14/03/2026
Storing seeds properly will increase your success of germination. It is extremely important to keep your seeds stored somewhere that is very dry, cool, and away from vermin or pests. Using containers like glass jars, paper envelopes, all make good receptacles for seed storage, however if using paper envelopes, you should store them in another container to keep any pests away. This will ensure that the viability of the seed is kept high for a longer period ensuring higher germination rates when you sow your seed.
By the way viability of seeds reduces by about 10%per year, even with good storage.
We store our seeds in these draws (pictured), you can buy these at the local hardware store, we have found this the easiest way to store our seeds, so, firstly put them in alphabetical order, then label the draw beside the name with which of the seasons you can sow them in. For example, Spring = Sp, Summer = S, Autumn = A, Winter = W, All Season = All. So if we were to label lettuce seed for example, it would look like this; LETTUCE - ALL. We find that this is an easy way of not only finding what we have, we can quickly scan the seed for the season as well. If we have multi varieties of lettuce, and we do, about 8 different varieties, they all go in the lettuce draw. We also store our companion flowers as well in these drawers amongst the veg, so I hope this will help you navigate your way through the seeds you have either purchased or saved. Make sure the seeds you have saved are dated so you know how old they are. This will matter if you are saving some types like parsnip that need to be sown from fresh seeds each year. Don’t make the mistake of not labelling so you know how fresh or old they are. Seeds 5 years old are likely to only germinate 5 out of 10 seeds sown, due to viability loss.
For more info on edible gardening you can obtain a copy of my books at https://craigcastree.com.au/shop “Edible Gardening Secrets”, has a comprehensive chapter on seed saving, sowing, storing, with much more.
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