How to Store Dried Seeds

Collecting seeds can be a lengthy complicated process. Following the proper techniques ensures your seeds will produce mature, healthy plants. For beginner collectors and novice gardeners knowing how to clean, dry, and store seeds may not be first hand knowledge. If you don't follow a specific set of procedures when collecting and storing seeds you will come to find your seeds rot away and never grow into adult flowering plants. After sowing a bunch of seeds it can be very disappointing to find out the seeds were bad and just will not grow. To avoid this problem there are a few basics every gardener should know. Here are some tips to teach you the proper way to collect seeds, how to identify mature seeds from immature ones, and how to store them to ensure they will grow when you plant them. The information provided here generally applies to seeds in pods and shells.

Collection of Seeds
No matter what kind of seeds you are collecting there are a few basics that apply to most plants. Most seeds have a hard outer-shell, kind of like the exoskeleton on an ant or spider. This shell is natures way of protecting the seed inside, which happens to be alive whether you plant it or not. Ripe seeds will have a hard outer shell that is brown or black in color. Immature seeds will be green, pale yellow, or white and the outer-shell not being ripe yet can be easily crushed and destroyed. Seeds that are not ripe cannot be harvested and prepared for storage. Collect only mature seeds and you should have a good run of luck when it comes time to sow and harvest your plants. Just like anything else in nature, seeds have a life cycle and they will die if not properly cared for. Regardless of care, seeds will die eventually because they can only last for so long.