As a veteran gardener, I’ve worked my way through quite a few garden seed storage systems. However, most of them haven’t worked as well as I would prefer. But, this year I have discovered the best seed storage system that I’ve ever used, so let’s talk about “Seed Storage for the Serious Gardener”.
This 5-gallon red and black bucket has been my garden seed storage system for several years now.
Not a perfect system, but good enough at the time.
It’s black so it keeps the light out. It seals well and it’s holds a lot.
But, I’ve known that I could definitely do better with regard to one of the most important assets on our homestead! My garden seeds are just too important to stuff in a box anymore!
Start Seeds Indoors the Easy Way
Seriously?
Yep, this disorganized seed stash is about to get organized and stored correctly. It’s long overdue! (no judgement, please!)
How to Store Your Garden Seeds
This photo storage box is the perfect seed storage system. Why didn’t I think of this years ago??
You’ll find that there are quite a few options on the market, but let me explain why I like this one.
Acid-Free – Because it’s designed for photo storage, the plastic is acid-free. Choosing an acid-free garden seed storage organizer is important, because the pH levels in plastic can have a devastating effect on the germination rates of your seeds! Don’t just stuff your seeds into a random plastic box, you’re putting your future food at risk.
18 Large Inner-Boxes – The 4×6 photo boxes give you plenty of room for seed packets! Depending upon their size, I’m getting as many as 10 packets inside of one box.
Water-Resistant – While not “water-proof”, it’s always prudent to keep your seeds safe from rain and other outside conditions, while you’re working in the garden.
Colorful and Easy to Organize – Personally, I like the colors. They are pleasing to the eye, but not overwhelming.
How to Organize Garden Seeds
Depending upon the size of your seed collection, you may find that it’s simple enough to organize them by the fruit or vegetable family.
Since this garden seed organizer has such large inner-boxes, I am able to get all of my larger collections of seeds in one box!
Other organizational strategies might be to separate them out by year, heirloom vs. hybrid, root vegetables, flowers, herbs, etc.
I tend to collect a lot of tomato seeds. I had well over 10 packs of them and was able to get them all into one box.
Using the labeler that I’ve had for many years, (it’s a workhorse!) I print out labels for each box so that I can easily find what I’m looking for.
Will Old Seeds Grow?
As you organize your seeds into your garden seed storage organizer, notice the “sell by date”.
I have seeds that are close to 5 years old and they are still viable.
While seeds will lose some of their germination rate as they age, they can be kept alive and viable for many years when stored correctly.
You can label and categorize your seeds however you see fit.
While I tend to buy and save a lot of tomato seed varieties, I don’t have as many seeds for squash.
This allows me to store all of my pumpkin, zucchini and yellow squash together in one box.
I was able to fit all of my herb seeds into one box as well! These 4×6″ storage boxes hold a lot of seeds!
If you’ve had enough of your current seed storage system, I cannot recommend this garden seed storage organizer enough!
Bring it with you when you go outside to plant, when you want to share or swap seeds with a friend or even when you attend a local “Seed Swap”!
Where Should I Store My Seeds?
Even when stored away in a garden seed storage organizer, you should store your seeds in a cool, dark and DRY place. This way, you’ll have the best possible chance of them lasting a good long time!
