My Not-So-Secret Diary

Gathering Old Seeds

Spring is quickly approaching and the days are getting nicer. I have been enjoying the sunny weather even though it is still cold. This nice weather has inspired me to organize my seeds and gardening supplies. First, I had some seeds that I saved from last summer and I wanted to see if they were viable. So, I gathered them all up and brought them inside. I read online about the paper towel method of testing seeds, and I decided to try it out.

Paper Towel Method

The paper towel method of testing seeds only requires a few supplies: paper towels, Ziploc bags, permanent marker, and squirt bottle. There are a couple of ways to use this method. You can get the paper towel wet first, then place the seeds on it, or you can place the seeds down first and spritz it with a squirt bottle. Either way is fine, just make sure to not overly soak the seeds or they will mold.

So, this is what I did. I labeled my Ziploc bags with the names of the seeds that I was testing. Then, I placed a number of seeds on a bit of paper towel, folded it over the seeds, and spritzed it with water to cover them. (The number of seeds you test is up to you depending on how many total seeds that you have). I put this towel into the labeled bag and set it aside on the countertop. Do not seal the bag or there will not be enough circulation and mold may form. If there are viable seeds, they will start to sprout in about a week. It could take more or less time, depending on the seeds being tested.

Soaking Method

After trying the paper towel method for a few different seeds, I decided to try the soaking method. In my gardening experience, I have learned a lot by trial and error. I like to try things to just see if it will work even if I’m told that it won’t.

I have a lot of old seeds from years past. Some are from 2020! So, I decided to try soaking them to see if they will sprout. I placed about 5 seeds in each container of water with the corresponding seed container above it. My plan was to leave these on my back counter so I could easily check on them, but my cat would not let that happen. She got up there a couple of times and jumped back down. The last time that I saw her up there, she was dipping her paw in the water and licking it off. As funny as it was, I had to come up with a different place to keep these or they would not last.

Greenhouse

I decided to gather up these seeds and take them to the greenhouse. My empty seed trays were waiting to be used anyway. Everything fit on one tray, so it didn’t take up much space. I am trying this method experimentally because it may not be warm enough out in the greenhouse yet. On day two of the seeds being out there, no changes were noticed. I will check back in a few days to see if anything has changed.

Seed Saving

This year I am trying out a different way of saving my seeds. In previous years I would save my seeds in mason jars or recycled sauce jars. I would place a silica packet in each jar to keep the moisture out and not ruin the seeds. This method worked fine but I found that it took up too much space. I needed to find another way.

I’ve tried reusing medication bottles since I tend to have a lot of those saved for crafting anyways. That method worked pretty well also, but I wanted to try something different this year.

I came across an idea from the Homestead and Chill blog where she saves her seeds in photo boxes. There are a couple different size boxes to choose from. Inside each box there are several smaller boxes big enough to fit photo prints. I already had seed envelopes on hand that would fit perfectly in them. So, I filled the envelopes with the various seeds, labeled them, then placed them in the boxes.

Each box was labeled using label stickers to make it easily visible and organized.

This way has proven to be the most effective way to save seeds so far.