The Sweet Shop Mentality when it comes to buying seeds... and what you can do about it
As a person running a seed company, there is a certain type of customer I love. They come up to the market stall wide eyed, rifle through the different seed packets and leave with an armful of seeds. These customers have entered the 'sweet shop mentality' - all those gorgeous colours and delectable looking vegetables - they've quickly picked up 10 packets without a plan for where they'll go in their garden.
I love these customers because:
a) It's nice to sell lots of seeds and
b) I can see myself in them - they're excited about the potential in each packet and they just can't stop!
But the seed saver in me worries about the future of the seeds they've bought. Will they sit in a biscuit tin waiting to be sown for 10 years? Will they be sown and then left to languish in a tray of compost? Will they be able to push their way through a border stuffed full of plants??
Perhaps I need to get a grip.
But if you find yourself with lots of seeds at the beginning of the year and nowhere to grow them out, remember that seeds last a long time. Scientists have germinated seeds which are 2,000 years old. Most vegetable seeds won't last that long but give them the right storage conditions and some will last 5 years. Here are our tips.
SEED STORAGE TIPS
*Remember* Seeds are living things that are 'breathing' (i.e. respiring) all the time. The quicker they breath the shorter their shelf life. You can slow down their breathing by keeping them cool, dry and reducing their access to oxygen.
- Keep your seeds at a cool and constant temperature - 16C is a great temperature to keep them at but just try to keep them in the coolest part of your house. Or if you have space in your fridge they can be stored there. Take out of the fridge a few days before sowing to allow the seeds to rest.
- Keep your seeds dry - store them in a air tight container with a little bit of rice in the bottom of it. A Kilner jar will work well. The rice will gently remove the moisture from the air in your container keeping things dry.
- Low oxygen - store your seeds in a container which is just the right size. The seeds should take up most of the space in the container (leaving less room for oxygen). Try to avoid opening and closing the container more than necessary because this will refresh the oxygen in the container.