind of silica gel desicant that is pink when full of moisture and blue when dry. It could also be dried in a warm (not hot) regular oven, buit takes much longer to dry. I particulary keep my extra onion seeds frozen, and I still get good germination from some 1991 onion seeds--normally 2 years is the expected life of onion seeds.

But the seeds must be dry before freezing them, and the jar or package of seeds must be airtight, and then let it thaw for a day or two before opening it to use the seeds.

A good book on savings seeds is "Seed to Seed" by Suzanne Ashworth.


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## unioncreek (Jun 18, 2002)

I work for the USDA and we house part of the national seed collections. Our working seed storage is 4*C and at 40% humidity, we have seed that still has a germination rate of over 90% at 25 years. Our next step in storage is a -80*F freezed and then liquid nitrogen for long term storage. When we put them into a deep freeze we like to have the seed moisture at 8%, that's where we see the least amount of damage. There are only a few seeds that you can't put in liquid nitrogen since they can't handle the unthawing, I don't remember which one's they are ,but their tropical.

Bobg


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